Golfer Daniel Augustus has set his sights on the PGA Tour, and is planning on turning professional by the end of the year.

The young Bermudian believes the time has come for him to leave the Island and begin a journey that he hopes will one day see him playing alongside the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and a host of other household names.

Originally considering a return to university in the US, a summer of soul searching has seen Augustus decide that choosing a different path might be the best way forward.

"I'm hoping to go away, but school doesn't appear to be the answer right now," he said. "I'm actually contemplating on turning pro or not, I'm kind of toying with the idea right now.

"I want to go, hopefully starting New Year, I want to, but I still need to make sure everything's straight, and first of all I need the sponsors, more than anything. And if I find one some time soon, then that's pretty much when I plan on going.

"I'm really big in my Christianity now and it's pretty much God telling me that it's time for you to turn pro, God's telling me it's time."

And the Riddell's Bay golfer has every reason to be confident that his aims are little more than a pipe dream, he has been tipped for great things by former tour professional Lee Elder, the first black golfer to play at The Masters.

"It's awesome that somebody who played on tour thinks that I could make it on tour also, and not only make it on tour, but be a great golfer on tour you know, that's awesome," said Augustus. "But right now I would really like more time to practice, and you need money to do that, because golf is a very expensive sport.

"So I have to work, and then play golf, and work out on top of that, so it's a little stressful, but I've got to do it to make it, so that's what I have to do for now."

Augustus is under no illusions as to the size of the task facing him, but believes he is more than capable of following in the footsteps of the likes of Kim Swan and more recently Michael Sims, who plays on the Nationwide Tour.

And he also appreciates that he can't just turn up to Q-School later this year and expect to make a tour, Augustus is prepared to do it the hard way.

"I have aspirations of being a touring pro, of playing on tour, following in the footsteps of Michael Sims and hopefully do as good, if not better, hopefully do better I should say, and make it on the PGA Tour one day."

"Right now I am looking at mini tours, a lot of Monday qualifiers, a few mini tours you just pay upfront for that tournament, and then you just go in, a lot of them are in Florida," he said.

"From there, I will hopefully be saving up (enough money) and then going onto the Hooters Tour, and then hopefully getting to the Nationwide Tour, and then PGA Tour. Or even the Canadian Tour, the South American Tour, the European Tour, there are so many tours out there now, you know."

Having made the decision to turn professional it would have been easy for Augustus to make the leap immediately, but he has held off, aware that the time has to be exactly right. He also wants to compete in the big events in the Island's golfing calendar, the Bermuda Open, Goslings, and the Goodwill Tournament.

"I don't want to miss that moment at all," he said, "but everything has to be in the right time, that's why I'm not turning pro just yet. I don't want to jump into it, and then a couple of big amateur events come around that I should have played in, it's all about timing.

"I will play (in the local events), it's just a matter if I'm going to be a pro or an amateur when I play in them. I definitely will play in those, because they are our big local tournaments, I have to be loyal to where I started from, they are my humble beginnings.

"And I will definitely play in the Goslings, and the Bermuda Open, and if I am part of a team in the Goodwill."