LEADING Cirencester and Gloucestershire county golfer Jon Sutherland has turned professional.

The 22-year-old scratch player intends to play most of his golf on the Europro Tour. He will probably start in Portugal, where four successive tournaments are being staged this month.

"I want to see how far I can go," said the red-haired player, after securing two wins in the county's opening match against Devon at Bristol and Clifton, in his final appearance as an amateur.

Gloucestershire became aware of his intentions and ambitions when he played in the Europro qualifying rounds.

He finished in a tie for 29th after rounds of 74 and 78 in the pre-qualifying round at Coventry.

This was good enough to get him into the next stage, the final qualifying at Saunton, where he failed to make the halfway cut when suffering from an injury.

He said: "I jarred my wrist in the second round when I hit a marker post playing a wedge shot.

"I dropped two shots then and a couple of three-putts put me out of the tournament."

He stayed in the Californian sunshine with an uncle and aunt and became friendly with two college golf teams. He beat them all when he shot one round of one-under-par 71 over the 7,200-yard course.

He managed to do a deal with the local golf club and played every day until darkness fell.

Sutherland will continue to work in the professional's shop at Witney to earn some money, but is seeking sponsorship. He believes he requires between £12,000 and £15,000 to finance his debut pro season.

He said: "I've got a couple of contacts, but my parents have said they will support me when I spend the month in Portugal."

He is also embarking on a fitness programme to help him compete in the cut-and-thrust of competitive professional golf.

One reason Sutherland has made his decision to try his luck on the professional circuit this year was the form he showed during a month in San Diego earlier this year.

Ironically his club Cirencester will not really miss him, as he only played twice there last year, shooting 65 on both occasions.

His growing career meant the rest of his golf was played in national and county events.

He hopes this year's Europro Tour experience will provide a stepping stone to play on the Challenge Tour next year.