HARTSVILLE, S.C. - Coker University men's golf alumni Ethan Cairns '19 makes his PGA Tour debut at this week's Barracuda Championship in Truckee, California. The 72-hole, modified stableford scoring system tournament will occur at Tahoe Mountain Club's Old Greenwood course.

"I remember thinking about this opportunity back when I was putting as a little kid or hitting balls with my dad," said Cairns. "Looking back 5-10 years ago, I had no idea if this opportunity would ever come, and this is a dream come true, and I am super stoked."

Cairns qualified for the Barracuda Championship by winning the Reno Open in late May, thanks to 65, 63, and 66 rounds in the three-round event. Cairns joins a field of 155 other players from the PGA and DP World Tour, playing for 300 FedEx Cup points and a $3.8 million purse, $684,000 of which goes to the tournament's champion. Keith Mitchell and defending champion Chez Reavie highlight a field of five players in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking and nine in the top 75 in the season-long race for the FedEx Cup.

"I have been fortunate enough to play this game at a high level the last few years on PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamerica, etc, and this is a chance for me to compare my game to the best players in the world, gain valuable experience and be able to see what it takes to play the game at the highest level."

Cairns was a four-year standout on the men's golf team, compiling a career scoring average of 74.75, ranking eleventh all-time in Coker men's golf history. He finished with five career top-10 finishes, highlighted by a T8 finish at the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Championship, earning All-Tournament honors. Cairns was also a member of the 2016-17 team that qualified for the NCAA Division II South/Southeast Regional Championship.

"We (16-17 team) were just a bunch of grinders. We did everything together, whether going to a basketball game or practice. We were just one big family. As a group, we were playing for more than just ourselves. We wanted to play well for the seniors, and the seniors wanted to play well for the underclassmen. Even though we were a bunch of goofballs, we wanted to compete and didn't want to lose, no matter the competition."

This will be the 25th anniversary of the Barracuda Championship, and past champions include major champions Colin Morikawa, Gary Woodland, and Geoff Ogilvy. This event has served as the inaugural win for six of the last seven champions to lift the championship trophy.

"The goal is to play on the weekend and be in contention. I'll go out there and play hard, appreciate where I am and the opportunity to be in the position and learn from it. Hopefully, come Sunday, I am near the top of the leaderboard, but I have to just let it happen and trust my preparation. I can't wait to go out there and represent my University, my parents, my support team, my friends, etc."

Cairns will tee off hole No. 1 at 11:57 a.m. EST on Thursday. On Friday, he will tee off hole No. 10 at 5:12 p.m. EST.

All four rounds (July 20-23) can be found live on The Golf Channel from 5 - 8 p.m. EST.

Full interview with Cairns can be found here