When Tyler Aldridge decided to take up golf at 14 years old, he set his sights far beyond breaking 100 or making the varsity at Vallivue High in Caldwell.

He wanted to chase Tiger Woods.

And now he's got his chance.

Aldridge, a 24-year-old who has never even attended a PGA Tour event, will make his debut on golf's glamour circuit Thursday in the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

The Nampa native and resident is the first Treasure Valley-grown PGA Tour member in 11 years.

"It means everything in the world to him," said Randy Aldridge, Tyler's dad. "That was his goal when he first started playing 10 years ago. He said, 'Dad, one day I'm going to play with the PGA, with the big dogs.' Boy, he's done it."

Aldridge earned his PGA Tour membership at the tour's notorious Qualifying School in early December. He made par or better on 105 of 108 holes to tie for 11th.

It was a culmination of what he learned during a difficult rookie season on the Nationwide Tour, where he made just six cuts in 23 events and made $12,143.

And it was a confidence-builder for a player who is developing a reputation in golf circles as an up-and-comer.

"I'm this close to my dream," Aldridge said. "Just because I've got my PGA Tour card doesn't mean it's all fun and games. This is where the real work begins. The job is to keep your card, to compete, to play against the best players in the world every week."

Work has never been a problem for Aldridge, who credits much of the Treasure Valley golf community for his growth as a player. He worked with several local pros, honed his game fighting for position on the Vallivue team and prepared for his emergence as a tour pro by playing with the regulars at Purple Sage Golf Course in Caldwell.

He is known as a grinder - one of the last guys off the range every day. That's why he didn't last long at Boise State. His schoolwork was cutting into his practice time.

"I was going to college to play golf," he said. "I decided if I wanted to pursue golf, I needed to work longer at golf than anything else."

Kevin Burton, who played the PGA Tour in 1997 and took over the Boise State men's golf program after Aldridge left, has helped prepare Aldridge for the challenges of his new endeavor. He says Aldridge's work ethic is his best attribute.

"He's got all the game to do well," Burton said. "He's got the demeanor. He's got the drive, which is the big part. He still loves it and loves working hard."

So what went wrong last year? Plenty.

First-year tour pros usually struggle to adapt to the travel and the variety of golf courses and grasses they encounter. Many, including Aldridge, get caught up in tinkering with their equipment and their games. The pressure to earn a living can be paralyzing.

And for Aldridge, who was new to it all last year, the combination was overwhelming.

At times, he was so nervous he felt sick. At night, sleep often eluded him.

"It was rough," he said. " I've learned how to control the emotions."

He has changed his swing, a late-season adjustment that he credits for much of his Qualifying School success.

And he has tweaked his attitude, leaning on his family to take his mind off golf when he leaves the course - although they won't travel with him much. He has a 5-month-old son, Chandler, and a 7-year-old stepdaughter, Jayde.

Aldridge and his wife, Kyla, have been married for about a year and a half. They still live in Nampa.

"I've grown a lot as a person," Aldridge said, "and a lot of it is because of my family."

Now it's time to find out how much he has grown as a golfer.

When he arrived at Waialae on Monday, Aldridge went to the driving range and practiced next to Luke Donald - the Englishman with 30 top-10 finishes and $12.8 million in earnings in his PGA Tour career.

Aldridge, on the other hand, didn't have a single top-25 finish on the Nationwide Tour last year.

Burton told him that he shouldn't focus on resume gaps like those.

"I just told him to relax," Burton said. "You've already proven you deserve to be out there. Don't go out there and worry about it. Try to have some fun."

Aldridge already has created some believers with that terrific performance at Q-School. He signed with Gaylord Sports Management in Scottsdale, Ariz., the same company that represents Phil Mickelson.

"I think he's going to be a sleeper," said Peter Webb, Aldridge's player manager for Gaylord Sports. " There are a lot of guys who are very high on Tyler Aldridge, from agents to golf manufacturers reps to players. They think he's got a lot of potential."

Sounds like Aldridge's self-assessment from a decade ago.