CHARLOTTE -- As some of the world’s greatest golfers prepare to play against each other in Kentucky, one golfer who hopes to play on that stage one day is in Charlotte trying to make a name for himself as a pro golfer on the mini tours. He’s found success at points, but has yet to find a full-time sponsor.

Lorcan Morris turned pro two years ago. He spent time this week practicing his game at Firethorne County Club. How good get gets means whether or not he has food on the table for his family.

“That’s what you’ve got to do; Zach [Johnson] was lucky – he got to meet one guy who had a lot of money, had a lot of rich friends, and they got down and they set it up,” said Morris of now major championship winner Zach Johnson. “When I played the Hooters Tour in 2003 as an amateur, Zach Johnson … [was] out there, and that was only five years ago.”

The Ireland native came to the United States with $100 in his pocket. He played college golf at Wingate University and is currently looking for sponsors much like those that have helped previous pros reach their dreams.

Morris is a perfect example of how the game of golf has become a business, and to succeed at the next level you need to think like somebody with a MBA, not a sweet swing. Morris is doing that.

“I set up a little LLC company and I sell shares at $1,000 a piece and my sponsors get 51 percent of everything that I get back,” said Morris. “My goal at the start of the year was try to raise a certain amount of money and then the sponsors one share would be $1,000.

“Now I’ve had guys buy a quarter of a share, guys buy half a share and guys buy two and three sales. So that’s when I’ve just been going door to door trying to get people to invest.”

Another key component of playing professionally is getting to practice, and in his door-to-door sales calls, Morris happened upon the owners of Firethorne Country Club. They agreed to let him work on his game at their facility and golf course.

“It’s an opportunity to try and help somebody get off the ground and get rolling and see what they might be able to do with the game,” said Randy Few, director of golf at Firethorne County Club. “Right now it’s tough to try to find places to play.”

If Morris’ story tells you anything, it’s as you watch the Ryder Cup this weekend, remember how tough it can be to break into professional golf, and for every Phil Mickelson there’s 10 Lorcan Morris trying to get a foot in the door.