Gone are the days when Ian Lyner drove Royal Mail vans to augment his earnings as a professional golfer.
Now fully qualified and teaching at The Leicestershire club, Lyner duly delivered the goods at Little Aston, Birmingham.
The 42-year-old posted a super 68, four under par, to lead the 85 Midland Region qualifiers for the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship, the flagship event for Great Britain and Ireland's best club professionals.
"I gave up the driving about five years ago - but I did it for about 21 years. My schedule now at The Leicestershire is full-time teaching, with some time off for competition."
For the 72-hole final at the end of July Lyner will renew acquaintance with the famed Moortown course in Leeds, host to the first Ryder Cup match played in Britain in 1929.
"It must be about 20 years since I played there, in the English Amateur Championship. No, I didn't survive the matchplay for too long. I must have gone out in the first or second round."
He may have described his efforts as 'plodding his way round, holing nothing of any consequence' but Greetham Valley's Neil Evans still managed to tie second among 84 other Midland professionals.
Not for the first time the 32-year-old, who lives in Corby, finished near the top of the leaderboard in the area's qualifying round for the Glenmuir.
"I didn't play too well in either of the finals I reached (he tied 22nd last year at Royal Porthcawl), so it would be nice to make some kind of impact this time."
Waltham Windmill pro Stephen Bennett shrugged off a shaky front nine to qualify comfortably. The 49-year-old fired a one-under 71, tying second with the Rutland man.
After suffering a double bogey at the par-four second and going out in a two-over 37, Bennett hit what he reckoned to be a career-best three-wood over water at the long 12th, setting up a two-putt birdie.
"That boosted me for the back nine", said Bennett. "I birdied the next par-five, the 15th, hitting a sand wedge to three feet, and added another at the 17th. So, all in all, not a bad day - and the putter worked nicely."