Brewster, Mass.-This week's Captain's Open, much like the previous five, eased from the starting gates in its usual rhythm. Players filed from the driving range across the street to the first tee on the Starboard Course. Interested spectators hid among the trees while watching the early morning tee times. And the fast-rising sun crept high into the sky.

Amid the matter-of-factness, 24-year-old Lee Williams, Golfweek's #1 ranked amateur during parts of 2003-04, made his long anticipated professional debut at 9:33.

As his opening tee shot sailed down the tree-lined first hole fairway, it signified a close to a first-class amateur career culminated by a victory in last month's Walker Cup and marked the first step in a journey many believe will lead to the summit of professional golf, the PGA Tour.

An All-American while at the University of Auburn, Williams' summer resume includes appearances in the US Amateur and Open and a tie for 8th in the prestigious Northeast Amateur.

"That was a big eye opener," Williams said of his 79-79-MC performance at Pinehurst. "I had Ernie behind me. And Tiger was three groups behind me."

During the Walker Cup at Chicago Golf Club, Williams, who was also a member of the 2003 squad that fell to Great Britain & Ireland, anchored the victorious American squad, recording a 3-1 record, including a 4 & 3 triumph over Gary Lockerbie in the final singles match.

It was sweet vindication for an American squad that had lost the previous three matches.

It was especially sweet for Williams, the lone holdover from the '03 squad who remained an amateur despite an excellent season in which he advanced to the semifinals of the US Amateur and finished 2nd in the NCAA Championship to Alejandro Canizares.

"The only reason I stayed amateur was the Walker Cup," said Williams, "or else I would have turned pro. I just wanted to be on a winning team. I wanted to go out on top. When I'm 50, and I look back, it'll be worth it. It's different playing for yourself and playing for your country."

"He put his career on hold to represent his country in the Walker Cup," said Mike Dunphy, Cleveland Golf's Player Development Manager, who has known Williams since his junior golf days. "That says a lot about his character."

Williams whirlwind tour from the Walker Cup, the pinnacle of amateur golf, to this week's Captain's Open, has transformed him from a large fish in a small pond to a small fish in a large pond. Mid-way through the first round at Captain's, his opening round of 1-over 73 left him tied for 23rd, seven shots behind Todd Vernon's course record-tying 66. As a matter of comparison, his career scoring average of 72.38 is an Auburn school record.

"When you come to pro golf from amateur golf, you're down at the bottom again," said Williams. "But I'm not setting myself a time limit. I'm going to play until I'm there."

There, of course, is the PGA Tour, a destination already visited by Williams' Walker Cup teammate Michael Putnam, who finished 4th in the Buick Championship on a sponsors exemption two weeks ago and earned $178,000.

To be sure, Williams will receive his own sponsors exemption into the Dunhill Links championship in Scotland later this month, but his road to success has always been paved by hard work, not handouts.

"I was one of the worst juniors in the state growing up," said Williams, raised in Alexander City, Alabama. "By my senior year I won states. I earned what I've got. I've worked my butt off for everything I've got."

"He's one of those athletes who got to college and flourished," said Dunphy, who has an eye for talent stemming from his days as the golf coach at Alabama-Birmingham. "He wasn't a stellar junior player. He didn't play much. But he went to college and got better. He's set goals and achieved them. I fully expect him to do that at that next level. He will figure out where he wants to be, and he'll do that."