Humphreys hoping to make his mark on pro circuit
The former Normanby Hall member has got some finances together from sponsors to join the 2010 PGA EuroPro Tour.
The EuroPro Tour is the only officially recognised developmental tour in the UK, with 16 tournaments played around the country between April and October for collective prize money of nearly £750,000.
The tour is a satellite competition for the European Tour, aiming to prepare players for life as a fully fledged professional, with each tournament having a two-hour highlights package screened on Sky Sports.
The top five players on the EuroPro Tour Order of Merit at the end of the season earn membership for the European Challenge Tour.
The Order of Merit winner last season, Scott Jamieson, earned more than £23,000 in winnings in his debut season.
With 400 members battling for a maximum of 168 places in each tournament however, 26-year-old Humphreys is under no illusions of the challenge that lies ahead.
"Basically I've joined up, now I go to qualifying school to see which of the nine categories I'll be in and how many starts I'll get in the 16 events," he explained.
"I'm playing at Slaley Hall in Northumberland in the qualifying school, looking to get into the final round of that to get into a good category.
"So as soon as I hit the first ball on March 31, I will become a pro. If I stay as an amateur I'm not eligible for any of the prize money.
"It also means I can enter for qualifying for the British Open as well, but that's quite expensive so it will depend on how well I do.
"I'm hoping to be top 20 in the Order of Merit, the standard I'm playing at are top 20 scores. It is a gamble but it's something I've always wanted to do."
As Humphreys is not currently a member of any of the local clubs, he explained a bit more about his golf so far.
"I started playing when I was 13 with my dad, he taught me how to play," said Humphreys.
"I'm an all-rounder really, no real weaknesses.
"Putting was my weakness, but I've been working hard on that and it seems to have come good in the last year.
"I won the junior open at Normanby in 1996 and then when I was away with the army I competed in a few events.
"I've not competed in much since I left the army five years ago but I'm putting everything aside for this.
"I'm playing as much as I can and working on the psychological part of my game.
"Once I got my swing together I knew that it was about believing in myself."
If Humphreys ever needs inspiration, he should look in the direction of English pro Ross Fisher.
Fisher, who won the Volvo World Match Play in October last year, played on the EuroPro Tour earlier in his career.
Richard Humphreys
