Eric West is looking forward to measuring up against a formidable field when he makes his Korn Ferry Tour debut at the The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.

The local amateur is feeling excited heading into the 72-hole tournament to be held at the par-72 Abaco Club on Winding Bay course in Bahamas from Sunday to Wednesday.

“I’m very excited to be able to play again at this level,” West told The Royal Gazette.

“It’s my first Korn Ferry Tour event and the field will be very, very strong.”

The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the PGA Tour and boasts professional golfers who have either yet to reach the PGA Tour, or have but failed to secure enough FedEx Cup points required to retain their Tour status.

West has chosen not to burden himself with expectations on his Tour debut, choosing instead to take matters all in stride.

“I don’t have any expectations other than to go and compete and see how we do,” the former Port Royal Golf Course head professional said.

“My form has been improving slowly, but I’m benchmarking myself on the better players I’ve been playing with that play on these tours regularly. I am playing better than I was in 2023 for sure.”

West hopes to capitalise on his previous experience playing at the course which favours his game.

“I’ve played in a number of events at Abaco in the past and the course suits my game well,” he added.

“It’s a beautiful layout right along the coast with undulating greens and lots of marshland. The grass is seaside Paspalum, so the ball sits up on the fairways. You really need to compress the ball to keep it under the wind.”

The 40-year-old has gone to considerable lengths in the lead-up to the event tweaking his equipment and swing to help improve his game.

“I made a bunch of equipment and swing changes to be able to hit better shots under pressure on longer golf courses,” he said.

“To prepare, I’ve been working with a new swing coach and I’m back in the gym trying to regain some distance and physical resilience that’s been degrading due to age.

“I started a golf company, Paradise Golf Company, four years ago, so continuing to dial in new designs and make my equipment better is an ongoing part of my prep as I play my own equipment.

“At stake for me is half about playing well and getting tournament tough again and the other half is about accumulating starts for my equipment.

“I was granted a PGA Tour credential as a manufacturer and the clubs need to continue to make showings to keep my credential active.

“Playing your own clubs as a Bermudian brand definitely adds a different element of pressure that I hadn’t felt before, trying to both legitimise myself as a player and as a manufacturer.”

The upcoming tournament is one of several West plans to compete at this year.

“I’ll be competing regularly this year in amateur and professional events,” he added.

“I’ll be trying to play as much as I can while balancing my family and day-to-day role at my job.”

West has enjoyed considerable success in recent months having made his PGA Tour debut after qualifying for and competing in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and claiming the Johnnie Walker Classic amateur title.

The former Tour de las Americas, Challenge and Canadian Tour player attributes that success to an added motivation to play the sport.

“Last year my son was born and gave me a different motivation to start playing again,” said West, who won the local qualifier for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal by four shots.

“Somehow there feels like there’s more on the line and I can focus better on the task.

“I also understand the game differently and it’s showing up in how I’m playing.

“I’m more tactical now and hopefully over the next few years we start seeing these changes in bigger tournaments.”