Blythewood, SC – For the past seven months, Ryan Sullivan of Winston-Salem, NC has spent time traveling abroad, chasing his PGA TOUR dream on the Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica and the eGolf Tour, all with an eye on eventually landing a spot on golf’s grand stage. At this week’s Columbia Open, Sullivan is continuing his march towards his TOUR dream, opening one of the eGolf Tour’s longest-tenured events with rounds of 65-67—132 to reach 10-under par at the halfway point, good for a one-shot lead heading into Friday’s third round of play.

Sullivan’s week at host Columbia Country Club began with a 6-under 65 late in the day on Wednesday, which put him tied atop the 18-hole leaderboard with Brandon Smith of West Palm Beach, FL.

On Thursday, Sullivan made his move towards the outright lead in the morning dew, birdieing three of his first eight holes to turn at 3-under 33 and 9-under for the week.

A birdie at the short par-4 11th moved him to 4-under on the day, but an errant second shot minutes later on the watery par-5 12th led to an unlikely bogey.

“A year ago when I wasn’t as well polished as a player, that bogey would have killed my momentum, but I was able to stick with it and keep a good attitude,” said Sullivan after his round.

Sullivan rallied after the falter on 12, recording birdies on 14 and 15 to reach 5-under on his second round and 11-under overall. At the par-4 18th, however, a three-putt from 12 feet left him with a final-hole bogey and a less-than-ideal taste in his mouth, but nevertheless in control of the event through 36 holes.

Travis Ross

“I’ve been doing a good job of hitting greens, so I haven’t had to scramble too much. But when you’re hitting greens, you’re inevitably going to miss some putts,” said Sullivan, who received a putting lesson at last week’s Web.com Tour stop in Texas. “Overall I’m really pleased with my putting this week, though. I feel like I’m rolling it well.”

Sullivan’s march up golf’s proverbial ladder began slowly after turning pro fresh out of UNC Wilmington. In 2012, he made just seven cuts in 17 starts on the eGolf Tour, but flashed potential brilliance during a second-round 61 at the Southern Open in July. Later that year, he advanced to the final stage of PGA TOUR Q-School, in turn earning conditional status on the Web.com Tour in 2013.

Sullivan, however, did most of his damage last season on the eGolf Tour, notching four top-10 finishes including a pair of T3s at the Championship at St. James and Willow Creek Open. Later in the year, he ventured to Puerto Rico for PGA TOUR Latinoamerica’s Puerto Rico Classic, where a final-round 65 delivered the first win of his professional career, and the tournament’s $27,000 first-place prize.

From there, Sullivan remained on the Latinoamerica circuit, making five more starts en route to a 12th-place finish on the season-ending money list. That late-season push continued into Q-School finals, where he earned status yet again on the Web.com Tour for the 2014 season.

“Starting with last year, I’ve really expanded my horizon so to speak. I feel like I’ve played a lot of golf, but I’d rather do that than take a lot of weeks off,” said Sullivan, who has competed in seven foreign countries since last October. “That works for some guys, but I don’t get worn out if I play a lot of golf.”

The former Seahawk standout has made three starts this year on the PGA TOUR’s developmental circuit, posting a season-best 76th-place finish at the Brasil Champions in March. During off weeks, however, he has returned to his roots, picking up three eGolf Tour starts through the tour’s opening two months.

“I don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing what Web.com Tour events I’m in, so when I’m in South America, I’m looking at where the next eGolf event is so I can keep playing,” he said. “This is my foundation, where I got started in pro golf. The competition is always good, and if you can come out on top here, you can do it on any level.”

Sullivan is hopeful of playing his way into better status on the Web.com Tour, and fully realizes that one good week can change as season, and even a career.

“I didn’t have to play this week because my next Web.com Tour start isn’t until Greenville (SC), but obviously I enjoy playing out here, and hopefully I can build some confidence going into BMW (Charity Pro-Am),” he said. “This course suits my eye because the rough isn’t that long, so I can let it go with my driver a little bit. If I can keep hitting it the way I have been for the next two days, I should be able to give myself a chance.”

Travis Ross of Crookston, MN is alone in second place, one shot back of Sullivan after rounds of 69-64—133 (9-under).

Ross, who starred in college at the University of New Mexico, posted the low round of the week on Thursday with a bogey-free 64 that pushed him up to 9-under par for the tournament.

Phillip Mollica

The soft-spoken current Charlotte, NC resident birdied Nos. 2 and 5 before eagling the par-5 seventh to turn at 4-under 32. On the back nine, Ross maintained his pace with a birdie at the 13th and closing birdies on both 17 and 18 to round out his 7-under-par day.

The 26-year-old entered the week with four top-25 finishes in four starts this year, including a solo-third-place effort at the season-opening Palmetto Hall Championship. Ross was the leader heading into the final round of the rain-shortened Palmetto Hall event, but closed with a 3-over 75 to finish two shots back of winner Ethan Tracy.

Phillip Mollica of Anderson, SC is in solo-third place with rounds of 67-67—134, two shots back of Sullivan at 8-under overall.

Mollica, who won the tour’s El Jadida Classic in Morocco in 2011, has pasted Columbia Country Club with red figures, notching 12 birdies over the first two rounds en route to his 8-under-par tally.

The 26-year-old former Clemson University golfer competed on the Web.com Tour last year, making two of 11 cuts while adding one top-25 in three starts on the eGolf Tour.

Adam Stephenson of Greenville, NC is alone in fourth place at 7-under 135, thanks in part to a second-round 65 on Thursday.

The former East Carolina golfer recorded two eagles and three bogeys for a Wednesday 70, then played bogey-free golf on Thursday with six birdies for his 65.

The 36-hole cut fell at even-par 142, with 40 players making it through to the final 36 holes of play. Third-round play in the Columbia Open will begin at 8:00 AM on Friday morning, with players competing in threesomes off of Nos. 1 and 10 tees. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.