MUSCATINE, Iowa – Ryan Smith didn’t touch a golf club for nearly six years after he graduated from high school.

The Quincy, Ill., native went into construction and had no intention of picking the game up again.

That was until one day when a high school friend asked if he wanted to dust off the clubs.

“I just picked the clubs up one day, went to the driving range and just fell back in love with golf,” Smith said.

Two weeks later, Smith was registered at the Golf Academy of the Carolinas in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and worked toward becoming a professional in 2002.

Now, seven years removed, Smith is in his third season as the golf professional and general manager at the Muscatine Municipal Golf Course.

Smith and Geneva Country Club professional Steve Hutton will represent Muscatine at the Iowa Section PGA Professional Championship on Monday and Tuesday at The Harvester Golf Club in Rhodes, Iowa – just northeast of Des Moines.

The 54-hole champion earns an automatic exemption into next year’s John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run, while the top-five finishers in the 69-player field qualify for the PGA Professionals National Championship next June in French Lick, Ind. From there, the top 20 finishers earn an invitation to the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.

With his responsibilities at Muni and the birth of his daughter six weeks ago, this is Smith’s first competitive tournament of the season. In fact, he said he’s “played less than seven rounds of golf this year.”

“It’s very difficult to be a golf pro and hone your skills and keep your game in tune to compete,” said Smith, who will also tee it up at the Iowa Open later this month in Riverside. “With the success our golf course has had over the past two years, it’s been extremely busy and difficult for me to find time to practice my own game or to compete in events.

“My plan is to find some time over the next couple of days to get a feel for my putting touch and try to find a golf swing that will allow me to compete with the top professionals.”

Hutton, 44, is in a similar

situation.

Playing in his 20th sectional championship – the year’s biggest event for club pros in the state – Hutton has participated in just a handful of events.

There are 41 PGA sections across the country, with each hosting a championship.

“The tough thing for Ryan and I will be going up there and strongly competing,” Hutton said. “We have one of the best playing sections here in the United States.”

Hutton qualified for the national event in 2005. He’s also had several top 20 finishes.

“When I was younger, you really had that drive and energy, trying to play as much as you could,” he said. “It got you into the position where maybe you were too consumed with playing.

“As I’ve gotten older, it’s more about playing golf with the membership and enjoying time with the members. If I happen to play well, it’s a nice perk.”

Smith, meanwhile, played on several mini-tours after graduating from the academy before landing a job at Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. In 2003, he left Florida to become the assistant pro at Geneva.

This is Smith’s first year participating in the local sectional.

“Obviously, I really want to play well,” he said. “I’m realistic in my expectations, but having won tournaments in the past, if I play well, I could have a chance to possibly win it or advance to the national level.

“That would be a dream come true.”

The field will play 27 holes each day. Smith tees off at 8:27 a.m. Monday and Hutton goes off at 9:30 a.m. Live scoring updates will be available at www.iowapga.com.