Mt. Airy native a sure bet to compete

‘‘It was the most exciting round of golf I ever played,” Strayton said.

If golf and poker got together and had a child they would name it the World Series of Golf. Each hole, like a hand in poker, is started with an ante. Players, separated into foursomes or fivesomes, must bet, check or fold on each subsequent shot. Some holes are concluded others are not. Those completed are decided by the lowest score. Whichever player outlasts their competitors wins. Antes start at $100 per hole and double every three holes.

A 14 handicap won’t earn a Professional Golf Association Tour Card. And don’t expect to see Strayton on any of the hundred of so poker shows doting the television landscape. The World Series is a different animal. He made the final two of his foursome last year, but due to rising antes, was unable to post on the 19th tee box and was eliminated from the tournament. He’s already in Vegas preparing for this year’s contest.

It isn’t the golf or the gambling that Strayton considers the most difficult part of the tournament. Lining up for every shot knowing hundreds or thousands of dollars are on the line and the pressure those lofty amounts bring with them reduce the field much faster than any drive or putt.

‘‘It’s very high pressure golf,” Strayton said. ‘‘It sounds like golf and it sounds like poker but if I had to divide it into three components I would say it is 25 percent poker, 25 percent golf and 50 percent pressure. It’s like watching the pros on the golf course miss a putt for $100,000. When you have that much money, or a lot of money at stake it just adds that much more pressure.”

Rather than caddies, contestants employ the help of financial advisors. For the second year in a row Strayton will have his son Rob on his bag.

Putting greens meet green felt at the World Series of Golf. The three-round event will be contested at the Paiute Golf Resort with the winner taking home $250,000. It is scheduled to be aired on NBC later in the summer.

‘‘It’s just kind of a fun adventure,” Strayton said. ‘‘It’s much more than golf and it’s much more than poker.”