Derek Ernst, 21, is gambling on his future. Opting to become a professional golfer is, to say the least, a bet against the odds.

But Ernst is OK with his career gamble, which makes some sense because he attends the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Ernst had the odds going his way Monday at Heron Bay Golf Club in Coral Springs, after shooting a 5-under-par 67 to put himself in second, four strokes behind Sebastian Pinzon in the four-day Dixie Amateur, an event that has been played for 81 years.

A confident kid, Ernst also knows all too well the vagaries of the sport.

“No one will ever master golf,” he said. “In fact, it’s difficult to even say what mastering golf might be.”

With that golf existentialism offered up, Ernst went back to his confidence level.

“I came here because I wanted to win,” he said of his first trip to play in the Dixie Amateur. “You have to believe in what you can achieve. I feel like my game has gotten better and better every year. Golf is a very mental game, but if you can be happy and think positive, you can go far.”

Ernst’s round Monday consisted of seven birdies and two bogeys.

“Actually, I wasn’t hitting the ball that great,” he said, “but I stayed in the moment. There was a lot of wind, so I’m very happy. Now I have to do the same thing in the next three rounds.”

Ernst has come a long way — physically and in his golf game — from someone who was 5-2 and 120 pounds when he got his driver’s license. He’s now 6-foot and 175, and he can smack a drive more than 300 yards.

He started playing “around the age of 7,” he said. “My dad was a weekend golfer and took me out once in a while, and he would drop a ball down and I would hit it.”

At that point, tennis was his main sport, and he also played baseball. Those fell to the wayside for golf.

“I was pretty good at golf right off the bat,” he said.

What does he like about the game?

“I would say everything,” he said.

One of his proudest moments came in a loss, a missed 12-foot putt knocking him out in the final of the U.S. Public Links Championship against Corbin Mills of Clemson in July. Ernst and Mills played for 37 holes before Mills won — or Ernst loss.

Two of his immediate goals are winning an NCAA championship and then turning pro. The ultimate goal: the PGA Tour.

“The last four years I have dedicated my life to golf,” Ernst said. “No reason to stop now.”

Doral Classic

The Doral Public Junior Classic showed its international blend Monday at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa.

The boys’ 12-13 flight had Philip Barbaree of Shreveport, La., taking top honors with a 148, followed by Kyle MacDonald of Ontario at 152 and Roberto Lebrija of Mexico City at 153.

The girls’ 12-13 division was won by Anneke Strobach of Lima, Peru, with a 144. She beat Maria Herraez of Madrid (147), and Mathilda Cappeliez of France (149).

Play continues Tuesday with The Dave Adamonis United States Challenge Cup, which pits Florida golfers against golfers from five New England states. Play for boys’ and girls’ 18-and-unders commences Wednesday. The event is free and open to the public.