The Boise Open is back at Hillcrest Country Club, and for Boise native Tyler Aldridge, this year's tournament is more than a chance to compete in front of a hometown crowd.After several years away from the event, Aldridge return ed to the Boise Open on Thursday for the opening round, saying it felt special to be back."It feels great to see all the people out here, and I'm excited to see what happens today and hopefully I can do something special," Aldridge said.The Boise native last competed in the tournament in 2018 and said he's looking forward to playing in front of local fans once again."It's been a little bit of time," he said. "It's going to be a good day. Hopefully a lot of people show up."WATCH: One Boise Open player's mission goes beyond the leaderboard Boise Open player hopes tournament success helps grow the gameThis week, however, Aldridge is playing for more than a place on the leaderboard.He has pledged to donate any tournament winnings to help provide more children with opportunities to play golf."I've gotten a lot of great feedback," Aldridge said. "I just want to give kids an opportunity that otherwise wouldn't have that opportunity. If I can play well and win this event, whatever I win, I'm going to be donating. I really think it's going to be something special for these kids."Smoke from regional wildfires has settled over the Treasure Valley during tournament week, limiting visibility around the course. Aldridge said he has tried not to let the conditions become a distraction."I'm trying not to really think about it too much," he said. "Overall, it doesn't bother me too bad."Heading into the tournament, Aldridge said he's focused less on the final outcome and more on staying present throughout each round."I don't really have any expectations," he said. "I'm just going to go out there, have fun, play golf, hopefully put on a show for the crowd, and I'm just going to focus on one shot, one commitment, and let it go."Despite competing in PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events throughout his career, Aldridge said the Boise Open remains one of his favorite stops."There's no better place to play, in my opinion," he said. "I've played in a lot of tour events on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry, and this is by far my favorite event."The Boise Open continues through Sunday at Hillcrest Country Club. ...read more read less