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NATIONWIDE TOUR STORYLINES – Week of July 19th
NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL INVITATIONAL
July 19-25
Ohio State University Golf Club / Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio
Purse: $800,000 First Prize: $144,000
2009 Champion: Derek Lamely
16th of 29 Events
144 players including 12 college All-Americans/amateurs
Golf Channel will televise all four rounds
TOP BANANA – Chiquita Classic winner Tommy Gainey accomplished two key things with his victory at TPC River’s Bend near Cincinnati on Sunday. “Two Gloves” became the first two-time winner of 2010 and he assumed the No. 1 spot on the Nationwide Tour money list. A third victory this year would grant Gainey an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR. Only nine players have earned the battlefield promotion since it was instituted in 1997. Finishing No. 1 on the money list ensures that player fully-exempt status on the PGA TOUR the following year and an invite to THE PLAYERS Championship.
SHARING NO. 1 – Tommy Gainey is the fourth player to grab the top spot on the money list through the first 15 tournaments of 2010. Bobby Gates (now No. 5) did so for the first eight weeks, Kevin Chappell (No. 3) for three weeks and Chris Kirk (No. 2) for three weeks. Gainey ($306,307) currently leads Kirk by $19,219.
ALL-AMERICANS COME TO PLAY – Unique to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational are the invitations extended to members of college golf’s All-American team and the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. In its fourth year, the tournament has already seen the collegians make their mark with Daniel Summerhays (BYU) becoming the first amateur to win on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and Rickie Fowler (Oklahoma State) finishing runner-up in a playoff last year. Seven of the players featured in the 2010 lineup listed below are ranked among the top 10 in the R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (position denoted by their name).
John Chin U. of California-Irvine / Temecula, Calif. / Senior
Bud Cauley (8th) U. of Alabama / Jacksonville, Fla. / Sophomore
Dustin Garza Wichita State / Mission, Texas / Senior
Russell Henley (5th) U. of Georgia / Macon, Ga. / Junior
Morgan Hoffman Oklahoma State / Wyckoff, N.J. / Sophomore
Scott Langley (8th) U. of Illinois / Manchester, Mo. / Senior
Andrea Pavan (4th) Texas A&M / Rome, Italy / Senior
Jonathan Randolph (10) U. of Mississippi / Brandon, Miss. / Junior
Patrick Reed (3rd) Augusta State / Augusta, Ga. / Sophomore
Nathan Smith * Pittsburgh, Pa. / 2009 U.S. Walker Cup team member
Peter Uhlein (1st) Oklahoma State / Orlando, Fla. / Sophomore
Diego Velasquez Oregon State / Bogotá, Colombia / Senior
* Replaced U.S. Amateur champion, Byeong-Hun An.
BUCKEYE GREATS LEND THEIR SUPPORT – A pair of Ohio State University Sports Hall of Fame members are lending their names to promote the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational. Former All-American golfer and major champion Meg Mallon is this year’s Honorary Chairperson, following in the footsteps of fellow Buckeyes Jack Nicklaus, John Cook and longtime golf coach Jim Brown. Clark Kellogg, a Buckeye great on the hard court turned CBS college basketball analyst, is host for Monday’s pro-am, which features many OSU greats such as Keith Byars, Austin Carr, Archie Griffin and Craig Kenzel returning to support the University and the tournament’s charitable efforts. Last week’s Chiquita Classic host Anthony Muñoz is also scheduled to play. Mallon was at the Scarlet Course on Monday to welcome pro-am guests and fans.
NATIONWIDE’S HOMETOWN HOSTS TOUR FOR FOURTH YEAR – The 2010 edition of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational marks the tournament’s fourth year. In those four short years it has become one of the Nationwide Tour’s most interesting and successful events. In addition to its unique All-American / amateur component, it has become a leading charity fundraiser. Last year, the event raised $881,270 (second most on Tour) with $325,000 of the proceeds benefiting the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Much of this success is directly attributable to the resources and manpower Tour umbrella sponsor Nationwide Insurance provides its hometown event.
MIDWEST SWING WILL SHAPE END OF SEASON RUN – The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational is the second of five straight events that will take place in the Midwest section of the U.S. The $3.275 million in prize money available over these five weeks will do much to shape the September/October stretch-drive to the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C. Last year, 14 players who were inside the top 25 with the same amount of tournaments remaining (14) finished among “The 25” who earned 2010 PGA TOUR cards. The top 11 all maintained their positions inside “The 25” but only three of the next 14 managed to do so.
TOUR WIVES LOOKING TO “FILL THE CART WITH FUN” FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS – The Nationwide Tour Wives Association is partnering with tournament officials this week in a “Fill the Cart with Fun” project that will benefit patients at the Nationwide’s Children’s Hospital. Chaired by Amy Gutschewski, wife of Scott, they are encouraging spectators and volunteers to bring children’s items such as DVDs, video games and board games to the tournament and drop them off at the main gate. The items will be delivered and distributed to the Hospital at the conclusion of the golf tournament. Cash donations and shipped items (by July 21st) will also be accepted.
MATT BETTENCOURT “W” IS NO. 278 – Matt Bettencourt’s first PGA TOUR win on Sunday at the Reno Tahoe Open was the 278th Nationwide Tour alumni victory on TOUR. Bettencourt was the Nationwide Tour’s leading money winner in 2008. Alumni have won 18 times in 31 PGA TOUR events thus far in 2010. Fourteen of the top-17 finishers in Reno were former Nationwide Tour members.
ERIK COMPTON / HBO SPECIAL AIRING –“Heart of a Champion”, a profile about Erik Compton, first aired last Wednesday on HBO and is in midst of several re-airs on HBO, HBO2 and HBO on Demand. Frank Deford hosts the piece about the two-time heart transplant’s courageous journey through life and his continuing pursuit of his professional golf dreams. Compton received his first transplant at age 12 and second in May 2008. He has competed in 85 Nationwide Tour events since 2002, with his best finish a playoff runner-up in 2004. Check your listings for the specific air dates and times.
BIRTHDAY BOY – Celebrating a birthday this week in Columbus is Aaron Watkins of Mesa, Ariz. and Kansas State University (July 24 / turns 28).
NEXT WEEK – The Cox Classic presented by Lexus of Omaha at Champions Run in Omaha, Neb. (July 29-Aug. 1).
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