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Nationwide Tour Storylines – Week of Nov. 17th 2008
WICHITA EVENT AND TOUR ANNOUNCE FOUR-YEAR EXTENSION – The PGA TOUR and the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open today announced an agreement in principle to extend Wichita’s Nationwide Tour event through 2012. The tournament also announced a record $100,000 donation to area charities for 2008. Wichita-based Preferred Health Systems provides numerous health insurance coverage options throughout the state of Kansas. This year’s champion Scott Piercy was in Wichita to attend the press conference. Wichita, Boise, ID, Knoxville, TN and Springfield, MO are the original tournaments remaining from the inaugural 1990 season that will join the Tour in celebrating their 20th years in 2009. For more details on the announcement, go to PGATOUR.com and click on the Nationwide Tour tab.
DAVIS LOVE III HEAPS PRAISE ON NATIONWIDE TOUR – En route to his victory in the recent Children’s Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart at Walt Disney World Resort, Davis Love III took time to note the talent of Nationwide Tour players. “I played with a bunch of really, really strong players these last six weeks. I said when I was on the (PGA TOUR Policy) Board that you can take the Nationwide guys and put them on the PGA TOUR one week and make the PGA TOUR players go play the Nationwide and the scores won’t change. It’s just going to change the faces. There are so many good players, it’s amazing.”
PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES – Four players have been nominated for 2008 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year – Matt Bettencourt, Brendon de Jonge, Jeff Klauk and Jarrod Lyle. They finished 1-4, respectively, on the money list. Player of the Year is based on a vote of Tour members. Ballots went out last week. The deadline for submitting ballots is Dec. 12th. An announcement about the winner will be made shortly after the deadline.
FROM THE “CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?” DEPARTMENT – A close look at the Nationwide Tour’s final money list shows something very unusual happened…two players finished the season with what appears to be the exact same earnings. Australian Marc Leishman and former University of Georgia standout Brendon Todd both had $244,224 in earnings. Due to PGA TOUR eligibility considerations, the tie was broken by 56 cents when reverting to decimal points. For the record, Leishman is No. 19 and Todd No. 20.
SOMETHING ABOUT RICKY BARNES AND NO. 25 – When the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch was finally over on Sunday, Nov. 9th there was no more relieved player in the field than Ricky Barnes, that’s for sure, and probably in all of golf. The former University of Arizona All-American had started the week three spots inside “The 25” at No. 22. Come the weekend he had slipped to as high as 27th at certain points. After completing his round on Sunday and spending a nail-biting couple of hours in the Craig Ranch clubhouse, a few things went his way and he claimed the 25th and last spot. The ending was ironic in that the California native had been the “bubble boy” at No. 25 at the conclusion of four other tournaments during the course of 2008.
GREG OWEN RETURNS TO PGA TOUR WITH IMPRESSIVE STATS – Despite not winning in his 17 starts this year, there was no more consistent player on the Nationwide Tour than Greg Owen. The 36-year-old Englishman finished the season No. 1 in five statistical categories – Scoring Average (68.58), All-Around Ranking, Total Driving, Birdie Average and Sand Save Percentage. Owen’s All-Around Ranking of 102 set a new Tour mark, breaking the previous record of 111 set by Zach Johnson in 2003. He also finished within the top 10 in Driving Distance (8th) and Greens In Regulation (9th). TOUR stats are maintained in 10 categories. Owen was 10th on the money list with $309,805.
WON JOON LEE CLAIMS TOUR LONG-DRIVE HONORS OVER BUBBA WATSON – Won Joon Lee finished the season six-tenths of a yard ahead of Bubba Watson of the PGA TOUR in the combined Nationwide Tour / PGA TOUR long-drive statistical category. Lee averaged 315.7 yards per drive vs. Watson’s 315.1 average. After a slow start in 2008, Lee played his way from 115th on the money list in early August to 50th by the end of the season. Nicknamed “Boom Boom” for obvious reasons, the Tour’s second-youngest player at age 23 was born in Seoul, South Korea and grew up in Australia. He is planning to take up a U.S. residence in Las Vegas to be near his instructor, Butch Harmon.
KIN LO TO JOIN NATIONWIDE TOUR COMMUNICATIONS STAFF – The Nationwide Tour communications staff is pleased to announce the appointment of Kin Lo, effective Nov. 24th. Lo replaces media official Mark Williams, who has assumed a similar position on the PGA TOUR that became available when Joan Alexander resigned to take a job in Gainesville, FL. In addition to his media official responsibilities, Lo will be actively involved in the PGA TOUR’s media-only web site, PGATOURGOLFMEDIA.com. Lo grew up in Honolulu, HI, graduated from Princeton University and served in the United States Marine Corps. He moves into his new position from one at PGATOUR.com.
CORRECTION – It was erroneously reported in a golf publication last week that the number of PGA TOUR cards available via the Nationwide Tour will increase from 25 to 30 in 2010. There has been no such development on the Nationwide Tour.
NEXT EVENT – The 2009 Nationwide Tour season will get underway Feb. 2-8 with the Panama Championship in Panama City, Panama. The 2009 schedule will be announced within the next few weeks.
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