Carballo's win could be a good omen  Argentinian Miguel Carballo's win in the season-opening Movistar Panama Championship on Sunday came 55 years after countryman and World Golf Hall of Fame member Roberto De Vicenzo claimed the first of his five Panama Open wins at the same Panama Golf Club. Carballo's win was the 67th by an international member of the Nationwide Tour (from 17 different countries outside the U.S.). The winner of the first three Movistar Panama Championships has never failed to go on to earn his PGA TOUR card for the following season. Carbello's win secured his spot on the Nationwide Tour through the 2008 season. He received a spot in Panama City as one of the eight leading money winners on the Tour de Las Americas. TURNESA: DOES THE NAME RING A BELL? -- If the last name of the third-round leader of last week's Movistar Panama Championship sounds familiar, there's good reason. Marc Turnesa's great-uncle Jim won the 1952 PGA Championship, while his grandfather Mike was a six-time PGA TOUR winner and runner-up to Ben Hogan in the 1948 PGA Championship. Jim and Mike's brother Joe was a 15-time PGA TOUR winner. Three other Turnesa brothers played on TOUR, while a seventh, Willie, didn't turn professional but won the 1938 and '48 U.S. Amateur and 1947 British Amateur. Marc jumped into the lead after shooting 66-65 on Friday and Saturday. He finished T5 following a final-round 73, collecting his largest check ever ($20,900). He is playing his first full season on the Nationwide Tour based on his sixth-place finish in the 2006 PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament. BARNES STREAK ENDS -- Ricky Barnes streak of 23 consecutive cuts made came to an end in Panama. He shot 73-75 to miss the cut by five shots. Barnes got off to a slow start last year. He tied for 37th in the Movistar Panama Championship, then missed his next two cuts before reeling off 23 in a row to end the 2006 season. NATIONWIDE TOUR GRADS SHINE AT BUICK -- The play of several former players put the spotlight brightly on the Nationwide Tour at last week's Buick Invitational in San Diego, Calif. Four of the top-eight finishers came off the Nationwide Tour either last year or in 2005....Brendt Snedeker (third at Buick), Andrew Buckle (T4) and Jeff Quinney (T7) are PGA TOUR rookies having finished among the top 22 on the 2006 Nationwide Tour money list. Bubba Watson (T4) is a 2005 Nationwide Tour graduate. TOUR HEADS TO AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND NEXT -- The second and third events of the 2007 Nationwide Tour season will be played in Adelaide, Australia (Jacob's Creek Open / Feb. 15-18) and Christchurch, New Zealand (HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship / Feb. 22-25). • Miguel Carbello of Argentina won last week's season-opening Movistar Panama Championship to become the first player from his country to win on the Nationwide Tour. Players from 17 countries outside the U.S. have won on the circuit. • Chris Nallen finished in a tie for seventh last week for his best finish since winning the 2004 Gila River Golf Classic. • Veteran Jim McGovern finished in a tie for second last week in Panama for his second runner-up finish in the event in the past three years. He also shared second in 2005. • Ted Potter Jr. tied for 12th last week after making his first career cut. As a 20-year old rookie in 2004, Potter missed the cut in all 24 of his starts. He earned Player of the Year honors last year on the Hooters Tour, winning twice and earning more than $100,000. |
