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NATIONWIDE TOUR REACHES HALFWAY POINT THIS WEEK -- The 2007 season is flying by. Peek'n Peak is the 16th of 32 Nationwide events. Australian Nick Flanagan is 2007's only multiple winner (two). A similar scenario existed after 16 events last year with one two-time winner (Tripp Isenhour) and 14 other champions.

At season's end, 16 of those players remained within THE 25 and earned their cards (only 22 cards were available in '06). Every player within the top 10 after the 16th (of 31) events earned their card but Nos. 11, 13, 15-17, 20-21 and 24-25 failed to maintain their top-25 position. If last year's stats serve as a barometer, the pressure is sure to mount on those players ranked between 11th and 30th between now and November.

Nicholas Thompson

BIG WEEK FOR TOUR'S NO. 2 NICHOLAS THOMPSON -- Former Georgia Tech All-American and Walker Cup team member Nicholas Thompson has a full week ahead of him. He was in Southern Pines, NC yesterday and today to help his younger sister, Alexis, prepare for her history-making start in the U.S. Women's Open. On Wednesday the Tour's No. 2 will be back on the Nationwide Tour at Peek'n Peak to attempt to regain the top spot on the money list he has held twice this year. Thompson has been either No. 1 or No. 2 the last nine weeks.

Leading money winner Nick Flanagan is taking his third consecutive week off, which has allowed Thompson to shrink the Australian's lead to $5,425. Last week's T9 finish in the Knoxville Open presented by Food City was his fifth top 10 in 15 starts. Finishing atop the money list at season's end has its rewards including a spot in THE PLAYERS field.

Esteban Toledo

ESTEBAN TOLEDO CRACKS THE 25 -- Fresh off top-10 finishes the last two weeks, 2005 Peek'n Peak champion Esteban Toledo comes to western New York with momentum and a spot in the Nationwide Tour's coveted top 25. The native of Mexico finished third and eighth, respectively, in Rochester, MN and last week in Knoxville, TN to move 43 spots up the money list to No. 25. Peek'n Peak is the site of Toledo's only win. He'd made 500 starts on the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour combined through 2006 and has added 14 more this year.

OTHER "25" MOVEMENT -- Michael Letzig, who had a Nationwide Tour-career best third-place finish in Knoxville, entered THE 25, moving from 27th to 15th. Dropping out were Marc Turnesa (two spots down to 26th) and Gary Christian (two spots down to 27th).

KYLE McCARTHY, FROM ALTERNATE TO SECOND PLACE -- A likeable 24-year-old, Kyle McCarthy failed to Monday qualify in Knoxville but got into the field as an alternate. He took full advantage of the situation with a second-place finish and earnings of $51,300. He did so without playing a practice round and employing a 15-year-old caddie. Not bad for a young man who prior to the start of the year had never teed it up in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event and had only two Nationwide Tour starts on the year (missed both cuts).

One shot off Chez Reavie's lead entering Sunday's finale, he fought back to catch the eventual winner at the turn despite Reavie's eagle, birdie start which had propelled him into a five-shot lead. McCarthy is a native and resident of the St. Petersburg, FL area and played golf at Eckerd College. He moved to 53rd on the money list.

Jay Willamson

JAY WILLIAMSON -- Jay Williamson is the latest player with Nationwide Tour connections to highlight the Tour's continued impact on the PGA TOUR. Williamson narrowly missed adding to the Nationwide Tour's 205 PGA TOUR victories when Hunter Mahan outlasted him in a playoff on Sunday at the Travelers Championship. Nationwide Tour President Bill Calfee commented, "Williamson's performance provides yet additional evidence that Nationwide Tour players who transition to the PGA TOUR are immediately ready to compete and win."

NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL INVITATIONAL / TOP 60 -- Players looking to play their way into the Nationwide Tour's only invitational, have this week's Peek'n Peak Classic and next week's Legend Financial Group Classic in Cleveland, OH to earn a spot in the field under the "current top 60 money winners" criteria. "Prior and current-year tournament winners" and "prior-year members who finished 21-60 on the 2006 money list" are the other primary means to gain entry into the July 9-15 event other than the first-team college All-American/reigning U.S. Amateur critieria. Ohio State University Scarlet Course in Nationwide's hometown of Columbus is the host venue.

ROCHESTER, MN WINNER CHRIS RILEY CONTEMPLATES 2007 PLANS -- Rochester (MN) Area Charities Showdown at Somerby champion Chris Riley is in this week's PGA TOUR Buick Open on a sponsor's exemption and has accepted another invitation from his friend Tiger Woods to play the following week in the AT&T National outside the nation's capital. Riley will soon have a decision to make.

His Nationwide Tour win put him inside THE 25 (currently No. 24). His quickest path back to the PGA TOUR may very well be to concentrate on the Nationwide Tour. He indicated after Rochester that he was going to consider his options. The next two weeks will likely help him make his decision.

DID YOU KNOW? Argentinian Miguel Carballo is 10 for 10 in starts and cuts made this year making him the only player on Tour with at least ten starts and no MCs.