Thatcher keeps one eye on the prize, the other on Jason Day  PGATOUR.com Correspondent BOISE, Idaho -- He has enjoyed a splendid, player-of-the-year season, with two victories and an earnings total surpassed by only two players in Nationwide Tour history.  Roland Thatcher will attempt his third win of 2007 this week. (WireImage) Yet in some ways, Roland Thatcher has one eye on earning a performance promotion to the PGA TOUR and another in the rearview mirror, wary that the image he sees is that of an onrushing freight train named Jason Day. That scenario provides the main storyline as the $675,000 Albertson's Boise Open begins Thursday at Hillcrest Country Club and the Nationwide Tour counts down toward the Tour Championship with five full-field events remaining on the 2007 schedule. Thatcher has mastered the possibilities. He won the Peek'n Peak Classic in upstate New York and the Cox Classic present by Chevrolet in the nation's heartland of Omaha, Neb. He knows one more means he'll happily Fall Finish the season on the PGA TOUR and leave the money matters to all those scurrying after his tour-leading total of $401,632. "That's my motivation,'' Thatcher said Wednesday, referring to victory No. 3. "My main goal is getting full status (on the PGA TOUR) next year.'' That said, Thatcher does not need a win to achieve his goal. The leading money winner on the Nationwide Tour earns the same perk in 2008, so all he has to do is protect his turf. And Thatcher has some breathing room. He leads No. 2 Nick Flanagan by almost $30,000. What's more, Flanagan, who scored his third victory of the Nationwide Tour season a month ago, takes his sticks to the PGA TOUR this week. All should be well in Thatcher's world, considering Day trails by a shade under $70,500 in the money race. Yet Day, the impetuous and talented Australian teenager, has his attention here in the Treasure Valley. "Jason Day is at the forefront of my mind,'' Thatcher said. "This is definitely a week where he can make a move and put some pressure on me.'' That's because the winner's prize is $121,500, and the total purse is second only to the LaSalle Bank Open's $750,000 on the regular slate. None of the four that follow offer more than $575,000. But there is another way to look at it. Thatcher, who finished in a tie for sixth last week in the Oregon Classic presented by Kendall Automotive Group, knows if he plays well, he can extend his lead. "I'm in control of my own destiny,'' he said.  Jason Day keeps pressing Roland Thatcher on the money list. (WireImage) Thatcher cannot control Day, who has won once and leads the tour in top 10s with seven. He has made no secret of his desire to become No. 1. "There's six more tournaments, mate,'' Day said. "There's lots of time.'' Day, as you might surmise, is not short on confidence. But don't get the wrong idea. He has the game to back it up. Just ask Golf Channel analyst Jerry Foltz, who has been walking the Nationwide fairways for a number of years. He believes Day is the best player to ever compete on the Tour. "Day has all the tools, like 100 other guys,'' Flotz said. "But it's the intangibles that set him apart. He has it. I love his attitude. He has the ability to make a putt when he needs it. And he has the underlying commitment to do whatever it takes to get better.'' Flotz paused. "Who does that sound like?'' he asked. Tiger Woods is the answer. Woods has never competed in a Nationwide Tour event. Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, has. He was the Tour's player of the year in 2003 when he set an earnings record of $494,882. It was broken by 2005 player of the year Troy Matteson, who won $495,009. The mark is within Thatcher's reach. "It isn't a goal, but would be nice to achieve,'' he said. "I know if I get there, I'll be pretty safe.'' |
