Storylines: Week of Oct. 15, 2007  Tournament Home: Chattanooga Classic presented by Black Creek  Brad Adamonis BRAD ADAMONIS LEAPS INTO THE 25 PICTURE WITH 8-HOLE OVERTIME WIN IN MIDLAND -- Rhode Island native Brad Adamonis survived the second longest playoff in Nationwide Tour history on Sunday to capture his first Tour win, the WNB Golf Classic. The Miami of Ohio grad who now lives in Hallandale, Fla., outlasted Tjaart van der Walt, Vance Veazey and Ron Whittaker with eight straight pars. Coupled with his T5 in the Mark Christopher Charity Classic the previous week, Adamonis soared up the money list from 88th to 30th and is now only $11,379 behind No. 25 Brenden Pappas.  Roland Thatcher ROLAND THATCHER MAKES ESPN CONNECTION WITH GUEST CADDIE -- Leading money winner Roland Thatcher will continue his pursuit of the No. 1 spot on the Nationwide Tour and a three-win PGA TOUR promotion this week with a guest caddie in Chattanooga. ESPN.com Golf Editor Jason Sobel will be on Thatcher's bag throughout the week and file stories everyday about his experience. Thatcher encouraged the arrangement as a means of making new fans for the Nationwide Tour.  Brenden Pappas THE 25 UPDATE -- What a nerve-wracking time of year it is on the Nationwide Tour. South African Brenden Pappas is parked at No. 25 for the second week in a row. University of Georgia product Franklin Langham was bumped three spots to No. 26 but trails Pappas by a razor-thin $432. Argentina's Miguel Carballo reversed his slide for the first time in eight tournaments, moving up three positions to No. 24 with a T10 finish. Ron Whittaker, a Wake Forest grad and nephew of Lanny Wadkins, was in the WNB playoff in Midland and improved his status by seven spots to 27th.  Greg Chalmers CHALMERS: "FEELS LIKE Q-SCHOOL...." -- "This time of year, the last eight weeks of the season, each tournament starts to feel like Q-School," said last week's 36-hole leader, Greg Chalmers. "You can't judge the year until it is all said and done. There are still four weeks (now three) and hopefully I can finish strong." Unfortunately, the Australian had a disappointing weekend in Midland, finishing T15 and dropping three spots to 38th.  David Morland ONLY TWO EVENTS LEFT TO MAKE BARONA CREEK FIELD -- Players further down the money list face a pressure of their own in trying to make it into the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek near San Diego (Nov. 1-4). Only the top 60 after next week's Miccousukee Championship are eligible. David Morland IV became the man on the fence at No. 60 this week. The Canadian has a lead of $1,117 over last week's No. 60, Kris Blanks. Only $2,263 separates No. 58 Chris Riley and No. 63 Todd Fischer. At the very least, a spot in the field ensures fully-exempt status on the Nationwide Tour in 2008 for those players who finish the season 26 - 60 on the money list. Interestingly enough, current No. 1 Roland Thatcher occupied the 60th spot on last year's money list two weeks before the Championship.  John Kimbell CHATTANOOGA AREA RESIDENT JOHN KIMBELL IN NEED OF A GOOD FINISH -- John Kimbell's home of La Fayette, Ga., is only 20 miles from Chattanooga. The former UPS delivery man won his first Nationwide Tour event down state in Valdosta in April but has since fallen to 36th on the money list after having been as high as second. He is still only one good finish away from returning to THE 25 and making his way to the PGA TOUR in 2008. Perhaps this week's "home game" will help him right the ship.  Keith Nolan TOUR "IRON MAN" ALSO IN NEED -- Keith Nolan, a native of Dublin, Ireland came to eastern Tennessee to attend East Tennessee State in the mid 90s and never left. In 2007, the Knoxville resident has become the Nationwide Tour's "iron man", playing in every event thus far (29 through the WNB Golf Classic). Results for the former Walker Cup team member have been mixed. He has made 18 cuts, yet stands 80th on the money list, with a good bit of ground ($23,542) to make up if he wants to be at Barona Creek for the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship Nov. 1-4.  Jon Mills MIKE WEIR ON COUNTRYMAN JON MILLS -- Mike Weir and Jon Mills are a pair of Canadians who've made golf news in the last few weeks, Weir for outstanding play in The Presidents Cup in his homeland and Mills for his recent Nationwide Tour win in Boise and current run of seven top-16 finishes in a row. Mills is fourth on the money list and already assured of his 2008 PGA TOUR card. Weir offered the following comments about his friend last week at the PGA TOUR stop in Las Vegas. "Jon has the game for the PGA TOUR. He has plenty of length, and the experience of being out here (PGA TOUR in 2006) and losing his card and having to get it back, might be good for him. I did that and had to get my card back through Q-School. It will be his second time around and he'll know what to expect out here. Jon's game is well-suited for the TOUR and I think he'll do great. It won't be a shot in the dark like it was the first time around. His comfort level will be greater and he won on the Nationwide Tour this year. That should help his confidence." GEORGE McNEILL / 215th WIN -- George McNeill's win on Sunday in the Frys.com Open was the 215th PGA TOUR title by a former Nationwide Tour player and 19th of 2007. NINE OF NINE -- The top nine finishers in the Frys.com Open were Nationwide Tour alumns. DID YOU KNOW? Jon Mills made his Tour-leading 11th cut in a row in the WNB Golf Classic. Ricky Barnes streak of ten straight came to a halt, however. |
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