Nov. 7, 2007A year's worth of grinding ended Sunday at the Nationwide Tour Championship and "THE 25" have now earned the ultimate reward. Those are the players who earned their PGA TOUR cards for the 2008 season thanks to their position among the top 25 on the money list. Get to know them here and watch to see how "THE 25" does next year in the race for the FedExCup.
Name: Richard Johnson
Residence: Fort Smith, Ark.
Money List Ranking: 1st
2007 Highlights: Posted the 10th top-10 finish of his career with a T7 effort at the season-opening Movistar Panama Championship. Held a one-stroke lead after 54 holes at three tournaments, finishing T3 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs, T2 at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic and T6 at the Oregon Classic. He took the lead on the 2007 final Nationwide Tour money list with his one-shot win in the Nationwide Tour Championship.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Two events since 2001. Best finish: T36 -- 2001 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Name: Roland Thatcher
Residence: The Woodlands, Texas
Money List Ranking: 2nd
2007 Highlights: One of the most consistent performers on Tour this season, with six top-10 finishes. Made the cut in 11 of his first 15 starts of the year, failing to finish worse than 25th in any of those appearances. Finished in a four-way tie with Nick Flanagan, Chris Baryla and Bryn Parry at the Henrico County Open, but settled for a runner-up finish to Flanagan. Collected $33,600 for his efforts to move into the top 20 on the money list-a position he wouldn't relinquish the rest of the season.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 52 events between 2003 and 2007. Best finish: T5 -- 2004 Reno-Tahoe Open
Name: Nick Flanagan
Residence: New South Wales, Australia
Money List Ranking: 3rd
2007 Highlights: Earned an immediate promotion to the PGA TOUR with a third victory on the Nationwide Tour at the Xerox Classic in Rochester, N.Y. in mid-August. Shot a final-round 63 to come from seven back and win the title. Won the Henrico County Open in Richmond, VA in late April and the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs in late May. He became the eighth player in Nationwide Tour history to earn the promotion and the first since Jason Gore in 2005.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 15 events since 2004, three top-25 finishes. Best finish: T23 -- 2005 British Open Championship
Name: Jon Mills
Residence: Indiana, Pa.
Money List Ranking: 4th
2007 Highlights: A missed cut at the Legend Financical Group Classic came just before a torrid stretch that saw him make nine consecutive cuts, with seven top-20 finishes and a T37 at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic his worst showing. That streak culminated with a win at the Albertsons Boise Open, where a tournament-record 21-under 263 and an eagle-par-birdie finish produced a three-stroke win over D.A. Points.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 34 events since 2001. Best finish: T42 -- 2006 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Name: Jason Day
Residence: Forest Lake, Queensland, Australia
Money List Ranking: 5th
2007 Highlights: Breakthrough performance came at the Legend Financial Group Classic-where a final-round 67 and a tournament-record, 16-under 268 made him the youngest player to win a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event. At 19 years, 7 months, 26 days, surpassed the previous youngest players to win on the two Tours, including Johnny McDermott's (19 years, 10 months) win at the 1911 U.S. Open and James Oh's (21 years, 5 months, 27 days) victory at the 2003 Mark Christopher Charity Classic.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Seven events since 2006. Best finish: T11 -- 2006 Reno-Tahoe Open
Name: Nicholas Thompson
Residence: Coral Springs, Fla.
Money List Ranking: 6th
2007 Highlights: Closed with a 4-under 68 and then parred the first extra hole to defeat David Morland IV in a playoff at the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship. His first Tour win was worth $113,684 and moved him into the top spot on the money list. He would fall no lower than than sixth on that list the rest of the year. His victory helped him earn co-Player of the Month honors with Scott Sterling for January/February.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 32 events since 2006. Best finish: T6 -- 2006 B.C. Open presented by Turning Stone Resort.
Name: Matthew Jones
Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Money List Ranking: 7th
2007 Highlights: Posted the first of three runner-up finishes on the season at the South Georgia Classic, finishing 9-under 279 and just one shot behind John Kimbell. The tournament turned into a two-man horserace, with Kimbell eventually prevailing thanks to a late birdie on No. 16. Collected $64,800 to move to No. 11 on the money list at the time. Also posted second-place finishes at the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic (one behind Jimmy Walker) and the Oregon Classic (falling in a playoff to Kyle Thompson).
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: One events in 2005. MC
Name: Justin Bolli
Residence: Duluth, Ga.
Money List Ranking: 8th
2007 Highlights: Notched the second victory of his career at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, making birdie on two of the final three holes and finishing the event at 14-under 270, one stroke clear of Richard Johnson and Patrick Sheehan. The win helped him share Player of the Month honors in August with Nick Flanagan.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 25 events since 2005. Best finish: T15 -- 2005 Bellsouth Classic
Name: Patrick Sheehan
Residence: Orlando, Fla.
Money List Ranking: 9th
2007 Highlights: The last of his six top-10 finishes came at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, where he once again finished runner-up, this time by one stroke to Justin Bolli. Despite coming up short, the $44,000 payday moved him to No. 7 on the money list, virtually guaranteeing a return trip to the PGA TOUR in 2008. Had a hole-in-one on the second hole in Pennsylvania on his way to a 69.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 135 events since 1997. Best finish: 2nd -- 2004 Valero Texas Open
Name: Paul Claxton
Residence: Sea Island, Ga.
Money List Ranking: 10th
2007 Highlights: Posted his second career victory when he topped the field at the inaugural Melwood Prince George's County Open, finishing at 18-under 270, one stroke ahead of James Driscoll and Jaco Van Zyl. Collected $108,000 to move to No. 3 on the official money list and in the process surpass $1 million in career earnings on the Nationwide Tour, the first player to accomplish that feat.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 82 events since 1997. Best finish: 12th -- 1997 CVS Charity Classic
Name: Ron Whittaker
Residence: Little Rock, Ark.
Money List Ranking: 11th
2007 Highlights: Got off to a very slow start in 2007, missing the cut in the first three events of the season. However, October was a big month. He was second in the WNB Golf Classic, then followed that performance up by snagging his first career Nationwide Tour victory at the Chattanooga Classic presented by Black Creek. Also had five other top-10 finishes and a total of 10 top-25 finishes in 2007.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 82 events since 1997. Best finish: 12th -- 1997 CVS Charity Classic
Name: Michael Letzig
Residence: Richmond, Mo.
Money List Ranking: 12th
2007 Highlights: Letzig pulled off one of the more clutch performances on the 2007 Nationwide Tour. Needing a solid finish in the Nationwide Tour Championship, Letzig opened with a 60 and went on to finish solo second to easily score his 2008 PGA TOUR card. It was the best finish of his Nationwide Tour career. Letzig is a excellent driver of the ball -- he ranked 15th in Total Driving on the Nationwide Tour in 2007.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: None.
Name: Martin Laird
Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Money List Ranking: 13th
2007 Highlights: Birdied the final hole to win the Athens Regional Foundation Classic early in the season. He led the tourmament from the outset. Laird went to the 15th hole with a three-stroke lead and appeared to be on cruise control for his first Nationwide Tour victory and the $90,000 winner's check. But bogeys at the 15th and 16th hole, combined with stellar play on the back nine by University of Georgia graduate Justin Bolli and Sunday playing partner Jeremy Anderson, meant Laird went to the 18th tee in a three-way tie for the lead.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Played in this year's U.S. Open. MC.
Name: Kyle Thompson
Residence: Columbia, S.C.
Money List Ranking: 14th
2007 Highlights: Struggled during the first half of the season, making the cut in just three of his first 10 starts, with a T26 at the Henrico County Open his best outing. Turned things around with a T5 finish a the inaugural Melwood Prince George's County Open, finishing at 14-under 274 and four strokes behind Paul Claxton. Missed the cut in his next start at the LaSalle Bank Open but then broke through for his first Tour win at The Rex Hospital Open.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Three events since 2005. Best finish: T25 -- 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Name: Omar Uresti
Residence: Austin, Texas
Money List Ranking: 15th
2007 Highlights: Recorded the first of six top-10 finishes on the season with a victory at the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, ending at even-par 288, the second-highest winning score in Tour history. His 72-hole score was topped only by Roger Salazar's 3-over total at the 1991 South Texas Open. His win set a new record for time elapsed between victories, coming 12 years, 11 months, 8 days since his last win-at the 1994 Shreveport Open.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 280 events since 1991. Best finish: T3-- 1997 Bay Hill Invitational, 2006 EDS Byron Nelson Championship
Name: Marc Turnesa
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Money List Ranking: 16th
2007 Highlights: Made quite an impression in his first season on the Nationwide Tour. His first victory, which came just two tournaments ago at the Miccosukee Championship, catapulted him from 43rd to 13th on the Nationwide Tour money list. First top-10 finish of his career came at the season-opening Movistar Panama Championship, finishing T5, three shots behind Miguel Carballo. Moved into the 54-hole lead by one shot over Patrick Sheehan, but a disappointing 3-over 73 in the final round dropped him in the standings.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: None
Name: Brad Elder
Residence: Dallas, Texas
Money List Ranking: 17th
2007 Highlights: Got his third career Nationwide Tour victory in the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. Also garnered five other top-10 finishes during the course of the season. The high point for Elder came when he garnered three top-10 finishes in a five-week span during April and early May.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Three events since 2005. Best finish: T25 -- 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Name: Chez Reavie
Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Money List Ranking: 18th
2007 Highlights: Reavie closed with a 4-under 68 in the final round to win the Knoxville Open presented by Food City in June by three shots. It was his first Nationwide Tour victory. He followed up a T9 finish at the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship with what was a career-best T3 showing at the inaugural South Georgia Classic. Third top-10 finish of the year came at the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs (T10).
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Six events since 2002. Best finish: T62 -- 2004 U.S. Open.
Name: John Riegger
Residence: Las Vegas, Nev.
Money List Ranking: 19th
2007 Highlights: It took a double-breaking 20-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, but Riegger finally broke through for his first win in 290 PGA TOUR-sanctioned events at the LaSalle Bank Open in May. After beginning the day tied for the lead with Tag Ridings (71) and Jason Day (73), Riegger recorded a 4-under-par 68 to finish the tournament at 17-under 271, one shot in front of runner-up B.J. Staten (68).
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 198 events since 1987. Best finish: T5 -- 2006 John Deere Classic
Name: Tom Scherrer
Residence: Skaneateles N.Y.
Money List Ranking: 20th
2007 Highlights: Scherrer went from 27th to 20th on the money list with a tie for third in the Nationwide Tour Championship, where he collected $44,950. It was Scherrer's first top-10 since his win in July at the Price Cutter Charity Championship Presented by Dr. Pepper, where he finished an incredible 26 under. Scherrer became the second player in Nationwide Tour history to collect over $1 million in earnings.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 186 events. Best finish: Won the 2000 Kemper Insurance Open.
Name: Scott Sterling
Residence: Baton Rouge, La.
Money List Ranking: 21st
2007 Highlights: Making his 122nd career start on the Nationwide Tour, finally knocked down the elusive winner's door with a victory at the Jacob's Creek Open Championship, finishing the tournament at 12-under 276. Moved to the 54-hole lead with rounds of 70-69-66 and then posted a 1-under 71 on the final day to hold on to a slim one-shot win over David Lutterus. Collected a career-best $108,000 for the win, nearly as much as the $112,357 he won in his best season on Tour in 2002. In 121 previous Tour events prior to his win, had a career-best T4 in 2003.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Played in the 2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic. He finished tied for 38th.
Name: Brendan Pappas
Residence: Ocala, Fla.
Money List Ranking: 22nd
2007 Highlights: Pappas is headed back to the PGA TOUR after finishing tied for fifth in the Nationwide Tour Championship. Pappas lost his PGA TOUR card after the 2004 season and headed back to the Nationwide Tour, where he finished 24th in 2006. Pappas was especially consistent in the second half of 2007 -- he didn't miss a cut in his last 12 starts of the year. He shot 68 or better in all four rounds of the Nationwide Tour Championship to collect a check for $29,450, his largest of the year. Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 107 events since 2002. Best Finish: 2nd -- 2003 Southern Farm Bureau Classic
Name: Chad Collins
Residence: Cloverdale, Ind.
Money List Ranking: 23rd
2007 Highlights: Garnered fove top-10 finishes this season. The best of those was a runner-up finish in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational in July in Columbus. He finished one shot behind Daniel Summerhays, who became the first amateur to win on the Nationwide Tour. The runner-up finish was bittersweet for Collins. He was denied his second career win, but collected more ($100,800) than he earned when he won the Henrico County Open in 2005.
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: Played in the 2006 U.S. Open. He finished tied for 40th.
Name: James Driscoll
Residence: Brookline, Mass.
Money List Ranking: 24th
2007 Highlights: Finished second twice this year, at both the Melwood Prince George's County Open (a tie) and the Xerox Classic. Also finished T9 at the LaSalle Bank Open. His low round of the year was a 64 after the first round of the Xerox Classic. "I hit a lot of greens and fairways," said Driscoll, who managed to find 15 of 18 greens in regulation. "It was a solid round. It is a good start, but it only means something if you have a good finish."
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 29 events since 1998. Best Finish: 2nd -- 2005 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Name: Jimmy Walker
Residence: San Antonio, Texas
Money List Ranking: 25th
2007 Highlights: Won the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic in August for his third career Nationwide Tour victory. Walker rallied past longtime leader Parker McLachlin to win. McLachlin led by seven entering the final round, but carded a 77 to Walker's 67. "This feels amazing," said Walker, who ended the day with six birdies and just one bogey. "It feels so good to win again. I didn't have a number in mind today. All I could do was play as well as possible and let the chips fall where they may."
Previous PGA TOUR Experience: 36 events since 2001. Best finish: 17th -- 2005 MCI Heritage.
