Storylines: Northeast Pennsylvania Classic  August 6-12 WIN GIVES BRAD ELDER BIG BOOST BACK INTO THE 25 -- Brad Elder's first start since early July surprisingly was a win on Sunday that propelled him 33 spots up the money list to No. 12. He is now is excellent position to earn his 2008 PGA TOUR at the end of the season. For three weeks in May, the former Jack Nicklaus Award/College Player of the Year out of the University of Texas held a spot just inside THE 25 before he began sliding down the money list. At Columbus he was forced to withdraw prior to the start of the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational with a leg problem which means he missed four tournaments. THE CHEESEBURGERS ARE ON BRAD -- When Brad Elder reached the par-3 2002-yard 17th hole at Crestview CC on Sunday, a loud ovation greeted him even before he hit his tee shot. Thanks to a promotion that called for free cheeseburgers for fans anytime a player made a birdie during the third and fourth rounds, chants of "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger" rang out. The eventual winner did not disappoint when he hit his shot to 15 feet and made the birdie putt. With two birdies on Saturday and seven on Sunday, there were a lot of happy Wichita golf fans by the end of the tournament. NO. 1 ROLAND RETURNS THIS WEEK -- Leading money winner Roland Thatcher returns to the Tour after a one-week break following his Cox Classic win in Omaha. The former Auburn All-American and Woodlands, TX resident is now just one win away from the PGA TOUR. Only an April playoff loss has kept him from already being there. Australian Nick Flanagan is in the same situation having captured wins in April and May. Thatcher has a healthy advantage ($91,415) over No. 2 Jason Day, the exciting 19-year-old Australian. ARGENTINIAN MIGUEL CARBALLO STEADIES THE SHIP -- Playing as invitee based on his position on the Tour de Las Americas, Miguel Carballo of Argentina won the first Nationwide Tour event of the season, the Movistar Panama Championship, to begin the season atop the money list. He maintained a spot in the top 10 into June but a series of indifferent performances caused his ranking to sink to 19th heading into last week's Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. A T3, his second top 10 of the year, sent him back up the money list to No. 16, which gives him much-needed breathing room inside THE 25 as the likeable 28-year-old seeks to gain PGA TOUR privileges in 2008. THE 25 UPDATE -- While Brad Elder was last week's big mover among THE 25, Australian Matthew Jones dropped two spots to become this week's fence-sitter at No. 25. He has been hanging on to his top-25 spot the last four weeks having occupied Nos. 24, 24, 23 and now 25. He was as high as 11th in April after finishing second in the South Georgia Classic. Every player in and around No. 25 is only one good finish away from relieving a lot of pressure on himself. In the meantime, they'll continue to sweat and hope their game is strong over the final 11 events. BOO IS THIRD TO REACH $2 MILLION MARK UPON GRADUATION -- With his T30 finish in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Boo Weekley became just the third Nationwide Tour player to earn $2 million the year after graduating from the Nationwide Tour to the PGA TOUR. He currently has earnings of $2,026,259 in 22 starts (19th). Weekley is joined by 2003 grads Mark Hensby ($2,718,766) and Zach Johnson ($2,417,685) who both did so in 2004. In 2006, the class of 2005 had a record eight players reach the $1 million mark, but none got to $2 million. KEVIN STADLER PLAYS HIS WAY INTO FEDEXCUP -- Four-time Nationwide Tour winner Kevin Stadler needed a good finish and he got it in the Reno-Tahoe Open over the weekend. A T2 moved him 35 spots up the FedEXCup points list to No. 122. With two FedExCup qualifying events remaining (PGA Championship and Wyndham Championship), Stadler is one of 16 (of 22) Nationwide Tour graduates from 2006 who is inside the top 144 and in position to qualify for the first-ever PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedEx Cup. FLESCH / NO. 210 -- Steve Flesch's win on Sunday in the Reno-Tahoe Open was the 210th by a former Nationwide Tour player. It was also the fourth week in a row and fifth time in six weeks for a Nationwide Tour win on the PGA TOUR.....and 14th time in 34 events this year. DID YOU KNOW? Chez Reavie and the Nationwide Tour are featured in a cover story in today's USA Today sports section. The story was written by Reid Cherner who spent three days with the Nationwide Tour's ninth leading money winner recently at tournaments in Omaha, NE and Wichita, KS. |
