Nationwide Tour Storylines: Livermore Valley

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Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship at Wente Vineyards
March 31 -- April 6
The Course at Wente Vineyards, Livermore (San Fran/Oakland Area), Calif.
Purse: $600,000
First Prize: $108,000
6th of 30 events
2007 Winner: Omar Uresti

Knost

COLT KNOST RETURNS TO BAY AREA, SITE OF U.S. AMATEUR GLORY -- Colt Knost's last visit to the Bay Area in August was a productive one as he won the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The 2007 SMU graduate is off to a slow start in this his first full year as a professional having earned $8,510 in three Nationwide Tour starts. The Texan is one of the most promising young players on Tour and it is only a matter of time before he begins contending for titles. Knost became only the third player (Bobby Jones, Jay Sigel) to win three USGA events in the same season (2007 Amateur, Public Links and Walker Cup). He was the top amateur in the country last year when he turned pro.

MORE U.S. AMATEUR CONNECTIONS -- Knost is joined in the field by fellow U.S. Amateur titleholder David Gossett (1999) and 2003 runner-up to Nick Flanagan, Casey Wittenberg. Gossett and Wittenberg both reside in Memphis, TN. Another Amateur champion, Ricky Barnes (2002), from nearby Stockton, CA, is currently fourth alternate.

TIM WILKINSON / NICHOLAS THOMPSON POST CAREER BEST PGA TOUR FINISHES -- A pair of Nationwide Tour alumni posted their top PGA TOUR finishes over the weekend at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. New Zealander and lefty Tim Wilkinson shot 67 on Sunday to finish third, collecting a career best $421,600. He moved up 61 spots in the FedExCup standings to No. 45. Coral Springs, FL native and resident Nicholas Thompson was one shot behind at T4. The 25-year-old Thompson also earned his biggest career paycheck, $256,267, and jumped 25 FedExCup positions to No. 42.

Both Wilkinson and Thompson played the Nationwide Tour last year. Thompson earned his 2008 PGA TOUR card finishing among THE 25 at No. 6 on the money list. Wilkinson earned his PGA TOUR card via last fall's Qualifying Tournament after making 23 of 26 Nationwide Tour cuts to finish 49th on the money list.

GAVIN COLES THIRD AUSSIE TO WIN IN 2008 -- Gavin Coles joined fellow Australians Jarrod Lyle (Mexico Open presented by Corona) and Ewan Porter (Moonah Classic) in the 2008 Nationwide Tour winner's circle on Sunday with his Chitimacha Louisiana Open victory. Americans Scott Dunlap (Panama Movistar Championship) and Darron Stiles (HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship) captured the other two Nationwide Tour events that have been played this year.

MATT JONES KEEPS STREAK INTACT -- Another Australian who graduated from the Nationwide Tour to the PGA TOUR last fall, Matt Jones, made his ninth cut in nine starts in New Orleans. He leads the TOUR in this category, with five players having made their last eight cuts. The former Arizona State University All-American leads all rookies in FedExCup points (54th) and has earnings of $468,919. Jones goes for No. 10 this week at the Shell Houston Open.

Every

MATT EVERY KEEPING UP WITH THE WINNERS -- With three top-12 finishes in five starts, first-year Nationwide Tour member Matt Every is No. 5 on the money list, trailing only No. 1-Lyle, 2-Porter, 3-Stiles and 4-Dunlap. Coles is a spot behind the three-time University of Florida All-American at No. 6. Every recently moved to Jacksonville Beach, FL from Gainesville, FL and practices at the nearby TPC Sawgrass at TOUR headquarters. His best finish was a runner-up in the Mexico Open. He posted a T7 in the Louisiana Chitimacha Open over the weekend.

DANIEL SUMMERHAYS A DAD -- Daniel Summerhays will not be in northern California this week and with good reason. On Friday, his wife, Emily, gave birth to their first child, a son. The Utah native earned his Nationwide Tour playing privileges last July when he became the first amateur to win a Tour event, the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational in Columbus, OH. He finished T15 in Louisiana, his best in five starts this year.

KRAFT IS NEW PRESENTING SPONSOR IN BOISE -- One of the Nationwide Tour's four original events has a new presenting sponsor. With Kraft coming on board the new name of the Tour's Boise, Idaho event will be the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft.