Pressure mounts for bubble boys in Chattanooga

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Oct. 15, 2008
By Adam Wallace, PGA TOUR Staff

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- This week's Chattanooga Classic presented by Black Creek is the 28th of 30 official events on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. With only two events remaining before the season finale -- the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch -- time is running out for those who are on the cusp of making the elite 60-player field.

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Keoke Cotner has a lot to gain from strong finishes in the next two tournaments.

As the Nationwide Tour heads to Black Creek Club, the competition is particularly tight. Injured Robert Damron at No. 60 is only $249 ahead of Chad Ginn. Likewise, a mere $3,218 separates the next eight players and $5,336 between those ranked 51 to 59.

This is also a nerve-wracking time of year for those trying to finish among the top-25 money winners and earn a PGA TOUR card for 2008. Former U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes retains the 25th spot for the fourth time this year, only $962 ahead of University of Southern California product Roger Tambellini, who dropped two spots last week.

Marc Leishman won the WNB Golf Classic in Midland, Texas, on Sunday to jump from 56th on the money list to 19th and secure his spot in the Nationwide Tour Championship field. The Australian's first Nationwide Tour win came just three weeks after his previous best finish, a tie for second at the Utah Championship. A top-10 finish this week would likely secure his PGA TOUR card for next year.

The Nationwide Tour's money leader Brendon de Jonge remains in the top position for the sixth straight week. The native of Zimbabwe who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2003 increased his lead from $7,911 to $19,303 over two-time winner Jarrod Lyle after tying for eighth in Midland.

The biggest jump on the money list at last week's WNB Golf Classic was made by Keoke Cotner. Cotner's four-round total of 278 (10 under) would have been good enough to make last year's playoff, however this year it was eleven strokes off the record-tying performance of Leishman. The University of North Texas alumnus' tie for second was worth $56,700.

It catapulted him from No. 127 on the money list to No. 77. A native of Mexico, Cotner finds himself $15,738 behind No. 60 Damron but with a lot better shot of making the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch field. A top-five finish this week would go a long way toward earning Cotner a spot in the season finale.

There are 22 tournament winners in this year's field, representing 25 wins. Two-time winners Jarrod Lyle, Scott Piercy and Colt Knost will be at Black Creek, all vying for a three-win promotion to the PGA TOUR.

The purse for the Chattanooga Classic presented by Black Creek is $500,000, with the winner's share at $90,000. In the five-year history of the Chattanooga Classic, no tournament at Black Creek has been decided by more than one stroke. PGATOUR.COM will provide real-time scoring beginning on Thursday.

Next week, the Nationwide Tour heads to Miami, Fla., for the final full-field event of 2008, the Miccosukee Championship.

The season comes to what promises to be another dramatic conclusion two weeks later at the $1 million Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch (Nov. 6-9), when the season-long quest to earn one of "THE 25" PGA TOUR cards for next year comes to a head.