Notes: Large purse brings out top players

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• This week's Nationwide Tour Players Club will offer the first $1-million purse in Tour history. The winner will take home a record $180,000. How big is that? It wasn't until 1994 that the average purse on the Nationwide Tour exceeded $180,000.

• As you might expect with that size purse, all of the top Nationwide Tour players have turned up in West Virginia. The field includes every winner from the 2008 season with the lone exception of Gavin Coles. Coles is a PGA TOUR member and is playing this week at the John Deere Classic.

• If defending champ Jimmy Walker is within shouting distance heading into Sunday's final round, look out. Walker began last year's event in West Virginia seven strokes behind before rallying to win. That seven-stroke comeback isn't even his career best -- he came from eight back starting the final day at the 2004 Chitimacha Louisiana Open.

• Nicholas Thompson currently leads the Class of 2007 in the FedExCup standings. Thompson is 60th with Matt Jones (83rd) and Michael Letzig (85th) his nearest competitors.