Week 1 Approach Shots: Panama Digicel Champ.

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Feb. 5, 2009
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

LET'S GET THINGS STARTED: The Nationwide Tour begins its 20th season this week at the Panama Digicel Championship in Panama City, Panama. This is the sixth year this event has been part of the Nationwide Tour, making its debut in 2004 when eventual Player of the Year Jimmy Walker won. A year ago, Scott Dunlap picked up his second Nationwide Tour title with a one-stroke victory over Arjun Atwal and Jeff Klauk.

Quick Facts

WHAT: First of 29 Nationwide Tour events

WHEN: Feb. 5-8

WHERE: Panama City, Panama

COURSE: Panama GC

WHAT'S AT STAKE: $600,000 purse ($108,000 for winner)

KEY LINKS: Tee times | Leaderboard | Tournament page | "THE 25"

Panama is one of five international countries (Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Canada are the others) and 18 states that are part of the schedule. The season concludes near Charleston, S.C., for the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island.

Of the 29 official tournaments on the 2009 Nationwide Tour schedule, 19 will award more than $100,000 to the winner, including the Panama Digicel Championship, which has a purse of $600,000. Three events this year -- the Nationwide Tour Players Cup in West Virginia, the Soboba Classic in California and the season-ending Tour Championship will feature $1-million purses.

This week's field at the Panama Digicel Championship will feature a field of 132 players, including former champions Miguel Carballo (2007), Tripp Isenhour (2006) and Vance Veazey (2005). Also in the field are 2007 Nationwide Tour tournament winners Gavin Coles, Bryan DeCorso, Justin Hicks, Ryan Hietala, Chris Tidland, Skip Kendall, Franklin Langham and Chris Riley. Of the top 30 players returning from last year's money list, Hunter Haas, D.J. Brigman and Ewan Porter are the only players not competing in Panama.

PLAYER NOTES: Scott Dunlap's 3-under total was the highest winning score in the five-year history of the tournament and the highest of the 2008 Nationwide Tour season. Dunlap's 277 total was three strokes higher than the previous high of 274, set by Miguel Carballo in 2007. Only four players broke par over 72 holes last year.

Dunlap joined the Nationwide Tour in 1990 and waited 14 years for his first victory, at the 2004 Mark Christopher Charity Classic. The wait wasn't that long for his second title, only four years later when he won in Panama. Dunlap, who has 184 career PGA TOUR starts, has had three third-place finishes on that TOUR -- at the 1996 Bell Canadian Open, the 1999 Doral-Ryder Open and the 2000 PLAYERS Championship.

The 18-hole scoring record at Panama Golf Club is 7-under 63, set by three players and all in 2006: Kevin Gessino-Kraft, Tim O'Neal and Tripp Isenhour. In 2006, Isenhour was at 10-under at the halfway mark and went on to win with an 11-under 269 total. To date, he is the only player to reach double figures below par.

Weather forecast for Panama Digicel Championship

THURSDAY, Rd. 1	FRIDAY, Rd. 2	SATURDAY, Rd. 3	SUNDAY, Rd. 4
Partly cloudy Temp: 90 high/75 low	Partly cloudy Temp: 94 high/74 low	Partly cloudy Temp: 95 high/74 low	Partly cloudy Temp: 96 high/74 low

DTN/Meteorlogix is the official weather provider of the PGA TOUR. For more information, click here

Panama Digicel Championship snippets

	A double decade: This week's Panama Digicel Championship will mark the start of the Nationwide Tour's 20th season. The very first event was held Feb. 2-4, 1990 in Bakersfield, Calif.
	Tough track: The field at this week's event will be jumping right into the fire as the Panama GC was the most difficult course on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. The par-70 course played to a stroke average of 72.959, with only four players breaking par for the week. Seven of the holes ranked among the 50 Toughest on the Tour.
	Brotherly love: Among those teeing it up this week in Panama is Manuel Villegas, the brother of two-time TOUR winner Camilo Villegas, who will be in action at the Buick Invitational in San Diego.