Week 7 Approach Shots: Athens Reg. Foundation Cl.

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BACK TO BACK IN BULLDOG TERRITORY: The Nationwide Tour begins a two-tournament stay in the Peach State with this week's Athens Regional Foundation Classic in the Athens suburb of Bogart, Ga. Next week, players will travel across the state to Valdosta for the South Georgia Classic.

Quick Facts

WHAT: Seventh of 29 Nationwide Tour events WHEN: April 16-19 WHERE: Athens, Ga. COURSE: Jennings Mill CC WHAT'S AT STAKE: $550,000 purse ($99,000 for winner) KEY LINKS: Tee times | Leaderboard | Tournament page | "THE 25"

Last year, Robert Damron won his first Nationwide Tour title, doing it in come-from-behind fashion, making up five strokes on the final day to defeat Greg Owen in a one-hole playoff. Damron is the event's first U.S. winner. In 2006, Australia's Paul Gow won the inaugural tournament, followed in 2007 by Scotland's Martin Laird.

PLAYER NOTES: There have been two holes-in-one in tournament history, with both aces coming in 2007 and both at the eighth hole. In the second round, Greg Chalmers made his first Nationwide Tour hole-in-one to go with the PGA TOUR ace he picked up at the 2004 John Deere Classic. In the third round in 2007, Steve Friesen made his first Nationwide Tour ace. Chalmers went on to tie for 10th, and Friesen, making the most of his opportunity after Monday qualifying, tied for 39th.

Damron's 2008 victory was his first title since he was the champion of the PGA TOUR's Verizon Byron Nelson Classic in 2001.

Nationwide Tour rookie Brendon Todd was tied for the 54-hole lead in 2008 in a city he knew well. The former four-time All-American at the University of Georgia, playing on a sponsor's exemption, shot rounds of 68-68-70 to tie Greg Owen for the lead heading into the final round. A Sunday 80 derailed Todd's chances, and he eventually tied for 25th. Todd later went on to win the Utah Championship, tie for 19th on the final money list and earn his 2009 PGA TOUR card.

Damron's five-shot come-from-behind victory a year ago was the second-best comeback on the 2008 Nationwide Tour. Colt Knost came from six shots behind to win the Fort Smith Classic.

For the first time in the tournament's three-year history, the Athens Regional Foundation Classic ended in a playoff. A year ago, Damron and Greg Owen finished 72 holes tied at 11-under 277. In the extra session, Damron birdied the first hole for the title. Gow won by three strokes in 2006, and Martin Laird edged Jeremy Anderson and Justin Bolli by a stroke to win in 2007.

Four-time PGA TOUR winner Andrew Magee is making his Nationwide Tour debut this week. He has made two PGA TOUR starts this season, missing the cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Weather forecast for Athens Regional Foundation Classic

THURSDAY, Rd. 1 FRIDAY, Rd. 2 SATURDAY, Rd. 3 SUNDAY, Rd. 4 Mostly sunny Temp: 70 high/45 low Mostly sunny Temp: 71 high/45 low Partly cloudy Temp: 73 high/52 low Scattered storms Temp: 70 high/55 low

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

Athens Regional Foundation Classic snippets

The Foundation: All proceeds from the Classic will benefit the Athens Regional Foundation. The Foundation's goals of community service and education are accomplished by providing the financial means to establish projects and programs to serve the long-term healthcare needs of area citizens. Strength of field: All six 2009 Nationwide Tour winners (Vance Veazey, Alistair Presnell, Steven Alker, Alex Prugh, Bubba Dickerson and Michael Sim) will be in Athens this week, along with 22 of the top-25 money leaders. This week in history: Big-hitting, 38-year-old rookie John Kimbell won the inaugural South Georgia Classic by one shot over Australian Matt Jones, posting the only sub-70 round on the final day at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club where wind gusts reached 35 mph on April 15, 2007.