Nationwide Tour Insider: Chappell meets expectations

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Kevin Chappell won in just his 16th start on the Nationwide Tour at the Fresh Express Classic.

Like just about all of the highly-touted college stars who turn pro the expectation level for Kevin Chappell was high.

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While at UCLA he was one of the top players in the country, winning the Jack Nicklaus Award and NCAA championship in 2008. Not only was Chappell the first Bruin to win the individual crown, he also helped UCLA win the team title.

By all counts, Chappell was one of those can't-miss kids who would certainly find success wherever he played. But it took a little while for the 23-year-old to figure it out.

"I would have liked for it to come a little faster, but that's OK," said Chappell, who won the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae just outside of San Francisco on Sunday.

Chappell's first win on the Nationwide Tour came in his 16th start dating back to last season when he had no status but hit the Monday-qualifying circuit in search of a place to play. And considering he missed his first 11 tries at Monday qualifying, he's certainly come a long way.

"I chased last year basically as hard as I could," said Chappell, who turned pro in 2008.

He eventually cashed checks in six of nine starts last year and finished 80th on the money list. He also tied for sixth at the PGA TOUR's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

With Sunday's win Chappell won't have to worry about where he plays in 2011, though. He'll at least have status on the Nationwide Tour, and he's currently second on the money list in pursuit of one of "The 25" spots on the PGA TOUR.

What made his first Nationwide Tour win even better was that most of his family was there. He is from Fresno, which is about two and half hours away from TPC Stonebrae, and his mother, two aunts, girlfriend and some cousins were there to cheer for him.

"It was nice to have them there," Chappell said. "I guess I just felt comfortable playing in my home state."

Chappell was particularly glad to see one of his aunts, Michelle Carmichael, who is also his godmother, on Sunday. She's a special education teacher in Fresno and during summers Chappell would often visit his aunt.

"I would go with her and some of her students to amusement parks and things like that so I'm pretty big into the Special Olympics," said Chappell, who has been a volunteer since he was 10.

In high school and college Chappell would often help teach the special education kids how to play golf. "That's something I believe in and I want to someday maybe start a foundation when I get a little more established," he said.

Chappell said a big key to securing that first win was not letting up in pursuit of birdies. On a hilly course with a lot of tricky greens he shot rounds of 66-67-66-65, good enough for a 20-under total and one-shot win over David Hearn.

As he heads into this week's South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, Ga., Chappell doesn't plan to coast. He played a practice round earlier this week with Jason Gore and Steve Pate, two PGA TOUR champs who have seen a lot.

"They didn't give me any advice now that I have that first win, but we talked about how you kind of want to keep it going when you are playing well," Chappell said.

While the victory was nice, Chappell said that keeping things in perspective will help him move forward.

"We're at a new course now and I'm just trying to figure out how to play it," he said. "It's a new tournament in another city so you kind of have to forget what you did last week."

Indeed. Chappell said he found out last year just how competitive the Nationwide Tour is, and nothing has changed in 2010. The casual golf fan probably doesn't know how hard it is to win.

"I would say that's a fair statement," he said. "It's not easy to win so you just have to keep going."

At the same time, Chappell has learned that he doesn't need to be perfect every week.

"You have to stay in the game and mistakes are going to happen, but it's how you limit those mistakes," he said. "And I was able to do that last week."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 15 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.