Storylines: Lovemark No. 1, Murphy's 56, Omaha return

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Tommy Gainey is looking to become the fourth player to capture the battlefield promotion at Champions Run in Omaha.

This week the Nationwide Tour heads to the Champions Run course in Omaha, Neb., for the Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha. Last year, Chris Barcelo captured the title by one stroke over Tom Gillis.

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TOUR'S YOUNGEST IS NEW NO. 1: The Nationwide Tour has a new leading money winner in its youngest member, 22-year-old Jamie Lovemark. The 2007 Jack Nicklaus Award and Fred Haskins Award winner (college golf's top honors) as a USC freshman, Lovemark recorded his second runner-up finish of the year in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational to go along with a recent win in Mexico and two third-place finishes. He entered last week 4th on the money list. South Carolinian Tommy Gainey dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 despite his T12 finish. He trails Lovemark by $15,434.

A GOOD WEEK IN COLUMBUS: Nationwide Tour rookie Trevor Murphy enjoyed a memorable week in Columbus, Ohio last week. On Tuesday, the Vermont native who graduated from UNC-Charlotte in 2008 scorched OSU's Gray Course in a tournament pro-am, shooting 56 on the par-70, 5,800-yard layout. In the tournament itself, Murphy recorded his best finish of the year, a T7, and moved up to 40th on the money list. Murphy is a former elite-level skier who competed on the U.S. Junior Team.

A FRIENDLY VENUE: Oklahoma State All-American Morgan Hoffmann topped all 12 amateurs who competed at Ohio State's Scarlet Course last week. By virtue of his top-25 finish (T9), the junior-to-be earned a spot in this week's Cox Classic. Hoffmann finished T8 at OSU last year. He, Jamie Lovemark and Rickie Fowler are the only collegians to play back-to-back years in the four-year-old event.

OMAHA, HOME OF THE THIRD WIN: Since the Nationwide Tour's battlefield promotion was instituted in 1997, nine players have won three times in the same season to successfully earn the promotion. Three of those victories have come at this week's venue, Champions Run in Omaha -- Chris Smith/1997, Heath Slocum/2001 and Jason Gore/2005. With two wins to date in 2010, Tommy Gainey heads to Omaha in position to be the fourth.

THERE FOR THE TAKING: The 315-yard 9th hole at Champions Run annually ranks among the easiest par 4s on the Nationwide Tour. Since the tournament began in 1996, the hole has played as the easiest par 4 seven times, including the past four years. In 14 events, there have been 2,551 birdies, 150 eagles and one double eagle/ace (Chip Beck/2003). The cumulative scoring average on the hole is 3.621.

A RETURN TO ACTION: Former University of Florida All-American Billy Horschel is ready to return to action and has elected to do so at the Cox Classic. Horschel was forced to the sidelines in February due to left wrist surgery. A PGA TOUR rookie, he played four events in January and February.

LOTS OF BIRTHDAY BOYS THIS WEEK: Celebrating birthdays this week in Omaha are Australia's David McKenzie (July 26/turns 43), Kiwi Steven Alker (July 28th/39), Americans Ty Harris (July 30th/28), Joe Affrunti (Aug. 1st/29) and Brandt Jobe (Aug. 1st/45). .

NEXT WEEK: The Tour's Midwest swing continues with the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open at Crestview Country Club in Kansas (Aug. 5-8). This is the third of a five-event Midwest swing (Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; Wichita, Kan.; and Springfield, Mo.).