The Nationwide Tour is back in action next week (July 14-17) at the Chiquita Classic at TPC River's Bend in Maineville, Ohio (Cincinnati suburb).
WATNEY WIN IS NO. 309 -- Nick Watney's win on Sunday at the AT&T National was the 309th PGA TOUR victory by a Nationwide Tour alumnus and the 20th in 27 PGA TOUR events this year. The four-time TOUR winner finished fifth on the Nationwide Tour money list in 2004 to earn his PGA TOUR card and has gone on to earn almost $14.6 million. With his win at Aronomink he took over the top spot in the FedExCup.
PATRICK CANTLAY HEADED TO COLUMBUS IN TWO WEEKS -- After three PGA TOUR starts in recent weeks, 19-year-old sensation Patrick Cantlay is scheduled to compete at the Nationwide Tour's upcoming (July 21-24) Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational at Ohio State University's Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. He and 10 other first-team All-Americans have received invitations to compete in the five-year-old event. In 2007 Brigham Young University's Daniel Summerhays became the first amateur to win on the Nationwide Tour. Two years later, Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler lost in a playoff to Derek Lamely. Cantlay has posted top-25 finishes in the U.S. Open (T21), Travelers Championship (T24) and AT&T National (T20). On June 5th, the UCLA Bruin was in Columbus to receive the 2011 Jack Nicklaus Trophy (top college player) at the Memorial Tournament from the Golden Bear.
CONGRATULATIONS TO "VOICE" WINNER AND NATIONWIDE TOUR FAN JAVIER COLON -- Javier Colon, last week's winner of "The Voice" on NBC, is no stranger to the Nationwide Tour. The 34-year-old singer and musician from Connecticut has been a celebrity participant several times at both the BMW Charity Pro-Am in South Carolina and the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic in Canada. His musical performances at tournament events have always been among the off-course highlights. Colon received $100,000 and a recording contract for winning "The Voice", which was viewed by almost 13 million people on the final night of competition.
COMPTON CLARIFICATION -- Last week's "Storylines" indicated Erik Compton's win at the Mexico Open was his first as a professional. It was his first win in a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event. Compton won three times on the Canadian Tour, once in 2003 and twice in 2004.
BIRTHDAY BOYS -- Celebrating birthdays this week are Keoke Cotner (11th / turns 40), Rich Barcelo (12th / 36), Josh Broadaway (14th / 33), Dicky Pride (15th / 42), Jason Enloe (16th / 38) and Peter Lonard (17th / 44).
NEXT WEEK -- The Chiquita Classic at TPC River's Bend in the Cincinnati suburb of Maineville, July 14-17.