Top 100 TOUR Players to Watch in 2010: No. 26

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Dec. 19, 2009

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Regular Season Rank	12
Playoff Rank	12
Bonus Money	290,000

He's not as flashy as some, and his attire is more conventional than others. But Nick Watney firmly established himself as one of the PGA TOUR's up-and-comers last year and he'll be looking to build on that success in 2010. Watney won for the second time in his career at the Buick Open - making up a five-stroke deficit in the final round and winning with a birdie on the 72nd hole. It also happened to be the only time Watney was atop the leaderboard. "If you're going to lead for one hole, this is the time to do it," he said. Five weeks later, Watney came close to getting win No. 3 when he finished one stroke behind Phil Mickelson at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. He ended the season with a career-high $3.2 million in earnings and played in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola for the first time, finishing 12th in the FedExCup. Watney held out hope for a Presidents Cup pick until the very end after finishing 14th in the standings. He didn't get the call but in 2010 the 28-year-old Californian will be chasing a berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He closed out 2009 representing the U.S. at the OMEGA World Cup in China after finishing fifth at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.


He has the talent to beat them all. The question is, how much of the spotlight is he comfortable taking? There is no question what he is capable of when he is at his best.