Troy Mattesson earned his fifth consecutive top-10 (T9) finish after posting none in the first 27 starts of his rookie season. During that period he finished T8 at Southern Farm Bureau Classic, T6 at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, first at the Fry.com Open and T2 at the FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World Resort and had earnings of $1,502,450. Coming into the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, he was No. 172 on the money list. He finishes the season at No. 36 and earns his first trip to the Masters Tournament in 2007. •Rod Pampling posted a final-round 6-under 65 to move up 20 spots from T26 to T6. The 65 was the best round of the day and two shots off the final-round record at Westin Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, a 63 by Joe Durant in 2004. There were only four rounds of 65-or-better this week. Along with Pampling’s 65, Troy Matteson posted a 64 in round three, David Branshaw a 64 during round two and Brian Gay with a 64 during round one. •Speaking of Durant, he posted his fourth consecutive top-10 finish with a T4 and will be making his first appearance in THE TOUR Championship since 2001, when he finished a career-best 14th on the money list. He has posted 15 of his last 16 rounds at par or better, including his last 13. Durant earned $1,536,450 during that period. Durant also becomes the leader in the tournament with three career top-10s in five starts. •K.J. Choi became the 33rd player in 46 72-hole stroke play events to hold/share the third-round lead and go on to victory in 2006. He was the fifth player in six Chrysler Championships to accomplish the feat. •Ernie Els bounced in-and-out of the top 30 all day until an eagle on the par-5 14th hole pushed him inside for good (although he had to scramble for a par on No. 18 to secure his spot). Els will be making his 11th appearance in the season-ending TOUR Championship and first since 2004 and sits at No. 27 on the money list. •With his win, K.J. Choi became the only player to play his way into next week’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta. Jose Maria Olazabal, who came into the week at No. 26 dropped to No. 31. •Brett Wetterich used a 5-under 66 to record his second runner-up finish of the season (T2 at the Memorial Tournament). It gives him a career high six top-10 finishes in his third season on TOUR. He also moved up to a career-high tenth spot on the money list. His previous best finish was 132nd in 2005. •Paul Goydos began the week No. 160 on the PGA TOUR money list. A runner-up finish this week helped him jump inside the top 125 and earn his fully-exempt TOUR card for next year. The only other player to move inside the top 125 was Mark Calcavecchia who moved from No. 128 to No. 120. Rich Beem and Bubba Dickerson were the two players who were knocked out. Beem is already exempt for 2007 thanks to his win at the 2002 PGA Championship. The $466,400 paycheck was the largest of Goydos’ career, topping the $216,000 he earned for winning the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational. •Jonathan Byrd matched his career high (5) in top-10s with a T4 on Sunday. He also had five in 2003. His earnings of $1,408,418 were just shy of his career-best $1,462,717 in 2002. •Rod Pampling matched his career high in top-10s with a T6. He also had six in 2005. His earnings of $2,517,773 were a career-best topping the $1,737,725 in 2004. At No. 17 on the money list, he will be a first-timer at next week’s TOUR Championship. •Pampling led the tournament with three eagles on the week, one in each of the first three rounds on Nos. 14, 1 and 11. •Brian Gay earned $148,400 for his T9 finish moving him over the $1-million mark ($1,037,600) for just the second time in his career. He also surpassed $1 million in 2001. His two top-10s were the most since he posted four in 2002. •Jesper Parnevik used a 5-under 66 to finish tied for sixth with his fourth top-10 finish of the season and second consecutive. With his T9 finish last week in Orlando, Parnevik posts back-to-back top-10s on TOUR for the second time this season – T2-Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and T10-Buick Invitational. His four top-10s are the most since he posted five in 2004. •Players earning exemptions into the 2007 Masters Tournament thanks to finishing inside the Top 40 on the PGA TOUR money list: Trevor Immelman, Stuart Appleby, David Toms, Rory Sabbatini, Davis Love III, Carl Pettersson, Brett Quigley, Brett Wetterich, Dean Wilson, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, K.J. Choi, J.J. Henry, Tom Pernice, Jr., Joe Durant, Vaughn Taylor, Troy Matteson, Tim Herron, Camilo Villegas and Jerry Kelly. •Vaughn Taylor had dropped from No. 39 to a projected No. 42 after making the turn at 3-over par for the day. He came back with a 5-under 30 on the back nine to move back into the top 40 (No. 35) and receive a return visit to his hometown tournament, the Masters. •Bogey free rounds on Sunday: Joe Durant, Jesper Parnevik and Tom Pernice, Jr. Durant finished the week with 37 straight holes without a bogey. •Race inside the top-150: Robert Gamez and Henrik Bjornstad were knocked out of the top 150, while Paul Goydos (No. 160 to No. 97) and Tag Ridings (No. 151 to No. 149) entered the top 150. •See how the purses have grown over the years on the PGA TOUR...Closer look at how the numbers compare in 2006 with one full-field payday tournament remaining and the 30-player TOUR Championship YEAR #1 Final Money List 2006 Tiger Woods $9,941,563 2005 Tiger Woods $10,628,024 2004 Vijay Singh $10,905,166 2003 Vijay Singh $7,573,907 2002 Tiger Woods $6,912,625 2001 Tiger Woods $5,687,777 2000 Tiger Woods $9,188,321 1999 Tiger Woods $6,616,585 1998 David Duval $2,591,031 1997 Tiger Woods $2,066,833 1996 Tom Lehman $1,780,159 1995 Greg Norman $1,654,959 1994 Nick Price $1,499,927 1993 Nick Price $1,478,557 1992 Fred Couples $1,344,188 1991 Corey Pavin $979,430 1990 Greg Norman $1,165,477 YEAR #30 Final Money List 2006 Tom Pernice, Jr. $2,130,548 2005 Lucas Glover $2,050,068 2004 Kenny Perry $1,952,043 2003 K.J. Choi $1,999,663 2002 Steve Lowery $1,882,553 2001 Steve Stricker $1,676,229 2000 Carlos Franco $1,550,592 1999 Loren Roberts $1,258,745 1998 Andrew Magee $964,302 1997 Andrew Magee $752,007 1996 Duffy Waldorf $604,382 1995 Nick Price $611,700 1994 Mark Calcavecchia $533,201 1993 Billy Mayfair $513,072 1992 Steve Pate $472,626 1991 Ian Woosnam $485,023 1990 John Huston $435,690 YEAR #125 Final Money List 2006 Darren Clarke $660,898 2005 Nick Price $626,736 2004 Tag Ridings $623,262 2003 Esteban Toledo $487,495 2002 Jay Williamson $515,445 2001 Woody Austin $406,352 2000 Bob Burns $391,075 1999 Charles Raulerson $326,893 1998 Blaine McCallister $228,304 1997 Neal Lancaster $179,273 1996 Dicky Pride $167,852 1995 John Wilson $149,280 1994 Dennis Paulson $142,515 1993 Ronnie Black $120,041 1992 Roger Maltbie $109,742 1991 John Adams $117,549 1990 Bob Eastwood $123,908 •The Chrysler Championship is the 10th event on the 11-tournament PGA TOUR Fall Finish presented by PricewaterhouseCoopers schedule, which is an 11-tournament series that includes enhanced purses and bonus awards totaling $1 million, with $500,000 going to the top player. The series runs through the season-ending TOUR Championship. Points are awarded for each top-10 finish, from 100 points for first place to 10 for 10th. Carl Pettersson, on the strength of a win at the 2005 Chrysler Championship, won the Fall Finish in 2005. Other winners include Vijay Singh (2003-05), Bob Estes (2002) and Tiger Woods (2001). Here is the current top 10: Player Points Position 1. Joe Durant 231.666 T4 2. Troy Matteson 201.666 T9 3. Tiger Woods 200.000 DNP 4. Frank Lickliter II 164.000 -T19 5. Eric Axley 155.000 T58 6. Justin Rose 155.000 T25 7. Jim Furyk 150.000 DNP 8. Davis Love III 128.750 DNP 9. Brett Quigley 118.333 Missed Cut 10. D.J. Trahan 100.000 WD Ben Curtis 100.000 Missed Cut K.J. Choi 100.000 Win |
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