Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open

Nationwide alums poised for wins
 

Posted 2/7/2007 2:48 AM ET
 
 

 
 
 
By Jerry Potter, USA TODAY

The Nationwide Tour is a place where no golfer wants to be, but it has become almost a required stop for success on the PGA Tour.

Entering this week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which begins Thursday, three of the five PGA Tour events have been won by Nationwide alums -Paul Goydos, Charley Hoffman and Aaron Baddeley.

If a Nationwide alum wins this weekend at Pebble Beach, it will be the 200th victory by a former Nationwide player since the tour was founded in 1990 as a place for young pros to learn to compete.

"It just shows how strong golf is getting," says Baddeley, who won the FBR Open on Sunday after another Nationwide alum, Jeff Quinney, faltered late.

Pebble Beach also could be a place for ex-Nationwide players to earn a breakout victory, as defending champion Arron Oberholser did last year. Oberholser is injured and won't defend his title, but a number of his Nationwide brethren aim to take advantage, including Camilo Villegas, Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson. Villegas has started slowly this year, but he created a stir as a rookie last year. Snedeker burst on the scene with a first-round 61 at the Buick Invitational and a third-place finish. Big-hitting Watson has back-to-back top-10s, including last week at the FBR Open.
 

PREFERRED HEALTH SYSTEMS WICHITA OPEN TOURNAMENT:         AUGUST 2 - 5, 2007

CESSNA PRO-AM:                                                                               AUGUST 1

LOCATION:                                                                                          CRESTVIEW COUNTRY CLUB