Nationwide Tour Graduates on Oahu
The First Full-Field Event for New PGA Pros
Tis' the season for new PGA Tour pros to struggle with making the cut. Even with early season jitters, several Nationwide Tour graduates excelled this week at the Sony.
Veteran K.J. Choi brought home another win at the PGA Tour's Sony Open last week, amid Honolulu's wicked Waialae wind. He also pocketed a $954,000 winner's check, which is a far cry from the $99,000 the winner of the first Nationwide Tour event will get at the Movistar Panama Championship.
Nationwide Tour money is nothing to sneeze at, after all, $99,000 is well above what most families earn in a year's time. But, imagine playing on the most prestigious professional golf tour in the world for the first time, alongside golfers you may have emulated for years, at a game that has become your life's work. Then, add in the prize money and you have some pressure.
Despite all of the inherent stressors, 24 of the 25 Nationwide Tour graduates participated at the Sony, and they performed quite well. Here are the nine junior tour graduates who made the cut, along with their home country and finishing position.
- Matthew Jones, Australia, T17
- James Driscoll, United States, T20
- Chad Collins, United States, T25
- Chez Reavie, United States, T32
- Scott Sterling, United States, T45
- Patrick Sheehan, United States, T50
- Martin Laird, Scotland, T55
- Jimmy Walker, United States, T61
- John Riegger, United States, T66
Another four players, Kyle Thompson (United States), Nicholas Thompson (United States), John Mills (Canada), and Roland Thatcher (United States) turned in two-day totals of 140, which missed the cut by only one stroke. Three others finished Friday's play within three shots of the cut line.
For the first full-field tournament of the year, and certainly the first for "the 25," there's nothing to be ashamed of for any of the new Tour cardholders. After all, veterans such as Aaron Baddeley, Robert Allenby, Billy Mayfair, Kenny Perry, Boo Weekley, Steve Flesch, Rocco Mediate and Jeff Sluman went home for the weekend.
Next week, the 25 graduates will make the trip to the mainland for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, another of the PGA Tour's premier early-season events.
Incidentally, Matt Jones' T17 finish earned him $79,500, not far behind what a the winner would have gotten in a Nationwide Tour event.
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