PRATTVILLE, Ala. -- What's at stake at the Nationwide Tour Championship this week? Well, how about your livelihood?
The top 21 on the season-ending money list gain entrance to the PGA Tour for 2006, and they will come from among the 60 players who qualified for this limited-field event. Currently, just $10,211 separates Tom Scherrer in the19th position and Joe Daley in 22nd place. Jason Gore already has guaranteed his slot on the 2006 PGA Tour by winning three events in a row over the summer.
The purse this week totals $650,000, with the winner pocketing $117,000. The runner-up will get $70,200, while the third-place finisher will receive $44,200.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Senator Course at Capitol Hill on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is hosting the tournament, making this the ninth time in 13 seasons that the state of Alabama is hosting the tournament. Famous golf course architect Robert Trent Jones created the 7,661-yard, par-72 layout in 1999.
Among the notable players who have won this event are: former British Open champion David Duval (1993); Allen Doyle (1995), who is once again having a sensational year on the Champions Tour; U.S. Presidents Cup player Stewart Cink (1996); and Steve Flesch (1997).
Chris Couch ($981,400) and Jeff Gove ($971,095) will try to become the first players in Nationwide Tour history to surpass the $1 million mark in career earnings.
There has never been a wire-to-wire winner of this event. Spike McRoy owns the largest winning margin in event history, when he won by five over Briny Baird in 2000.
There were two holes-in-one during the 2003 event, lifting the all-time Tour Championship total to seven. Ted Purdy aced the second hole during round one, while Bo Van Pelt made the other during the final round on the eighth hole.
Other players to register aces are: David Duval (1993), Mike Small (1997), Garrett Willis (1999), R.W. Eaks and Jeff Gallagher (2000). When Duval made his ace, he became the only player with a hole-in-one to go on to win the tournament.
There have been two playoffs in event history, the last coming in 1999, when Bob Heintz defeated Marco Dawson. The 2001 winning total of 284 was the highest in event history, bettering the mark of 283 set in 1995 by Allen Doyle and John Maginnes, Bob Burns in 1998 and Heintz and Dawson in 1999.
The only two players who were outside the magic number to receive their PGA Tour card heading into the Tour Championship and jumped in by winning the event were Bob Heintz and Steve Flesch. Flesch captured the event in 1997 and gained his PGA Tour card after beginning the tournament 24th on the money list. Heintz, who won in 1999, started the event in the 16th spot and shot up to sixth on the money list.
The first two years, Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon played host to this tournament, while the event was held at Settindown Creek in Georgia in 1995-96. The 1997 event was held on the Lake Course at Grand National Golf Club in Opelika, Ala., while the 1998 tournament was staged at Magnolia Grove outside of Mobile, Ala. The 1999-2000 events were held at Highland Oaks.
Last year, Nick Watney collected two late birdies in the final round en route to a 3-under 69. He finished at 15-under 273 and won by two over Brett Wetterich.
Watney mixed three birdies and a bogey on the front nine to take a commanding lead around the turn, but he dropped a shot at 12 and Wetterich came charging up the leader board with birdies at 11 and 15.
The birdie at 15 knotted Watney and Wetterich atop the leader board, but Watney answered. At the 15th, Watney ran home a seven-footer for birdie to go one ahead of Wetterich. Watney added another birdie at the 16th and when Wetterich, playing two groups ahead of Watney, bogeyed 18, the tournament was Watney's. He parred his remaining two holes for his first victory on the Nationwide Tour and a final standing of fifth place on the money list and his 2005 PGA Tour card.
So far in 2005, Watney has made the cut in 15 of 30 PGA Tour events, with his best finish being a tie for sixth in Las Vegas. Currently, Watney stands 121st on the money list as he tries to hold on to his PGA Tour card for 2006.
