Nationwide Tour hits US for Chitimacha Louisiana Open
IN: News | Nationwide | Chitimacha Louisiana Open (2004) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 23 Mar 2004
The Nationwide Tour hits American soil for the first time this year when the Chitimacha Louisiana Open gets underway in Louisiana.
The Tour has travelled to Panama, Australia and New Zealand with the three different winners to date now well positioned to go on and secure their 2005 USPGA Tour card at year's end.
Jimmy Walker who won in Panama will play this week, as will New Zealand PGA winner Gavin Coles, but the Jacob's Creek Open winner, Euan Walters, is at home in Australia with his wife, who is expecting their third child. Walters is expected to head to the US in the next few weeks to take advantage of the marvellous start he has made this season. Walters has already made nearly as much money as last year's 20th place finisher on the money list, Tommy Tolles, who is now playing the USPGA Tour. The top twenty from the Nationwide Tour at year's end, gain automatic access to the 2005 USPGA Tour.
The tournament is played in Broussard, Louisiana at the Robert Trent Jones designed, Le Triomphe Golf & Country Club. The defending champion is Brett Wetterich who, despite winning here in 2003, was not able to gain a place in the top 20 at year's end, finishing in 22nd place. At the PGA Tour school in December he finished 96th, a frustrating finish to a year that held so much promise early on.
Wetterich, along with New Zealander Steve Alker and Mike Heinen, holds the tournament record 264 following his three shot win over Ken Duke last year, giving him his first and only title on the Nationwide Tour. The 30-year-old has had an injury plagued career but clearly has some game when in-form.
The event has attracted a high quality Nationwide field, no doubt many keen to get going in a year that could well mean so much to them.
The leading chances are the in-form Jimmy Walker who not only won in Panama but finished 8th at the Jacob's Creek Open in his next event, Gavin Coles who overcame difficult conditions to win at the New Zealand PGA Championship, Paul Claxton who won here in 2001, Paul Gow, Greg Chalmers, Bradley Hughes, USPGA Tour players Scott Hend and Andre Stolz no doubt looking to gain at least some tournament play by playing here, D.J. Trahan, Franklin Langham, Ty Tryon, plus a real mix of others golfers at various stages of their careers.
Australasians entered other than those mentioned above are Michael Long and James McLean.
The event carries a total purse of US$450,000 with $81,000 going to the winner, making those players who did not travel to Australian and New Zealand probably now wishing they had. The two events in that region were worth $750,000 a piece, the most lucrative of the season, giving the players who made the effort a kick start to their 2004 season.
