David McKenzie's Nationwide Tour form continues

BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2004 Utah Classic | Wrap | 30 Aug 2004

For the fourth time in his last five starts on the Nationwide Tour, Victorian David McKenzie has finished inside the top five, his share of fourth in this week’s Envirocare Utah Classic further assisting his endeavour to make it to the USPGA Tour in 2005.

This rich vein of form started at the Samsung Canadian PGA Championship in July when he finished fourth, and although he missed the cut at his very next start, he would then finish third at the Price Cutter Championship and then second at last week’s Alberta Classic.

His placing will take him to the edge of the top twenty placing, yet another Australian in a position to gain USPGA Tour status in 2005. There are currently six Australians inside the top twenty and now McKenzie is knocking on the door.

The 37-year-old McKenzie, has played regularly on the Nationwide Tour this year after several seasons mixing tours between the Canadian Tour, where he has often performed well, and the Nationwide Tour.

The tournament was won by long hitting 31-year-old, Brett Wetterich who won for the second time on the Nationwide Tour, his first being last year at the Chitimaca Louisiana Open. While this win will not quite yet guarantee Wetterich of a return to the PGA Tour in 2005, he is well on his way. He finished 24th last year on the Nationwide Tour, narrowly missing his card. Wetterich played two seasons on the USPGA Tour in 2000 and 2002 but much of that time was recovering from wrist injury.

Other Australians included Nathan Green who also had a solid week finishing 12th, he too creeping closer to the chance of graduation next year. He is now in 31st place on the money list. Mathew Goggin was 36th.

The Nationwide Tour now has just seven events remaining before their Tour Championship in late October.