The agony and ecstasy at Nationwide Tour Championship
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2004 Nationwide Tour Championship | Wrap | 01 Nov 2004
There may have been a lot of tension and nail biting before the situation became clear, but when the dust lifted after the final round of the Nationwide Tour Championship, six Australasians had secured one of the twenty cards available and have made it through to the USPGA Tour in 2005.
Brendan Jones finished the year in 6th place on the money list despite an ordinary week here and he is through. Paul Gow was 11th and he returns to the USPGA Tour from where he came in 2003. Another ex-USPGA Tour player, in Bradley Hughes, is also back, finishing in 12th place. Euan Walters confirmed his great start to the year by hanging on to finish 14th but for Michael Long and Gavin Coles they were made to wait for most of the afternoon today before it became clear that they too would graduate.
Long was inside and outside the top twenty for most of the afternoon and as had been the case three years ago when he secured his card for the first time via the Buy.Com Tour, he was forced to wait until the very end to be assured of his place. Gavin Coles can perhaps thank a three putt from an understandably emotional Kyle Thompson at the last for his place, but also a lot of hard work in getting back to the PGA Tour from where he came last year.
For Australian Mathew Goggin however, it was a case of what might have been. He had a great chance with three holes to play especially after hitting his tee shot close on the par three 16th and missing from eight feet. Then on the par five 17th he hit a superb second to fifteen feet but two putted for eagle. Then at the last when a par looked as if it might get the job done, Goggin pushed his tee shot into thick rough and was unable to reach the green with his second and ended up with a bogey that would cast his fate. Goggin finished fifth in the tournament, but that will be of little consolation.
For David McKenzie this was a costly week also. In 20th place at the start of the week, McKenzie could only finish 53rd and his chance was gone.
Nathan Green made a brave attempt to win the tournament which is what he needed to do to get through, but he finished fifth.
For the record Nick Watney won the tournament by three shots over Brett Wetterich, those two players securing their cards late in proceedings.
