Barcelo breaks through after 149 starts
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2009 Cox Classic | Round Four | 27 Jul 2009
Rich Barcelo produced the equal best round of the day at the Cox Classic in Nebraska and in doing so won his first Nationwide Tour event after 149 starts.
The 36-year-old from Reno, Nevada will be elated that ten years after first joining the Nationwide Tour he has finally broken through with a final round of 65 to head off Tom Gillis by one shot with a further shot back to Brent Delahoussaye.
The US$130,000 first prize will see Barcelo move close to the top six on the money list and go a long way to ensuring a return to the PGA Tour on which he played in 2004 and 2007.
Nationwide Tour money leader, Michael Sim, looking for his third win of the season and automatic graduation to the PGA Tour, led into the final round but on a low scoring day could only manage a round of one under par 70 which was not good enough to hold off the numerous challengers he faced.
Sim finished in a share of 5th position and will extend his massive lead on the 2009 money list even further.
Scott Gardiner and Stuart Deane were the next best of the Australians finishing 19th, Andrew Buckle 25th, Adam Bland 38th, David McKenzie 44th, and Gavin Coles 49th.
The Nationwide Tour will now move to Columbus in Ohio for this coming week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational.
