Large Aussie field for Wichita Open
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2010 Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open | Preview | 04 Aug 2010
The Nationwide Tour has to compete against both the Bridgestone Invitational and the Turning Stone PGA Tour events this week but the well established Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open in Kansas will still hold plenty of interest for those involved.
The Robert Trent Jones Sr and later Robert Trent Jones Jr designed layout around 10 kilometres to the east of Wichita City has played host to this event since 2001 and is a golf course that has seen some generally low scoring in that time. It measures just under 7000 yards and in the modern era courses of that nature struggle to contain quality fields. In 2008 22 under won the tournament and last year it was 16 under.
Chris Tidland defeated Chad Collins and Dave Schultz in 2009 and with Collins and Tidland now PGA Tour players, only Schultz is in this week’s field. Schultz was in the middle of a purple patch by his standards when he finished runner up last year but in 2010 he has struggled.
The tour’s leading money winner, Jamie Lovemark, is not playing this week but four of the other five leading money winners are.
Victorian Alistair Presnell’s third place finish last week moved him inside the all important top 25 on the money list and he now heads the Australasian contingent in the pursuit of a PGA Tour card, with those inside the top 25 at season’s end gaining that privilege.
Presnell joined Ewan Porter as the only Australasian inside that group although Porter has slipped to 24th after his win in April in just his 5th event of the season. Porter has made only one other small cheque and so needs to turn things around quickly.
Gavin Coles (40th) Nick Flanagan (42nd) and Adam Bland (47th) are the only others inside the top 50 but things can change quickly with a good week.
A total of 12 Australasians are in this week’s field.
