Goggin creeps closer to return to PGA Tour

BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2005 Utah Classic | Final Round | 12 Sep 2005

Australian golfer Mathew Goggin crept closer to a return to the PGA Tour in 2006 when he finished in a three way share of second at the Nationwide Tour’s Envirocare Utah Classic today.

Goggin failed by one shot to join a playoff with winner Garret Willis but the $US35,000 he will earn for his share of second has seen him leap to 10th on the money list and within perhaps US$12,000 of the amount that will be required to make it into the top twenty who will automatically earn their card for 2006. Not that Goggin wants to cut it too fine. In 2004, at the Nationwide Tour Championship, he came within just one shot of gaining his card, a last hole bogey costing him the chance to move on from the Nationwide Tour where he has been since losing his PGA Tour card in 2003.

Garrett Willis, who was a winner on the PGA Tour in 2001 but finds himself back on the Nationwide Tour in search of full status on the PGA Tour, won the event this week. He took a one shot lead into the final day and held on to move to 24th on the money list from 14 events.

Greg Chalmers and New Zealander Tim Wilkinson were the best of the other Australasians when they shared 7th but they both have a lot of work yet to do in the seven remaining events on the 2005 Nationwide Tour.

Photo – Anthony Powter