Plenty at stake in Nationwide Tour Championship
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2006 Nationwide Tour Championship | Preview | 08 Nov 2006
One of the more fascinating golfing events for television viewers takes place this week in Houston as the 2006 Nationwide Tour reaches its climax.
Real life drama will be there for all to see as dreams are either fulfilled or shattered over the final few holes of Tour Championship Sunday as the top 60 available players on the Nationwide Tour’s money list battle it out to secure one of the twenty places available from this tour for the 2007 USPGA Tour. It might yet extend to twenty two as with both Jarrod Lyle and Michael Sim looking all but assured of status, two further places will be on offer as neither are members of the Nationwide Tour. Why that is the case I have no idea but according to PGA Tour that is the case.
The Rees Jones designed Houstonian Golf Club in the Houston suburb of Richmond plays host to the event for the first time following a period of nine years when the event was played at a series of venues in Alabama.
For as many as 16 players their road to the PGA Tour appears to be already secure and their task is as much to improve their position on the money list in order to play in as many early season events PGA Tour in 2007 as it is to get there. For the others victory for any one of the remaining 46 players victory would earn them a last minute reprieve from another year on the Nationwide Tour or having to head to Tour School.
Of the Australians Gavin Coles, Jarrod Lyle and Michael Sim appear pretty much assured of finishing inside the top twenty.
Paul Sheehan is currently in China playing the HSBC championship so he has no further chance of advancing his cause. It will take some rather strange circumstances for him to be totally gazumped but in 17th place he is leaving his fate in the hands of others.
Andrew Buckle will be keen to reverse some rather ordinary form in recent weeks in order to stay inside the top twenty where he is currently positioned in 18th place. Just by playing this week he is guaranteed to earn at least another US$2500 for last place as there is no cut this week so his chances are reasonable to pick up enough to get him across the threshold which appears at this stage to be around US$215,000. There are too many permutations this week for that figure to be set in stone however.
Paul Gow probably needs a top four finish, Nick Flanagan a top three Bradley Hughes a top three and for Stephen Allan, Matthew Jones and Aaron Price and Scott Gardiner only a win will see them avoid Tour School.
Not only is Paul Sheehan not playing this week but Kevin Stadler is in Shanghai for this week’s HSBC Champions event having gained that start via his victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic.
For those who are in Texas however there is plenty at stake.
Photo – Anthony Powter
