Thatcher holds off Jason Day in Omaha
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2007 Cox Classic | Round Four | 30 Jul 2007
Roland Thatcher has won his second tournament on the 2007 Nationwide Tour but to do so he had to hold off a determined and sustained challenge from the brilliant 19-year-old Australian, Jason Day.
Thatcher today won the Cox Classic at the Champions Run Golf Club in Omaha, Nebraska by a narrow one shot margin over Day.
Thatcher has been a professional since 2000 and in that time has been to the PGA Tour for two of those seasons. In most other years he has played the Nationwide Tour with only limited success, having a best season in 2003 when 29th on the money list.
In 2007, however, things have made a significant turn for the better with a win at the Peek n Peak Classic earlier this month. A runner up and third place finish have also added to his record this season and the 30-year-old now leads the Nationwide Tour money list. That will of course ensure a place for Thatcher on the 2008 PGA Tour money list but given the manner in which he is playing he might yet get there earlier. One further win guarantees him instant graduation to the PGA Tour.
Jason Day, who won earlier in July at the Legend Financial Classic in Cleveland, was forced to rally late on Friday to make the cut but then put together the most amazing run over the weekend recording a 36 hole weekend total of 17 under par including a combined front nine total of 13 under.
Day actually took the lead from Thatcher in the final round when he eagled the 9th. Thatcher responded with an eagle of his own at the 10th and then birdied the 11th to move three ahead. Day began to struggle a little with his driver missing the opportunity for a birdie at the par five 17th as a result although he holed a 15 foot birdie putt at the last to keep Thatcher honest to the last.
Thatcher leads the money list with US$371,000, more than US$100,000 ahead of Day who is in second place with US$270,000.
New South Wales golfer, Richard Swift, who is in his rookie season on the Nationwide Tour earned perhaps his biggest cheque in the game when he finished in a share of fourth. Swift, who played the Tight Lies Tour in previous years, has made only four of 14 cuts in his first Nationwide Tour season and this is by far his biggest result.
Greg Chalmers was 13th, Matthew Jones, 17th, while a resurgent Steven Bowditch and Tim Wilkinson were the next best of the Australasians in 23rd place.
