Cameron Percy second at Penn Classic
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2008 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic | Round Four | 25 Aug 2008
Australian Cameron Percy has produced his best finish in 51 Nationwide Tour starts when he finished joint runner up at this week’s North East Pennsylvania Classic near Scranton on Pennsylvania, but he was unable to hold off a stunning final nine holes of 29 from Nationwide Tour rookie, Scott Piercy.
Piercy is in a rich vein of form at present having won the Wichita Open two weeks ago and then finishing 6th at last week’s Xerox Classic. In the process, Piercy has gone from languishing on the Nationwide Tour to confirming his 2009 PGA Tour status.
Not that Piercy is struggling however. Last year he won US$2 million, the largest first prize in tournament golf, in what was billed as the Ultimate Event in Las Vegas. Without a Tour Card to play in events of note however, it has been a struggle to take his status in the game to the next level.
His first Nationwide Tour event this season did not come until May due to his non-exempt status but since then things have gotten better and better and now he is a PGA Tour player or at least he will be in early 2009.
It has been a meteoric rise for the mini tour player and today he gave further proof of what the comfort zone of financial backing can do by producing a remarkable finish on the Donald Ross designed Elmhurst Country Club.
Cameron Percy moved his earnings to US$96,000 with his share of second place with last week’s winner Brendan De Jonge. Two bogeys to start his day would prove very costly to Percy but he fought back well. It has been an encouraging week for the talented and long hitting Victorian.
De Jonge’s runner up finish has taken him ahead in the Nationwide Tour standings over Jarrod Lyle while Greg Chalmers 9th place has moved him back to third place on the money list. This was Chalmer’s 9th top ten in 19 starts this season.
The Nationwide Tour now has a week’s break before the Utah Championship in two weeks time. There are seven more events remaining on the Nationwide Tour in 2008.
