Four Australians graduate in Texas
BY Bruce Young | Nationwide Tour | 2008 Nationwide Tour Championship | Round Four | 10 Nov 2008
Four more Australians are now confirmed as 2009 USPGA Tour players following today’s final round of the Nationwide Tour Championship at Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
Marc Leishman’s last round of 70 to share 7th position has secured him one of the 25 2009 PGA Tour cards provided to the leading players on the 2008 Nationwide Tour and he joins Jarrod Lyle, Greg Chalmers and Aron Price in the professional game’s biggest arena next year.
Leishman was in 23rd position heading into this week’s lucrative event but he needed a top 20 or thereabouts to be assured of advancing.
Consecutive opening rounds of 67 and 67 took some of the pressure off but he still needed to remain vigilant over the closing stages. He was able to do just that and had the luxury of being able to bogey the last and still finish comfortably inside the top 25 on the money list at season’s end. Leishman finished 19th on the money list.
American Matt Bettencourt won his second consecutive event and as a result moved past Brendon de Jonge into the much sought after position at the top of the Nationwide Tour money list.
Jarrod Lyle finished 30th this week and slipped from 2nd to 4th on the money list, Greg Chalmers finished 25th and was 8th in the money race, while Aron Price finished his immediate Nationwide Tour career with a round of 65 to secure 16th place this week and 18th position on the money list.
Gavin Coles finished 16th in this week’s event, Won Joon Lee 25th while Ewan Porter was disqualified after signing an incorrect scorecard early in the event. All three will move to the Final Stage of USPGA Tour qualifying in three week’s time.
Final Top 25 – Nationwide Tour
1 Matt Bettencourt – $447,863
2 Brendon de Jonge – $437,035
3 Jeff Klauk – $407,418
4 Jarrod Lyle – $382,738
5 Bill Lunde – $341,446
6 Colt Knost – $329,509
7 Darron Stiles – $324,627
8 Greg Chalmers – $321,930
9 Scott Piercy – $320,187
10 Greg Owen – $309,805
11 Peter Tomasulo – $296,704
12 Rick Price – $284,922
13 Kris Blanks – $280,588
14 David Mathis – $276,412
15 Casey Wittenberg – $271,919
16 D.A. Points – $266,696
17 Arjun Atwal – $259,186
18 Aron Price – $249,144
T19 Marc Leishman – $244,224
T19 Brendon Todd – $244,224
21 Scott Gutschewski – $238,215
22 Spencer Levin – $236,185
23 Bryce Molder – $234,651
24 Matt Weibring – $228,155
25 Ricky Barnes – $218,902
Other Australians in the Top 60
41 Ewan Porter – $159,124
48 Gavin Coles – $142,000
50 Won Joon Lee – $137,694
