NATIONWIDE TOUR STORYLINES – Week of Sept. 20th

WNB CLASSIC Sept. 23-26 Midland Country Club, Midland, 2009 Champion: Purse: $525,000 First Prize: $94,500 24th of 29 events

AND NOW THERE ARE FOUR – With his win on Sunday at the Boise Open presented by Kraft, former Oklahoma Sooner became the fourth Nationwide Tour player to line up for a shot at the Tiffany & Co. Battlefield Promotion Award. Haas joined Tommy Gainey, Chris Kirk and when he won for the second time this year. Any player who captures a third win will be presented the Award at the Tour’s “25” Card Ceremony held at the conclusion of the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C. (Oct. 28-31). Since the three-win promotion was instituted in 1997, the most players with at least two wins in a season came in 1999 when there were eight. In 1998, 2003, 2004 and 2006 there were five.

MIDLAND MAINSTAY – The Nationwide Tour returns to Midland, Texas for the 19th consecutive year this week. Only the original four Tour events in Boise, Knoxville, Springfield, Mo. and Wichita) have been around longer. Midland joined the Tour in 1992, the same year long-standing events in Lafayette, La. and Greenville, S.C. were also launched.

CHAMP FIRES UP THE GRILL – Hunter Haas will celebrate his Boise victory in Midland by cooking for his fellow players, caddies, Tour staff, tournament personnel and others on Tuesday. The Haas family drove their smoker all the way from Fort Worth while Hunter flew to Midland. The cooking began on Tuesday morning. This is the third year in a row the Haas clan has hosted the event.

JAMIE LOVEMARK / HE’S AT IT AGAIN – Former USC star Jamie Lovemark is clearly a Sunday player. On Sunday of the Albertsons Boise Open, the Nationwide Tour’s youngest player (22), equaled his low round of the year, 64, which he has posted three other times in 2010. In 11 other fourth rounds this year, the San Diego native and former Walker Cup team member has posted five 65s, a 66, two 68s, a 70, 72 and 73, the latter being the only over-par round. His highest score among his last four rounds is 66. Lovemark’s Sunday scoring average is 67.17.

FRIENDLY RIVALRY FOR NO. 1 SEE-SAWS – Jamie Lovemark (USC) and Chris Kirk (U. of Georgia) faced off many times in amateur and college golf and were teammates on the 2007 Ryder Cup and Palmer Cup teams. They are now waging a friendly battle for the top spot on the Nationwide Tour. On Sunday, Lovemark, with a T7 finish, moved just under $9,000 ahead of Kirk at No. 1. Kirk has led the money list a total of six weeks in 2010, including the three leading up to Boise. Lovemark has led five. “We’re good buddies,” Lovemark told Stephanie Sparks during a Golf Channel interview in Boise. “I mess with him a little bit…Whoever finishes first, we’ll be happy for one another.” Bobby Gates (Texas A&M) held the lead the first eight weeks of the year, Kevin Chappell (UCLA) the next three, before Kirk grabbed the lead in June. Tommy Gainey (one week) is

the only other player to be No. 1 this year. With six events remaining, Lovemark and Kirk are the first two players to reach $400,000 in earnings prior to the final event of the year.

3,381 MILES – On Monday after finishing T15 in Boise, , Beaufort, S.C. resident flew all the way to Charleston to attend Tuesday’s Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island Media Day. From there it was on to Midland, Texas to get ready for this week’s WNB Golf Classic. “I was honored to be asked to do the Nationwide Tour Championship media day and wanted to do whatever I could to help,” the former University of South Carolina All-American said. Traveling 3,381 miles is clearly a demonstration of that.

EAGLES ALL OVER THE PLACE – ’s Bradley Iles tied the Nationwide Tour record for most eagles in the same tournament last week in Boise. He had three on Friday and added two more on Saturday. He joins (1997 ) in the record books.

GOLF CHANNEL FANTASY CHALLENGE UP AND RUNNING – It’s not too late to sign up for Golf Channel’s “Nationwide Tour Fantasy Challenge”. Pick a winner and you’ll be right there in contention for the grand prize trip to attend the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii where many of this year’s “25” Nationwide Tour graduates will make their first PGA TOUR start next year. The “Golf Channel Fantasy Challenge” is easy to play. Fantasy players select a different player every week and earn the equivalent number of points based on their professional pick’s earnings for the week. The player with the highest number of points is going to Hawaii. The nine-week challenge began in early September with the presented by CONSOL Energy and concludes with the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island on Oct. 31st. To register and choose your fantasy golf partners, go to www.golfchannel.com/nationwidetourfantasy. The leader after three of nine events is Tobias Terrill.

THE STRETCH DRIVE IS ON – With six events remaining, the nerve-wracking final stretch run of the Nationwide Tour season is upon us. There will be some winners and, unfortunately, some losers as it pertains to “The 25” PGA TOUR cards for 2011. As a means of projecting what’s ahead, we can look at last year. Of the 25 players who wound up getting their PGA TOUR cards after the 2009 Nationwide Tour Championship, 20 were 25th or better on the money list at this same point last year (through 23 events; also Albertsons Boise Open). Six were not so fortunate. Jerod Turner came the furthest to grab his card. He was outside the top 150. Chris Baryla also gained plenty of ground, playing his way in from 52nd spot. The stretch drive on the Nationwide Tour makes for great theater….as long as you’re not a member of the cast.

BIRTHDAY BOYS – Celebrating birthdays this week in Midland are Trevor Murphy (Sept. 21st / turns 26), B.J. Staten (22nd / 33), Kelly Grunewald (24th / 42), Tjaart van der Walt (25th / 36) and Robert Gwin (26th / 27).

NEXT WEEK – The Nationwide Tour will be near Riverside, Calif. for the $1 million Soboba Classic at The Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto.

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James Cramer Jeff Adams Joe Chemycz Adam Wallace 904-273-3293 904-273-3397 904-273-3305 904-543-7405

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