Adelaide , SA (February 18, 2007)…Another week, another Hooters Tour alumni collects a win on the Nationwide Tour. Former Hooters Tour member Scott Sterling, a veteran of the Nationwide Tour, garnered his first career Nationwide Tour title Sunday by winning the
Jacobs
Creek Open Championship. The
Jacobs
Creek Open Championship has been a co-sanctioned event with the Nationwide and the PGA Tour of
Australasia for the past six years.
The
Baton Rouge, LA native fired rounds of 70-69-66-71 on the Kooyonga Golf Club for a four day total of twelve-under par 276, one shot better than sponsor exemption and local pro David Lutterus.
Sterling and four others shared the lead at one point during the backside of the final round but his solid play down the stretch made the difference.
"Over the weekend my putter was unbelievable," said
Sterling , who spent the 2006 season on the mini-tours regaining his confidence. "My touch was pretty good. I don't think I've ever made that many long putts in a tournament."
With his win,
Sterling collects $108,000 and moves into first place on the Nationwide Tour’s money list. The top twenty players on the Nationwide Tour’s money list at season’s end earn their PGA TOUR playing card.
"It's just unbelievable," said the low-key
Sterling after collecting $108,000 for the win. "With the first one you always have some doubts because you haven't done it before. Overall I was pretty calm but standing over that last one, I was the most nervous I'd been all day. I could feel it in my hands."
Sterling played the Hooters Tour up until the 2001 season, and has played a few events over the past few seasons.
Sterling won The Hooters Tour Championship during the 2001 season before moving up to the Nationwide Tour.
The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2003 PGA champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open champion Jim Furyk, British Open and PGA champion John Daly, two-time US Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open champion Tom Lehman, as well as PGA champion David Toms, Tour Championship winner Chad Campbell, 2004 Bellsouth winner Zach Johnson and back to back Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour alumni have an incredible nine Majors to their credit. The NGA Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 golf professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide and Champion’s Tour card. In fact, 50% of the players that earned their 2007 PGA Tour cards, and 47% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA Hooters Tour.
For more information about the NGA Hooters Tour, please check out our website at www.hooterstour.com or contact the Tour office toll free at 800-992-8748.
