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Final Round Update: 16 Past, Present NGA Pro Golf Tour players get PGA Tour cards-
Nationwide Tour: Former NGA Pro Golf Tour member Ken Duke fired a 4-under 68 in the final round of the Nationwide Tour Championship on Sunday to come from behind and win by two shots over NGA Pro Golf Tour veteran Scott Brown.
In addition to getting the win, Duke, who played on the NGA Pro Golf Tour, moved from 36th to seventh on the money list and secured his PGA Tour card for 2012.
Alums Jason Kokrak, Camilo Benedetti and Jeff Gove finished 4-under par and T5.
Member Ted Potter Jr. cut into alum J.J. Killeen’s lead on the money list, but the two-time NGA Pro Golf Tour Player of the Year ended the season second on the money list after his T12 finish in the Tour Championship. Potter finished less than $12,000 behind Killeen.
Fellow member Will Wilcox also finished T12, but he was able to secure his PGA Tour card after finishing 36th on the money list. Alums Matt Every, Matt Davidson and Garth Mulroy joined Potter and Wilcox in 12th.
Roberto Castro, a 2010 NGA Pro Golf Tour member, finished 17th, while alum Erik Compton and member Billy Hurley III finished T18. Hurley’s 18th-place finish was good enough to earn his 2012 PGA Tour card by just over $5,000.
All told, 16 players with ties to the NGA Pro Golf Tour finished inside the top 25 on the money list and will receive PGA Tour cards for 2012.
For full-field scores, click here.
For “The 25,” click here.
Saturday Updates: Potter needs low round to take money title; Hurley closing in on card-
Nationwide Tour: Former NGA Pro Golf Tour player Jason Kokrak will carry a one-shot lead over NGA Pro Golf Tour veteran Scott Brown into the final round of the Nationwide Tour Championship.
Kokrak (-7) fired a 3-over 75 in blustery conditions on Saturday, while Brown (-6) shot a 5-under 67 to close the gap. Alum Ken Duke is also T2 at 6-under par.
Alums Matt Every, Garth Mulroy and Camilo Benedetti are T4 and will start two shots off the lead at 5-under par. Former player Jeff Gove is T8, while alum Roger Tambellini and 2010 member Roberto Castro are T10.
Current member Ted Potter Jr. finished the third round T14 at 2-under par, while member Billy Hurley III is 1-under and T19.
For full-field scores, click here.
PGA Tour: Former NGA Pro Golf Tour winners Camilo Villegas and Mark Wilson finished the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic at 15-under par and tied for fourth.
Alum Ryan Palmer finished 14-under par and T7, while former NGA Pro Golf Tour winner Jerry Kelly finished T10 at 13-under par.
Past members Stewart Cink and Chris Kirk finished T13 at 12-under par. Alums Tommy Gainey and Spencer Levin finished T23.
For full-field scores, click here.
Second Round Updates: Wilcox Makes Big Move; Wilson Climbs at CIMB-
Nationwide Tour: Former NGA Pro Golf Tour player Jason Kokrak fired a 5-under 67 in the second round of the Nationwide Tour Championship to grab a share of the lead with Daniel Chopra. After two rounds, Chopra and Kokrak are 10-under par.
Roberto Castro, a 2010 NGA Pro Golf Tour member, carded a 4-under 68 to move into third at 8-under par, while alum Camilo Benedetti is 7-under and T4.
Alums Cliff Kresge and Darron Stiles will head into the weekend T7 at 6-under par.
Current member Will Wilcox shot a 5-under 67 in blustery conditions to move from T30 into a tie for ninth with alums Matt Every, Roger Tambellini and member Ted Potter Jr. at 5-under par.
Alums Ken Duke, Paul Claxton, Kyle Reifers, Rob Oppenheim, Garth Mulroy and current member Casey Wittenberg are 4-under par and T14, while former player Kyle Thompson is T21.
For full-field scores, click here.
PGA Tour: Former NGA Pro Golf Tour member Mark Wilson carded a 5-under 66 in second round of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic to move into a tie for fourth at 9-under par.
Wilson, a three-time NGA Pro Golf Tour winner, was joined in fourth by former NGA Pro Golf Tour member Stewart Cink, who also fired a 66.
Former NGA Pro Golf Tour winners Camilo Villegas and Jerry Kelly move into a tie for ninth at 7-under par after shooting 66s as well.
Former players Chris Kirk and Ryan Palmer are T13, while alums Spencer Levin and John Senden are T18.
For full-field scores, click here.
Round 1 Update: Eight NGA Pro Golf Tour Players T5 or better-
Nationwide Tour: Mark Anderson, who played on the NGA Pro Golf Tour in 2009, fired a 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Nationwide Tour Championship to take a one-shot lead over current NGA Pro Golf Tour member Ted Potter Jr.
Potter Jr., a current NGA Pro Golf Tour member, got off to a great start in his pursuit of the money title. Potter, who has two Nationwide Tour wins this season, carded a 5-under 67 and is T2 with alums Camilo Benedetti and Jason Kokrak.
Potter is only $26,603 behind alum J.J. Killeen, who is T51 after the first round, on the money list. If Potter can pass Killeen, he’ll have fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2012 and a spot in 2012 THE PLAYERS Championship.
Alums Roger Tambellini, Darron Stiles, Roberto Castro and Kyle Thompson are T5 and 4-under par, while past players Ryan Armour, Cliff Kresge and Garth Mulroy fired 3-under 69s in the first round to finish T10.
Current member Casey Wittenberg shot a 2-under 70 and is tied for 15th with NGA Pro Golf Tour players Rob Oppenheim, Matt Davidson and Kyle Reifers.
Members Russell Knox and Matt Hendrix shot 1-under 71s to join alums Jeff Gove, Paul Claxton, Tommy Biershenk, Matt Every and John Mallinger in a tie for 20th.
Current member Josh Broadaway and Billy Hurley III are T30 after the first round.
For full-field scores, click here.
PGA Tour: NGA Pro Golf Tour winner Mark Wilson shot a 4-under 67 in the opening round of the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic to join alums Scott Stallings, Stewart Cink and John Senden in a tie for seventh in the invitation-only event.
Wilson, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, had six birdies and two bogeys in the opening round.
Fellow NGA Pro Golf Tour winner Tommy Gainey shot a 3-under 68 and is T12 with alum Brendon de Jonge, while past NGA Pro Golf Tour winners Jerry Kelly and Camilo Villegas are T19.
For full-field results, click here.
Potter, Knox Heading to PGA Tour; Hurley, Broadaway Close to Cards-
Myrtle Beach, S.C. - October 26, 2011 - At the start of the season, every golfer on the NGA Pro Golf Tour had visions of playing their way to the upper levels of golf. Undoubtedly, many will reach their dreams through PGA Tour Q-School this season, but seven members have already punched their tickets to the next level.
The only question that remains is will they play on the PGA Tour or the Nationwide Tour in 2012?
For members Ted Potter Jr. and Russell Knox, there is no speculation as to their 2012 plans. The talented duo both went from Monday qualifiers on the Nationwide Tour to full-fledged members. And they didn’t slow down after gaining status.
Potter, who had two NGA Pro Golf Tour and two Bridgestone Winter Series wins in 2011, won the South Georgia Classic in May and added his second victory of the season at the Soboda Classic in August. In addition, Potter, a two-time NGA Pro Golf Tour Player of the Year, had two T3 finishes, two top-10s and enters the Nationwide Tour Championship second on the money list.
While his PGA Tour card for 2012 is secured, Potter is only $26,603 behind fellow NGA alum J.J. Killeen on the money list. If Potter can pass Killeen, he’ll have fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2012 and a spot in 2012 THE PLAYERS Championship.
Knox, a two-time NGA Pro Golf Tour winner, earned his status with a runner-up finish in the Fresh Express Classic in March and followed it up with a win in July at the Chiquita Classic. After securing his status, Knox has only finished out of the money three times in 19 starts and comes into the Tour Championship 10th on the money list.
Fellow members Josh Broadaway and Billy Hurley III are locked in an epic battle for a spot in “The 25.” Hurley, who won the Terry Moore Ford Open in 2010, holds down the 25th spot on the money list, the final position to earn a 2012 PGA Tour card. Broadaway, who has one victory on the NGA Pro Golf Tour, sits 27th on the money list and is less than $5,000 out of the top 25. A top 10 by either golfer would likely secure their 2012 PGA Tour cards.
Members Casey Wittenberg, Will Wilcox and Matt Hendrix will enter the final event of the season with one thing on their minds: win. Wilcox is 40th on the money, Hendrix is 41st and Wittenberg is 45th going into the Tour Championship. While a solo second and some luck could boost them into The 25, the only sure-fire way to earn their cards is through a victory. Regardless of the outcome, the trio, at minimum, will earn Nationwide Tour status for 2012.
Joining the seven members in the field will be 33 former NGA Pro Golf Tour players meaning 40 of the toal 60 players or two-thirds of the field will have spent time on the NGA Pro Golf Tour.
While most thought the PGA Tour season ended last week, over 15 NGA Pro Golf Tour alums have made the trip to Malaysia for the CIMB Asia Pacific Golf Classic, hoping to extend the season for one more week.
The CIMB Classic is not an official event, unless a PGA Tour member wins. And, according to the PGATour.com’s Power Rankings, a NGA Pro Golf Tour alum could help with the validation.
Camilo Villegas, a former NGA Pro Golf Tour winner, is coming off three top-10s in his last four starts and is ranked sixth in the Power Rankings, while former player Spencer Levin holds down the No. 9 spot in the rankings.
The elite 48-player field will also contain NGA Pro Golf Tour winners Stewart Cink, Tommy Gainey, Jerry Kelly and Mark Wilson.
NGA Pro Golf Tour alums have amassed 16 wins on the PGA Tour in 2012.
The NGA Pro Golf Tour is the No. 1 recommended developmental tour by more PGA and Nationwide Tour Professionals than any other tour in the country. The Tour also pays out over $1 million more than any other development tour in the country.
The NGA Pro Golf Tour is the Third Largest Men’s 72 Hole Professional Golf Tour in the United States behind the Nationwide and PGA Tours and has helped hundreds of professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide, and Champions Tour cards. In fact, NGA Pro Golf Tour Alumni have won an incredible Thirteen (13) “Major” Championships.
Alumni include: 2011 PGA Championship winner and 2009 NGA Pro Golf Tour member Keegan Bradley, 2011 PGA winners Scott Piercy, Scott Stallings, Sean O'Hair, Mark Wilson, Bubba Watson and Gary Woodland; Jim Furyk, the 2010 FedExCup winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year; Stewart Cink, the 2009 British Open Champion; Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open Champion; Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion; Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Champion; Ben Curtis, winner of the 2003 British Open; Lee Janzen, a two-time US Open winner; John Daly, a British Open and PGA Champion; Tom Lehman, winner of the British Open; David Toms, a past PGA Champion; Chad Campbell, the 2003 Tour Championship winner; Vaughn Taylor, a two-time Reno Tahoe Open winner; Craig Perks, winner of the TPC, and many, many more. At this year’s PGA Tour Qualifying School, 46% of the players that earned full exempt status on the PGA Tour (including 2010 Player of the Year Michael Thompson) and 52% of the players that earned status on the Nationwide Tour have spent time on the NGA Pro Golf Tour. In 2011, 23 former NGA Pro Golf Tour players will be advancing to the PGA Tour.
For more information on the NGA Pro Golf Tour, contact the Tour Office at (800) 992-8748.
Current, Past NGA Golf Tour Players in Nationwide Tour Championship:
Mark Anderson
Ryan Armour
Camilo Benedetti
Tommy Biershenk
Justin Bolli
Craig Bowden
Josh Broadaway (Member)
Scott Brown
Roberto Castro
Paul Claxton
Erik Compton
Matt Davidson
Marco Dawson
Bubba Dickerson
Ken Duke
Matt Every
Martin Flores
Steve Friesen
Jeff Gove
Travis Hampshire
Matt Hendrix (Member)
Billy Hurley III (Member)
J.J. Killeen
John Kimbell
Russell Knox (Member)
Jason Kokrak
Cliff Kresge
Luke List
John Mallinger
Garth Mulroy
James Nitties
Rob Oppenheim
Ted Potter Jr. (Member)
Kyle Reifers
B.J. Staten
Darron Stiles
Andrew Svoboda
Roger Tambellini
Kyle Thompson
Will Wilcox (Member)
Casey Wittenberg (Member)
Past Players in CIMB Asia Pacific Classic:
Stewart Cink
Brendon de Jonge
Tommy Gainey
Lucas Glover
Jerry Kelly
Chris Kirk
Spencer Levin
Ryan Palmer
John Senden
Scott Stallings
Camilo Villegas
Mark Wilson
Alts:
Blake Adams
George McNeill
Scott Piercy
Kevin Streelman
Robert Garrigus
