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Nationwide Tour championship is reality Thursday, Oct 27, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Before Mark Burnett sold television networks on voyeurism of the weird and personal, golf had this reality thing called Q-School. A couple of hundred golfers would play six rounds of golf to determine where they would ply their trade the following year. On the personal side, those who went through the grind told horror stories about being unable to sleep or eat and contemplating whether they could still make a needed double bogey if they chunked a wedge shot into the water on the final hole. For the squeamish, there is a sequel with consequences that are less severe. It's called the Nationwide Tour Championship and it begins today in Prattsville, Ala. There are 60 players in the field, all with the same dream - to finish No. 21 or better and earn a PGA Tour card. Those who fail will be back on the Nationwide Tour next year and that's not a bad alternative. Players can make a nice living on the Nationwide - 51 players have won more than $100,000 each this year - but anybody who can stop a wedge after two hops wants to be in the big time. On the Nationwide, they play in Chattanooga, Omaha, Boise, Midland and Fort Smith. First prize is usually $81,000 to $90,000. On the PGA Tour, they play Torrey Pines, Doral, TPC at Sawgrass, Cog Hill and other well-known courses. First prize is often $1 million or more and every pro knows opportunity is half the battle. Conveniently, Lucas Glover provided the validation only a few days ago. Glover missed his 2003 PGA Tour card by a stroke at Q-School in 2002, but made it to the big tour by finishing 17th on the Nationwide money list in 2003. He was 134th on the PGA money list in 2004, but went back to Q-School and improved his status with a tie for 26th. Last Sunday, he made a long putt on the 17th hole and dunked a 35-yard bunker shot on the final hole to win the Funai Classic at Disney by a shot. The 25-year-old earned $792,000 and jumped to 28th on the money list with more than $1.9 million. Two years ago, that same young man won $1,330 in a Nationwide event in Fort Smith. It is knowing that the PGA Tour is only a weekend away that will gnaw at the gut of Tom Scherrer, Charley Hoffman and Bill Haas this week in Prattsville. Those three are Nos. 19, 20 and 21 on the money list and they'll have to concentrate on their shots while avoiding the distraction of the leaderboards. It's more than watching No. 22 Joe Daley, who is barely $10,000 behind Scherrer. First prize is $117,000 and second is $70,200, which means moving on up is a real possibility. For instance, three players with Arkansas ties could get into the top 21 with a winning week. Former Razorback Jim McGovern is No. 43 with $110,809 and Haas has $189,674. No. 46 with $108,871 is Ken Duke, who played at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. Two spots behind him is another former Razorback, Deane Pappas, with $104,504. He is also No. 181 on the PGA money list. Next week, Glover and 29 others will get together in Atlanta to divvy up $6.5 million in another version of the rich get richer. First ESPN and then ABC will be all over the tournament with Tiger, Vijay, Phil and others in the field. The Nationwide Tour championship will be on The Golf Channel. With a group of relatively anonymous players, the TV ratings will be low and the crowds will be small, but the stakes will be meaningful and the emotions will be compelling. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
