3 Wins in a Row, 4 out of last 5 for Nickent Golf on Nationwide Tour
There must be something in the water at Nickent Golf. For the third week in a row and the fourth time in five weeks, a Nickent staff player has won on the Nationwide Tour. It is the 30th career win on the PGA and Nationwide tours for Nickent, including 7 on the PGA TOUR and 23 on the Nationwide Tour.
This week, Nickent staffer Kris Blanks shot a four-under 68 on Sunday to claim his first Nationwide Tour win at the Bank of America Open, one of the Nationwide Tour’s most revered events and one of the largest purses on the tour at $750,000.
Blanks used a Nickent 4DX Driver and 4DX Ironwood, both with Fujikura Rombax shafts, to finish with a 16-under 272 and a one-stroke win. Blanks ranked first in Greens in Regulation with 84.7% and was hitting his drives an average of 293 yards with 73.2% accuracy, 16th best in the field.
“Through four days it was probably as good as I’ve played in a while,” said Blanks. “I just hit the ball great all week.”
The 35-year-old first time winner claimed $135,000 for the win to move to No. 5 on the Nationwide Tour money list.
Nickent Golf now has 5 staff players in the Top 10 of the Nationwide Tour money list. They are all virtually guaranteed a spot on the PGA TOUR in 2009.
David Mathis and his 4DX Evolver Driver, the first interchangeable driver to win on the professional tours, sit at No. 1 on the money list. Last week’s winner on the Nationwide Tour, Jeff Klauk, sits at No. 2. Blanks and fellow Nickent players Bryan DeCorso and Ewan Porter also sit in the Top 10.
For Nickent, the stellar play of their staff players translates into bragging rights on the tour they consider home. Nickent clubs are currently the #1 winning hybrid on the 2008 Nationwide Tour (6 wins) and the #2 winning driver on the 2008 Nationwide Tour (4 wins).
“I think the best part about all of these wins we are experiencing with our Nationwide staff, and our one PGA TOUR victory this year, is that every single one of them are first time winners,” said Nickent Director of Marketing Jason Maloney. “We have tapped into an invaluable resource that allows us to grow with the best players in the world, all the way to the PGA TOUR and in the process we get to prove ourselves head to head against the largest manufacturers in the game. It’s a great feeling.”
Blanks, a three-time winner on the Hooters Tour, entered the week riding a wave of six consecutive cuts made and three straight Top 25 finishes.
“I knew if I just kept my composure everything would be all right,” said Blanks, who hit all 18 greens in regulation Sunday. “For four days, this is as good as I’ve ever hit it.”
“I can’t even imagine what it will feel like to tee it up in Hawaii next year,” said Blanks, who has never teed it up in a Tour event. “I know I’m good enough. It will just be a matter of getting over the mental obstacles. But I’m not going to look at the PGA Tour just yet. I hope to make a couple more dollars out here before the year is over.”
“This is pretty special,” said Blanks. “Thirty-four years of work to get here today.”
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