(McKinney, TX) – Twenty-five members of the Nationwide Tour were awarded 2009 PGA TOUR cards today at the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch near Dallas, TX based on their season-ending finish on the money list.
Matt Bettencourt birdied the 72nd hole to shoot a final-round 69 to win the Championship by one shot over Jeff Klauk. He collected a $180,000 first prize from the $1 million purse.
Bettencourt also captured the money title finishing $10,828 ahead of Brendon de Jonge, who had held the spot after the last seven tournaments.
“The 25” who graduated to the PGA TOUR are:
Pos. Money Name (wins) Hometown
1 $447,863 Matt Bettencourt (2) Greenville, SC
2 $437,035 Brendon de Jonge (1) Charlotte, NC (native of Zimbabwe)
3 $407,418 Jeff Klauk (1) St. Augustine, FL
4 $382,738 Jarrod Lyle (2) Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
5 $341,446 Bill Lunde (1) Las Vegas, NV
6 $329,509 Colt Knost (2) Dallas, TX
7 $324,627 Darron Stiles (1) Pinehurst, NC
8 $321,930 Greg Chalmers (1) Colleyville, TX (native of Australia)
9 $320,187 Scott Piercy (2) Las Vegas, NV
10 $309,805 Greg Owen Windermere, FL (native of England)
11 $296,704 Peter Tomasulo Long Beach, CA
12 $284,922 Rick Price (1) Jupiter, FL
13 $280,588 Kris Blanks (1) Bluffton, SC
14 $276,412 David Mathis (1) Raleigh, NC
15 $271,919 Casey Wittenberg Memphis, TN
16 $266,696 D.A. Points (1) Ocoee, FL
17 $259,186 Arjun Atwal (1) Windermere, FL (native of India)
18 $249,144 Aron Price (1) Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (native of Australia)
T19 $244,224 Marc Leishman (1) Warrnambool, Australia
T19 $244,224 Brendon Todd (1) Atlanta, GA
21 $238,215 Scott Gutschewski (1) Prosper, TX
22 $236,185 Spencer Levin Elk Grove, CA
23 $234,651 Bryce Molder Scottsdale, AZ
24 $228,155 Matt Weibring Dallas, TX
25 $218,902 Ricky Barnes Scottsdale, AZ
Editor’s Note: The above and other high-resolution photos from the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch are available on PGATOURIMAGES.com or GETTYIMAGES.com.
“Congratulations to each and every one of this year’s class of 25 players who in January will be teeing off on the PGA TOUR,” said Nationwide Tour President Bill Calfee. “This is the 19th year we have graduated a group of players to the PGA TOUR. We thank them for the many spectacular and exciting finishes they have given us on the Nationwide Tour. We look forward to watching them on TOUR next year as they add to the successes and contributions of former graduates Jim Furyk, David Toms, Zach Johnson, Camilo Villegas, Boo Weekley and others.”
Immediately after play fans were invited to join Nationwide representatives and Salesmanship Club and TPC Craig Ranch members to meet “The 25” at the PGA TOUR Card ceremony. Transitions Optical, the PGA TOUR’s newest official marketing partner, hosted the post-Card Ceremony party.
The “PGA TOUR Card Ceremony” special will air on Tuesday (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. ET on GOLF CHANNEL as part of the final “Quest For The Card: Inside the Nationwide Tour” episode of 2008.
The Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch featured the top-60 money winners through the Tour’s last full-field event of the year, the recent Miccosukee Championship in Miami. The players who finished 26-60 on the final money list are fully exempt on the Nationwide Tour in 2009, in the event they do not secure their PGA TOUR card via the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament in early December. Those who finished 26-40 on the money list are exempt into the Finals of the Qualifying Tournament.
ABOUT THE NATIONWIDE TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf’s greatest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, two-thirds of the current PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour. Tour alumni have won 237 PGA TOUR titles, including a grand slam and three PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards and a record purse approaching $19 million have been available over the course of 30 events in 2008 concluding with the $1 million Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch. Recognizing the Tour’s growing stature, Nationwide Insurance has renewed its umbrella sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit www.PGATOUR.com.
ABOUT NATIONWIDE
Nationwide, based in Columbus, OH, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $161 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks No. 108 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions and long-term savings plans. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Contact:
Jeff Adams
Director of Communications, Nationwide Tour
Tel: 904-273-3397 Cell: 904-607-6142
Email: jadams@pgatourhq.com
