Notes: Nationwide Tour hits the halfway point

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• The Nationwide Tour has had eight first-time winners this season: Jarrod Lyle (Mexico Open, plus Knoxville Open), Ewan Porter (Moonah Classic), Aron Price (Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship), Robert Damron (Athens Regional Foundation Classic), Bryan DeCorso (South Georgia Classic), David Mathis (BMW Charity Pro-Am), Colt Knost (Fort Smith Classic) and Kris Blanks (Bank of America Open).

Hearn

• Twelve players who currently have status on the Nationwide Tour competed in the recent U.S. Open -- D.J. Brigman, Hunter Haas, David Hearn, Justin Hicks, Chris Kirk, Ian Leggatt, Jarrod Lyle, Scott Piercy, D.A. Points, Peter Tomasulo, Jonathan Turcott and Casey Wittenberg. Haas, Hearn and Tomasulo captured medalist honors in their respective Sectional Qualifying events to play their way into the field. Sixty players in the field were Nationwide Tour alumni.

• Seven tournaments have been won by international players: five Australians, including Jarrod Lyle (two wins), Ewan Porter, Gavin Coles, Aron Price and Greg Chalmers, plus Canadian Bryan DeCorso. At the halfway point, eight international players are within "The 25".

• In the first half of the year, the Nationwide Tour traveled to Panama, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. This week the Tour travels to a record fifth international destination, Canada.

Dunlap

• Four players have been atop the money list this season. Scott Dunlap, winner of the first tournament of the year, the Movistar Panama Championship, led for one week. Jarrod Lyle held the top spot for eight weeks following his win at the Mexico Open before being overtaken by Darron Stiles at the Fort Smith Classic in May. Stiles enjoyed the view from the top for two weeks until David Mathis finished tied for 2nd in the Melwood Prince George's County Open (one week after winning the BMW Charity Pro-Am) to take the lead. Mathis held the lead for three weeks. Lyle reassumed the lead on Sunday in Knoxville with his second win. Lyle leads the money list with $281,939 at the halfway mark. Only four players have earned more money through the first 15 events of a Nationwide Tour season -- 2003/Joe Ogilvie ($315,177), 2004/Brendan Jones ($290,558) and 2005/Chris Couch ($307,598) and Troy Matteson ($291,783)

• The average winning score relative to par has been almost 13-under par (192 under/15 events = 12.8). The lowest winning score was 20 under at the BMW Charity Pro-Am (David Mathis). The highest winning score was 3 under at the Movistar Panama Championship (Scott Dunlap).

• Four tournaments have been won via playoff, six tournaments have been decided by one stroke, one by two strokes and four by three strokes or more.

Lyle

• At the halfway point last year (16 of 32 events), the leading money winner, Paul Claxton, had earned $270,921. There was one multiple winner (Nick Flanagan/two wins) and 15 other single tournament winners. Each player in the top 10 had a win, unlike this year in which No. 7 Greg Owen has yet to win. In 2008, the first 15 events were won by different players. Jarrod Lyle broke the string with his second win in Knoxville. Eight of the top 10 on the money list at last year's midway point went on to earn their PGA TOUR card for 2008 via the money list.

• Skip Kendall's 65 in the second round of the Bank of America Open arguably was the best round of the year thus far. The Wisconsin native posted a bogey-free 7-under par round on a cool Chicago day in May when the winds gusted to as high as 45 MPH.

• Currently there are nine members of the Class of 2007 ranked in the top 144 on the FedExCup points list.

Thompson

• This year, 59 percent of the players (85 of 144) in THE PLAYERS Championship field on the PGA TOUR were Nationwide Tour alums. This was up from 54 percent last year (79 of 145). The 2008 percentage increases significantly when you consider those with five or fewer appearances in THE PLAYERS (69%) and three or fewer appearances (75%). Last year's Nationwide Tour leading money winner Richard Johnson of Wales, Matt Jones of Australia and Nicholas Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., represented the 2007 Nationwide Tour class of "The 25". Thompson finished tied for 21st, while Jones and Johnson missed the cut.

• There have been five winners in their 20s this year (Jarrod Lyle/2, Aron Price, Ewan Porter, Colt Knost), nine in their 30s (David Mathis, Jeff Klauk, Greg Chalmers, Kris Blanks, Robert Damron, Bryan DeCorso, Darron Stiles, Gavin Coles, Scott Gutschewski) and one in their 40s (Scott Dunlap). The youngest winner was Colt Knost, while the oldest was Scott Dunlap (22 and 44, respectively).