Nationwide Tour class of '08 makes TOUR debut in Hawaii

text size

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR's first full-field event of 2009, this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, will feature the debut of the Nationwide Tour class of 2008. Of last year's 25 graduates who earned their PGA TOUR cards based on their finish on the Nationwide Tour money list, 22 will be at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu for the $5.4 million tournament.

Leading money winner Matt Bettencourt of Greenville, S.C., and 2008 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year Brendon de Jonge, a native of Zimbabwe, will lead the 2008 class into action on the PGA TOUR beginning with Thursday's first round.

The duo will be joined by the following players, who finished third through 21st on the 2008 Nationwide Tour money list, plus No. 25 Ricky Barnes.

Of the 22 players, 14 are PGA TOUR rookies.

Spencer Levin (22nd), Bryce Molder (23rd) and Matt Weibring (24th) are the first, second and fourth alternates, respectively, at the time of this release. Levin and Weibring are also PGA TOUR rookies.

Colt Knost (age 23), Brendon Todd (23), Casey Wittenberg (24) and Marc Leishman (25) are the youngest members of the class.

The Nationwide Tour's 20th season tees off next month (Feb. 5-8) with the Panama Championship in Panama City, Panama. A series of promotional activities for 2009 are being planned to highlight the first 20 years of the Nationwide Tour.