Storylines: Presnell finishes top 10 at TPC Blue Monster

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ALISTAIR PRESNELL'S BRILLIANT DEBUT -- Nationwide Tour regular Alistair Presnell made the most of his first World Golf Championships and PGA TOUR appearance on Sunday. The 30-year-old from Australia moved 18 spots up the WGC-CA Championship leader board thanks to a final-round 64 at TPC Blue Monster in Miami, Fla. He finished T6 and collected a career-high check for $214,300.

Presnell earned his spot in the WGC field as a result of finishing among the top two on last year's PGA Tour of Australasia money list. The Melbourne native and former air conditioning mechanic played his first full season on the Nationwide Tour last year, winning the Moonah Classic in Australia but fell short of earning his 2010 PGA TOUR card via "The 25." He has made the cut in all four of his Nationwide Tour starts this year, with a T15 at Moonah Links his best finish.

JERRY RICE TO COMPETE AS SPONSOR PICK IN NEXT MONTH'S FRESH EXPRESS CLASSIC -- 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame electee Jerry Rice trades the gridiron for the golf course next month in a very serious setting. The former San Francisco 49er has accepted a sponsor exemption to play in the Nationwide Tour's Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae. On Thursday, April 15th, Rice will tee off against 155 of golf's finest players in the official 72-hole stroke-play Tour event. "I have tremendous respect for professional golfers and an appreciation of the Nationwide Tour," Rice said recently. "I am excited for the opportunity to play in the tournament and experience that level of competition." Rice is the tournament's host and his Jerry Rice 127 Foundation will be the "primary receiver" of charitable proceeds from the event.

CAMILO ON HIS INCREDIBLE WEEK -- It'll be a long time before Camilo Villegas has a week to match this past one when over an eight-day period he finished T8 in the PGA TOUR's Waste Management Phoenix Open, flew to his home in Colombia to help launch the first Nationwide Tour event in South America (Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open) and won the PGA TOUR's Honda Classic near his Jupiter, Fla. home. After his Honda win, the University of Florida product said, "What a week! I believe it can be a huge step for Latin American and South American golf. I think the Nationwide Tour should keep exploring other countries down there. I've had a chance to play throughout all of South America and it's a beautiful place, full of great people, great golf courses and the game keeps growing." He added, "I'm sure all of those guys (Nationwide Tour players) are going to come back to the States with a totally different perception of my country. That's what I've been telling a lot of people. You've got to go down there. You've got to visit. You've got to experience it. You've got to just see reality."

BROTHER MANNY EXCELS AS WELL -- With a nation's attention turning to him after his brother Camilo's departure, Manny Villegas overcame an indifferent first round in the Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open and went on to finish T15 after posting a final-round 67. A University of Florida graduate like Camilo, the younger Villegas also shot 67 on the final day of the Moonah Classic in Australia last month to secure his best Nationwide Tour finish (6th) in six starts to date. (For more on the Villegas brothers, click here).

BOGOTÁ WINNER STEVE PATE ENTERS THE RECORD BOOKS -- By virtue of his win in Bogotá, Colombia, Steve Pate became the oldest winner of a Nationwide Tour event. Pate was 48 years, 9 months and 11 days old on Sunday. The oldest previous winner was Dick Mast, who won the 1999 New Mexico Classic at age 48 years, 6 months and 17 days. Pate has another number on his mind -- 50. The former UCLA All-American who played on the same college team with Corey Pavin, Duffy Waldorf, Tom Pernice, Jr. and Jay Delsing, is eligible for the Champions Tour on May 26th of next year.

COLLEGE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR OFF TO GOOD STARTS IN 2010 -- Three recent college players of the year are among the top-11 Nationwide Tour money winners after the first four events. Chris Kirk (2007 Ben Hogan Award/Georgia), Jamie Lovemark (2007 Haskins Award/USC) and Kevin Chappell (2008 Jack Nicklaus Award/UCLA) are 5th, 7th and 11th, respectively, on the money list. Their best finishes in 2010: Kirk has a runner-up and a T9, Lovemark a pair of thirds and Chappell a T4 and a T9.

KSU'S AARON WATKINS ENJOYS RUNNER-UP / TOP CAREER FINISH -- 27-year-old Aaron Watkins of Mesa, Ariz. posted his best finish on Sunday at the Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open when he bowed to Steve Pate in a playoff. The Kansas State grad competed on the PGA TOUR last year, making 12 cuts in 18 starts with a T7 in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans his best performance. A check for $64,800 in Colombia moved Watkins to 6th spot on the money list.

SAM SAUNDERS EYEING THE NATIONWIDE TOUR -- Coming off his most impressive performance as a professional last week, Sam Saunders is contemplating his plans for the rest of the 2010 season. The grandson of Arnold Palmer has no status on either the PGA TOUR or Nationwide Tour. He has been gaining playing spots on the PGA TOUR via sponsor exemptions of which he may receive up to seven. With his goal being to earn a PGA TOUR card, the Nationwide Tour provides Saunders a viable option via its sponsor exemptions and Monday qualifying process. "It's a great tour and it really represents a great opportunity for guys in a position like me because if you (finish) top 25 (in a tournament) you get in the next week, and you get on a little bit of a roll out there, you get status pretty quick," Saunders said. The 22-year-old finished T17 at The Honda Classic last week. A player may receive an unlimited number of sponsor exemptions on the Nationwide Tour. At season's end, the top-25 money winners earn PGA TOUR cards for next year.

CAMILO'S WIN IS NO. 266 -- For the sixth time in 10 tournaments this year, a Nationwide Tour alumnus has won on the PGA TOUR. Camilo Villegas' win in The Honda Classic on Sunday was the 266th all-time Tour alumni victory. Of the 266 titles, almost half (129) have come since 2004.

SWITCHING TOURS -- With the Nationwide Tour idle this week, several of its players will be in the PGA TOUR's Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular. Competing as sponsor exemptions are Daniel Barbetti of Argentina, Ken Duke, Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela and Manuel Villegas of Colombia. Aussie Alistair Presnell will tee it up this week in the World Golf Championships -- CA Championship as part of the 64-man field. Presnell earned his spot as a result of finishing among the top two on the PGA Tour of Australasia money list last year.

NEXT EVENT -- The Nationwide Tour's next event is the Chitimacha Louisiana Open near Lafayette (March 25-28). After events in New Zealand, Australia, Panama and Colombia, it will be the first domestic tournament of 2010.