Notebook: Kirk on top; Tour continues globetrotting

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CHRIS KIRK / NEW NO. 1 ON THE NATIONWIDE TOUR -- By winning his first professional title Sunday at the Fort Smith Classic in Arkansas, Chris Kirk became the new leading money winner on the Nationwide Tour. With earnings of $262,382, the 25-year-old out of the University of Georgia has a healthy grasp on the top spot. He's more than $63,000 ahead of No. 2 Tommy Gainey. Bobby Gates was the only other player to have been No. 1 this year (first eight tournaments). Kirk, a two-time first-team All-American and the 2007 Ben Hogan Award winner, has had two near-misses on the Nationwide Tour losing playoffs in Knoxville in 2008 and Australia in February. Kirk has seen a huge turnaround in his game since it left him in 2009. In 13 starts last year, he failed to play on the weekend nine times. This year, he already has five top 10s and has missed only two cuts in 12 events. A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Kirk resides in St. Simons Island, Ga.

SPANNING THE GLOBE -- This week's Mexico Open Bicentenary marks the fifth of six countries outside the United States to host a Nationwide Tour event this year. The Tour began its season in New Zealand and Australia in late January/early February before visiting Panama and Colombia in late February and early March. It will also head to Canada in two weeks for the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung from July 8-11. The Nationwide Tour has played eight tournaments on U.S. soil beginning in late March.

JOHN DALY POSTS FOUR ROUNDS IN THE 60s, FINISHES T22 -- In his first Nationwide Tour appearance in 19 years, John Daly had four rounds in the 60s at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith last week -- 66-68-69-69 (-8). He finished T22, two spots better than his best PGA TOUR finish of 2010 (T24/Puerto Rico Open). Daly grew up about 90 miles from Fort Smith in Dardanelle, Ark.

PLAYING THE WEEKEND AT PEBBLE BEACH -- Half of the Nationwide Tour's ten U.S. Open entries played all 72 holes at Pebble Beach. Michael Hill and New Zealand Open winner Bobby Gates topped the group with a T40 finish. Joining him on the weekend were Jason Gore, Jim Herman, Kent Jones and Craig Barlow. Herman, this year's Moonah Classic winner in Australia, shared Sunday's low round of 68 with three others.

FROM PEBBLE BEACH TO COLUMBUS -- One of the fun side stories at the U.S. Open was the play of collegians Russell Henley of the University of Georgia and Scott Langley of the University of Illinois. Both played admirably and, particularly in Henley's case, enthusiastically in their first appearances in America's national championship, finishing T16. Named 2010 first-team All-Americans, Henley and Langley are expected to play in next month's Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course along with most of their fellow first-team All-Americans. Henley, from Macon, Ga., is the 2010 SEC individual champion and last Thursday was honored as the Fred Haskins Award winner which recognizes the nation's most outstanding collegiate golfer. Langley, a southpaw from Manchester, Mo., captured the individual title at the NCAA Championship on June 4th.

ESTEBAN TOLEDO / ALL THE WAY TO SOUTH AFRICA -- Count Esteban Toledo as a big fan of the World Cup. A native of Mexicali, Mexico, Toledo traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa for the Cup's June 11th opening ceremony, then took in Mexico's opening match 1-1 draw vs. host South Africa as well as Argentina's 1-0 win over Nigeria.

"The World Cup is what I thought it would be and what I saw was the whole world got together," the 20-year TOUR veteran told the Fort Smith Times-Record last week. "What a wonderful experience. Being at the stadium for the opening ceremony was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my life... I almost cried when (South Africa) scored on us in the first half. I was sitting with all the South Africans left and right, in front of me and in back. I was the only Mexican (in the section) with my flag on. It was definitely a party."

Unfortunately, Toledo's long trip ended with a missed cut in the Fort Smith Classic. Toledo will compete in the Mexico Open Bicentenary this week. He won the event in 2000.

DID YOU KNOW? -- Eleven World Golf Hall of Fame members have won the Mexico Open, including Sam Snead, Roberto De Vicenzo, Billy Casper, Raymond Floyd, Seve Ballesteros, Johnny Miller, Lee Trevino and Ben Crenshaw. The Open was first played in 1944. This is the third year of the Nationwide Tour's co-sanctioning agreement with the Mexican Golf Federation.

BIRTHDAY BOYS -- Celebrating birthdays this week are William McGirt of Boiling Springs, S.C. and Wofford College (June 21 / turns 31), Colt Knost of Dallas, Texas and Southern Methodist U. (June 26 / 25) and Justin Smith of Franklin, Pa. and the U. of Minnesota (June 26 / 28).

NEXT WEEK -- The Nationwide Tour is off next week before heading to Canada for the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic and then the new Chiquita Classic (July 15-18) outside Cincinnati where legendary Bengals left tackle Anthony Munoz will be the host. Gretzky and Munoz are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame, respectively.