Storylines: Nationwide regulars tackling q-school

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Scott Gardiner finished outside the Nationwide Tour's top 25 but can earn a PGA TOUR card through this week's q-school.

PGA TOUR QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT -- Fresh off an ultra-competitive year, a large number of Nationwide Tour players are looking to capitalize on their year-long experience by earning a TOUR card for 2011 at this week's finals of the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Of the 166 players on the entry list, 54 competed in at least 10 Nationwide Tour events this year. There are 102 entrants who have played at least one year on the Nationwide Tour.

Every player who finished 26-40 on the Nationwide Tour final money list is taking advantage of his exemption into the finals, including No. 26 Scott Gardiner who missed out on his 2011 card by just $2,010. The Aussie fell victim to a triple-bogey on the par-3 12th on Sunday of the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C. PGA TOUR cards for 2011 will be issued to the top-25 finishers and ties, to go along with the 25 cards that were awarded via the Nationwide Tour on Oct. 3.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES -- Four players have been nominated for 2010 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year/Jack Nicklaus Trophy. The nominees are Tommy Gainey (Camden, S.C./Central Carolina Tech College), Hunter Haas (Ft. Worth, Texas/U. of Oklahoma), Chris Kirk (St. Simons Island, Ga./U. of Georgia) and Jamie Lovemark (Jupiter, Fla./USC). Kirk, Haas and Gainey each won two titles this year and finished 2-3-4, respectively, on the Nationwide Tour money list. Jamie Lovemark won one tournament and, at age 22, became the youngest player to capture the Tour's money title. The winner will be determined based on a vote of Nationwide Tour members, with an announcement made shortly after this Friday's (Dec. 3) voting deadline. Michael Sim won the award last year.

NO. 288 AND RECORD 28th IN 2010 -- Nationwide Tour alumni keep racking up the wins on the PGA TOUR. When Robert Garrigus won the Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney World on Nov. 14, it was the 288th alumni win on the PGA TOUR. It was the 28th of 2010, which is four more than the previous high of 24 set last year.

Meet the 25 grads

Twenty-five players, twenty-five players. From Jamie Lovemark to Justin Hicks, take a look at the players who will graduate to the 2011 PGA TOUR. Meet the 25

STEVEN BOWDITCH CAPTURES FIRST AUSTRALASIAN TOUR WIN -- Recent Tour graduate Steven Bowditch (Perigian Beach, Queensland, Australia) continued his solid play when he returned home to win his first PGA Tour of Australasia event, the Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship, on Nov. 21. The 27-year-old won the Soboba Classic on the Nationwide Tour in early October.

BOBBY GATES PURSUES PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA ORDER OF MERIT -- Michael Hill New Zealand Open winner Bobby Gates (The Woodlands, Texas/Texas A&M) will be in Australia this week and next for the final two PGA Tour of Australasia events in an attempt to claim the 2010 Order of Merit. The top five heading into the Australian Open (Dec. 2-5) and the Australian PGA Championship (Dec. 9-12) are:

1 -- Stuart Appleby (Australia) $270,000 (Australian dollars)
2 -- Bobby Gates (USA) $175,419
3 -- Jim Herman (USA) $163,745
4 -- Adam Bland (Australia) $159,660
5 -- Jarrod Lyle (Australia) $ 97,753

Note: Herman will not be in Australia. Also, both tournaments offer $1.5 million (Australian) purses.

"25" BIRTHDAY BOYS -- Two members of this year's Nationwide Tour graduating class will celebrate birthdays this week -- Hunter Haas (Fort Worth, Texas/U. of Oklahoma) turns 34 on Wednesday (Dec. 1) and Daniel Summerhays (Farmington, Utah/BYU) 27 on Thursday (Dec. 2).

ROBERT "BOOTS" WIDENER -- Veteran rules official Robert "Boots" Widener passed away on Nov. 16. Widener served as assistant tournament director on the Nationwide Tour from 1994 to 1999. He also served in a rules capacity for the Champions Tour in the early 1990s and the LPGA in the 1980s. He was working a Legends Tour event in Tampa when he died.