No. 25 Nallen trying not to focus on bubble pressure

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Nallen bounced back last week with a T39 at the Winn-Dixie after missing five straight cuts.

It's not easy being the "bubble boy" but Chris Nallen is getting used to it.

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Nallen, a 28-year-old veteran of the Nationwide Tour, sits No. 25 on the money list heading into the final tournament of the season. If he can remain 25th or better after the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island completes its 72-hole run on Sunday, he will earn his PGA TOUR card for 2011.

"I know I'm at No. 25 but it's been that way for a couple of weeks now," Nallen said. "I control my own destiny so the plan is to go out and play well this week and not get caught up with what else is going on around me."

Nallen, who played collegiately at Arizona, is in his sixth full season on the Nationwide Tour, and this is his best chance of earning a PGA TOUR card. But he hardly has a comfort zone -- Nallen leads Brandt Jobe by just $1,217 as he plays in his third Nationwide Tour Championship. Nallen finished 58th on the money list in 2008 and 38th in 2007.

While everyone in the field at Daniel Island has a chance of moving into the all-important top 25 with a victory, the other 35 won't go home empty handed. The players who finish Nos. 26-60 on the money list earn full playing status in 2011 on the Nationwide Tour. In addition, those who finish 26th-40th in earnings are exempt into the final stage of PGA TOUR q-school.

"All I can do is try and play my best and see what happens at the end," said Nallen, who tied for 39th on Sunday at the Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open Presented by Planters. "I've put myself in this position so really the rest is up to me. But I'm ready for that challenge."

The tie for 39th at TPC Sawgrass was a welcome confidence boost for Nallen because in his previous five starts he failed to make the cut.

"My timing just hasn't been there so I've got my coach who will be there with me in Charleston and we'll work on a few things," Nallen said. "They won't be drastic changes, but more of trying to get to where I was during the middle of the season."

Before his recent dry spell Nallen was a model of consistency with nine straight cuts that included three top-10 finishes. He tied for third and tied for seventh in back-to-back weeks in mid-September.

"It was really clicking for me there during the middle of the season where I was going out every week and my confidence was very high," said Nallen, who has played in 153 career Nationwide Tour tournaments.

Nallen actually won the first time he ever teed it up in a Nationwide Tour tournament. That victory came in October of 2004 when he Monday-qualified into the Gila River Golf Classic in Arizona and led wire-to-wire.

During his six seasons on the Nationwide Tour, though, Nallen's best finish on the money list was the 38th in 2007. He has also played in five PGA TOUR events through the years, but relishes the chance to play full time on that TOUR next season.

Instead of looking ahead, however, Nallen is focused on the Nationwide Tour Championship. He expects this week's tournament to take on a different feel, mainly because there is no cut and there is a limited field.

"I think it depends on where you are on the money list as to how much pressure there is and all of that," Nallen said. "I mean, a guy who is 58th can get a win and get his PGA TOUR card for next year and that's neat. There is a million dollar purse and the winner gets $180,000 so there's a lot to play for."

Nallen, who has made more than $630,000 in his career on the Nationwide Tour, said his biggest concern this week is not getting ahead of himself and dreaming about the possible reward at hand.

"It's hard not to do that," he said. "But really I plan on working hard the next couple of months to get ready for either the PGA (TOUR) or Nationwide Your. No matter where I am next year I want to continue to work hard on my game."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 17 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.