Nationwide Tour storylines: Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic

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Here are the key storylines for the Fort Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung, which takes place the week of July 5 in Ontario, Canada.

1. NATIONWIDE TOUR RETURNS TO CANADA AND FORD/GRETZKY EVENT FOR 3RD YEAR -- The Nationwide Tour heads to the cottage region of Ontario for the third playing of the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung. The event features a 160-player field. Included in the field are 10 sponsor exemptions and the top five available professionals off the Canadian Tour Order of Merit (as of June 28th). Canada is the sixth and final country outside of the U.S. the Nationwide Tour visits in 2010 (joining New Zealand, Australia, Panama, Colombia and Mexico).

2. CELEBRITIES TURN OUT FOR "THE GREAT ONE" -- Many celebrity friends will join "The Great One" in Collingwood at the Georgian Bay Club and Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay. Scheduled to appear are former NHL stars Mathew Barnaby, Grant Fuhr, Brett Hull, Marty McSorley, Eddie Mio, Kirk Muller and Darren Pang, Stanley Cup winning coach Mike Keenan, basketball's Charles Barkley and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Andre Tippet, among others.

3. STELLAR FIELD -- One of the strongest fields of the year is entered in the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. Everyone in the current top 10 will be in Canada along with 23 of the top 25 and 48 of the top 50. Only Steve Pate and Fran Quinn will miss the $800,099 event.

4. FORMER COLLEGE STARS SIT 1-2-3 ON NATIONWIDE TOUR MONEY LIST -- The top three spots on the Nationwide Tour money list are occupied by players who were recently recognized as the best among their college peers. Leading money winner Chris Kirk won the 2007 Ben Hogan Award while at Georgia. No. 2 Jamie Lovemark won both the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Fred Haskins Award the same year (2007) as a college freshman at Southern Cal. No. 3 Kevin Chappell out of UCLA claimed the same two awards as Lovemark in 2008. The Hogan Award combines accomplishments in both college and amateur play, while the other two focus on collegiate performance. Kyle Stanley is another member of the current "25" leading money winners (23rd) who won the Hogan Award (2009) while at Clemson.