
The Nationwide Tour is off this week before heading to the Washington, D.C. area next week for the Melwood Prince George's County (Md.) Open at the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Md.
DAVID TOMS / NO. 305 A week after his brush with THE PLAYERS Championship, 1995 Nationwide Tour graduate David Toms captured the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas and alumni win No. 305 on the PGA TOUR. The Louisiana native now has 13 TOUR wins, third most among Nationwide Tour alumni (with David Duval). In 1995, Toms won twice on the Nationwide Tour and finished third on the money list to secure his PGA TOUR card, which he has retained every year since.
ADMIRING TOMS Travis Hampshire was understandably disappointed he didn't make it to the winner's circle in Greenville on Sunday at the BMW Charity Pro-Am having led or shared the lead after the first three rounds (he finished T4). But the 30-year-old Purdue University graduate probably did take solace in the fact his favorite TOUR player David Toms did win on the PGA TOUR. After his blistering 12-under-par 60 on Thursday at Carolina Country Club, Hampshire talked about his affinity for Toms. "We're very similar in size and our swings are similar and we're never going to over power a golf course. So we've really got to get it done with our short games. He's a good guy and he stays very patient on the golf course. The interview he did after the playoff (at THE PLAYERS) shows what a good guy he is. I was sitting in my hotel room watching the tournament biting my nails coming down the stretch."
DANNY LEE LIKING NATIONWIDE TOUR Twenty-year-old Danny Lee has found the Nationwide Tour is very much to his liking. The 2008 U.S. Amateur champion has entered five events this year and made the cut in all five. His last three finishes have been T7, T5 and 3rd at the BMW Charity Pro-Am on Sunday, which moved him to 10th on the money list. Lee currently leads the Tour in All-Around Ranking, Greens In Regulation and Birdie Average and is second in Scoring Average and Driving Distance. He might have been in the winner's circle had it not been for the way he played Thornblade's par-5 16th hole on the weekend -- triple-bogey / bogey. Lee is a well-traveled man already this year. He also retains membership on the European Tour where he has played seven events. Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved with his family to New Zealand when he was eight.
RUSSELL KNOX / BIRDIE BINGE Russell Knox of Scotland and Jacksonville University poured in 11 birdies en route to a second-round 63 at Carolina Country Club during last week's BMW Charity Pro-Am. The lone blemish on his card was a double-bogey on the 11th hole. It came after the 25-year-old who now lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. had made seven birdies in his first 10 holes.
BEN WRIGHT WELCOMES ALL Longtime BMW Charity Pro-Am celebrity participant and former CBS golf announcer Ben Wright made a nice contribution to this year's tournament in a different capacity. The resident of nearby Flat Rock, N.C. welcomed every golfer - pros, celebrities and amateurs alike - as they arrived at the 18th green at The Carolina Country Club venue in Spartanburg, S.C.
HAAS MAKES A RUN Champions Tour star and resident of the Thornblade Club in Greenville, S.C, Jay Haas made a solid run at making the cut on Saturday in the BMW Charity Pro-Am. After shooting 31 on the front nine and adding a birdie at the 11th at Thornblade, the popular 57-year-old found himself T29. Unfortunately, he stumbled over the final seven holes recording a double-bogey and two bogeys to miss the cut by two. Jack Nicklaus was 63 when he made the cut in this event back in 2003. Nicklaus went on to finish T45 that week.
PGA TOUR BOUND BMW Charity Pro-Am winner Garth Mulroy (South Africa) and playoff runner-up Sunghoon Kang (South Korea) will both be in Dallas this week for the HP Byron Nelson Classic. Mulroy began the 2011 season on the PGA TOUR with a Minor Medical Extension. Kang earned his TOUR status via last December's Qualifying Tournament. The 24-year-old Kang took time off in March and April to return to Korea to fulfill his military commitment. While the standard requirement is two years service, Kang's was reduced to one month as a result of his participation on the gold medal winning team at the 2006 Asian Games. Mulroy and Kang were ineligible for last week's event at Colonial, leading to very productive weeks on the Nationwide Tour.
GOGGIN IN CONTROL -- With a win in Panama, a runner-up and a T4 thus far in 2011, Australia's Mathew Goggin has been atop the Nationwide Tour money list after the last four tournaments. He has earned $194,440 and enjoys a healthy lead of $71,375 over Garth Mulroy.
MIDWEST CLASSIC INKS PRESENTING SPONSOR Times Warner Cable has been named presenting sponsor of the Nationwide Tour's Kansas City area event. The "Midwest Classic presented by Times Warner Cable" will be played August 18-21 at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park, Kan.
BIRTHDAY BOYS Celebrating birthdays during the off week are Todd Demsey (27th / turns 39), Jeff Gove (28th / 40), James Sacheck (28th / 25) and Bryan DeCorso (29th / 40).