Mid-season awards: Most dominant, disappointing

text size

The Nationwide Tour has reached the halfway point of its season with the second half shaping up to be another mad scramble to be among the top 25 on the money list.

So far this season, through 13 tournaments there have been 11 different winners, which includes a couple of University of Georgia players who won as amateurs (Russell Henley and Harry English). The only multiple winner has been Mathew Goggin, the Tour's money leader who has won twice and enjoys a comfortable lead in the money race.

This week the Tour heads west for the Utah Championship Presented by the Utah Sports Commission for the third straight tournament in a stretch of eight straight weeks.

Let's take a look at who's made headlines in the first half of the season.

Most Dominant Player It has to be Mathew Goggin, the veteran from Australia who even when he isn't at his best can still get in the mix. He tied for sixth on Sunday at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, a week after missing the cut at the Chiquita Classic. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him win again to earn a battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR. Most Surprising Player It's hard to ignore what Will Wilcox has done in his rookie season on the Nationwide Tour. In just seven tournaments he's worked his way inside "The 25" on the money list. He's missed his last two cuts, however, so he'll need to find his groove again in the second half of the season. For a guy that nearly quit the game after while in college, Wilcox has matured nicely. Most Inspirational Player For those who have followed the career of Erik Compton, it's hard not to get excited when he succeeds. Compton, who has had two heart transplants, is a 31-year-old on a mission to get to the PGA TOUR. His victory at the Mexico Open presented by Banamex in June was something right out of a Hollywood storyline. Most Consistent Player If Danny Lee had chosen to play all of his golf on the Nationwide Tour this season he might be fighting it out with Goggin for the money title. Lee, who turned 21 recently, has gone 7-for-7 in cuts made this season. The 2008 U.S. Amateur champion has also played on the European Tour this season and has logged plenty of miles. In his seven Nationwide Tour starts he has four top 25 finishes. Best Georgia Player That would be a tie between teammates Harris English and Russell Henley (left), who each finished their senior years at Georgia and won on the Nationwide Tour this season. It's the first time two amateurs have won in the same season in the 22-year history of the Tour. The only other time an amateur has won was in 2007 when Daniel Summerhays won the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. The Record Breaker It's hard to ignore the week Steve Wheatcroft had in winning the Melwood Prince Georgia's County Open in Maryland. In the second round he shot a 60 on his way to a 72-hole Tour scoring record of 255 (29-under). And, by the way, he had 31 birdies for the week and won by a Tour-record 12 shots. He had never won on the Nationwide Tour, but said afterwards: "I wanted to make that next step and I wanted to do it in a big way." Mission accomplished. Rising To The Top Kyle Thompson wound up 49th on the money list in 2010, but has been very consistent this season in getting to No. 2 on the money list, which will likely get him to the PGA TOUR next season. He has a win, a second and has made 11 of 12 cuts so far this season. Most Likely to Succeed Keep an eye on Josh Broadaway and Kyle Reifers in the second half of the season. Broadaway missed the first two cuts of the season, but has come on strong of late with back-to-back top 10s. Reifers, who likely secured his PGA TOUR card for 2012 thanks to his tie for second at Ohio State, has gone back to basics. "It's just a matter of me playing golf and not being so technical," Reifers said. "I know it seems simple, but sometimes it's not." Biggest Disappointment Last season Scott Gardiner had a victory and finished 26th on the money list, and it was expected that he would come back with a purpose in 2011. But the Australian has missed the last two cuts and has just three top 25 showings. Heading into the second half of the season he ranks a distant 80th on the money list.

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 18 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. You can reach him at johndell@triad.rr.com.