Notes: Killeen, Goggin close to battlefield promotion

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Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Killeen's victory moved him to No. 2 on the Nationwide Tour's money list.

ONE WIN AWAY FROM PGA TOUR -- On Sunday, J.J. Killeen won for the second week in a row on the Nationwide Tour at the Cox Classic. The 29-year-old Texan became the first to win on consecutive weeks since Jason Gore in 2005 and only the sixth player ever. He and Mathew Goggin are now both one win away from an immediate battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR. Goggin, who has been atop the money list after the last 12 tournaments, saw his lead shrink to $17,266 after Killeen's win. Killeen sank a 5-footer for par on the 72nd hole to avoid a five-man playoff. The 2005 TCU grad shot identical 22-under totals in Omaha and at the Utah Championship. His last 16 rounds have been under par (67.12 scoring average).

THE ULTIMATE COMMUNITY EVENT -- Of all the tournaments on the Nationwide Tour, this week's Price Cutter Charity Championship may be the most far reaching within a community. Host Springfield, Mo. is one of four cities that have held continuous events since the Tour's inception in 1990. The event has generated $8.4 million for children's charities in the Ozarks of Missouri -- $712,000 in 2010 alone. In 2011, the tournament will conduct 11 (yes, 11) separate pro-am events featuring men, women and junior participants.

SCOTT PIERCY / NO. 314 -- For the 26th time in 35 tournaments this year, a Nationwide Tour alumnus has won on the PGA TOUR. Scott Piercy's Reno-Tahoe Open win on Sunday was the 314th overall. Piercy is a 2008 Nationwide Tour graduate.

1995 GRAD DAVID TOMS RETURNS TO SITE OF 2001 PGA GLORY -- David Toms cut his teeth on the Nationwide Tour in 1995, winning twice and finishing third on the money list. Since becoming a member of the PGA TOUR in 1996, the 44-year-old has not looked back, winning 13 times and collecting well over $20 million in earnings. His win at the 2001 PGA Championship is no doubt the most cherished of his 12 TOUR titles. Toms returns this week to Atlanta Athletic Club, site of his PGA glory, coming off a T9 in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He is currently ninth on the FedExCup points list and having his best season in at least five years.

INJURIES -- Matt Weibring spent almost seven weeks on crutches after undergoing hip surgery last August and five months away from the game. The hip surgery came a year after knee surgery, which was preceded by two surgeries on an ailing wrist. The 31-year-old Georgia Tech grad returned to play in late March and has indicated he plans to spend the rest of this season on the Nationwide Tour in hopes of regaining full status on the PGA TOUR, which he gained via the Nationwide Tour after the 2008 season. With finishes of T11, T30 and T7 in his last three starts, Weibring has improved to 66th on the money list.

2010 GRADUATE MICHAEL PUTNAM SIDELINED ON PGA TOUR -- Michael Putnam, who secured his PGA TOUR card by finishing 24th on the Nationwide Tour money list last year, recently found out he had a small fracture in his left wrist and may be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Putnam told the Tacoma News Tribune he first felt pain in his wrist in June and is expected to wear a cast for eight to 12 weeks. Surgery is a possibility. The Tacoma, Wash. native is 134th on the current FedExCup points list.

BATES MAKES CHAMPIONS TOUR DEBUT -- Ben Bates, who has played more tournaments (409) than any player in Nationwide Tour history, made his first appearance on the Champions Tour last week at the 3M Championship. The Havana, Fla. resident, who turned 50 on June 12th, finished T69. Reflecting on the Nationwide Tour last week, Bates said, "I promise you, the competition out there is just as tough as the PGA TOUR."

HAWAII PROMOTION -- Golf Channel and the Nationwide Tour have collaborated to announce the "Nationwide Tour Hawaiian Getaway". The grand prize is a trip for two to the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii. The sweepstakes, which will be supported by in-telecast and online activities, will highlight players currently in "The 25" with fans entering by answering trivia questions about players. The promotion began Aug. 4th and runs 13 weeks. This year's Nationwide Tour class will make its 2012 debut on the PGA TOUR at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

DID YOU KNOW? -- Cox Classic runners-up Danny Lee and Jonas Blixt played the last 69 and 56 holes, respectively, without a bogey.

BIRTHDAY BOYS -- Celebrating birthdays this week on the Nationwide Tour are Patrick Sheehan (9th/ turns 42), Ron Whittaker (12th/40) and Shawn Jasper (14th/27).

NEXT WEEK -- The Tour's three-event swing through the Midwest wraps up in the Kansas City area with the Midwest Classic at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park, Kan. Aug. 11-14.