Top 20 players to watch in 2012: No. 1 Jason Gore

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Jason Gore is very familiar with the Nationwide Tour and knows how to win with seven career victories, the most ever on Tour.

Gore, whose last win was in 2010 at the Miccosukee Championship, split his time last season on the PGA TOUR and the Nationwide Tour. He's ranked 19th on the all-time money list on the Nationwide Tour with just over $1 million.

Last season on the Nationwide Tour he made just 10 starts and five cuts with one top-25 finish. On the PGA TOUR, he made six starts making three cuts as he battled a shoulder injury, which forced him to have surgery. The surgery repaired bone spurs in his left shoulder. He missed three months of playing time, but recovered toward the end of the season and he nearly made it through the final stage of q-school. Gore, who has been to the final stage of qualifying eight times, wound up tied for 30th to miss out on gaining back his PGA TOUR card.

Gore has experience on the Nationwide Tour and in 2005 won three times to earn a battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR. And once he made it to the PGA TOUR he won the 2005 84 Lumber Classic, which is his lone PGA TOUR win.

He has made 141 career starts on the Nationwide Tour and has made 82 cuts.

Gore has also committed to a better diet and he showed up at q-school about 40 pounds lighter.

When he was out of commission with his shoulder issues he did work on his putting and was also able to spend more time at home in Valencia, Calif. with his wife, Megan, and their two small children.

If Gore gets off to a good start on the Nationwide Tour it wouldn't be a surprise to see him win three times to earn another battlefield promotion to the PGA TOUR.

Take a closer look at Gore's stats from the 2011 Nationwide Tour season. He did not meet the minimum number of rounds requirement to be officially ranked.