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By Adam Wallace
PGA TOUR Staff

Zach Johnson's win at the Masters in April put a considerable spotlight on the Nationwide Tour. In addition to the prestige of winning his first major at Augusta National, Johnson collected the Nationwide Tour's 11th major championship and gave the Tour a "grand slam" of its own as the Masters was the only major not previously won by a Nationwide Tour player. Next week, Johnson's focus and that of 68 other players with Nationwide Tour roots turns to the year's second major, the U.S. Open at Oakmont CC.

Ricky Barnes made quite an impact in the 2003 U.S. Open. (WireImage)

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Of the 11 major championships won by former Nationwide Tour players, three have come in the U.S. Open (Ernie Els - 1994, '97 and Jim Furyk - 2003, who was also runner-up last year). And who can forget the run Jason Gore made at Pinehurst in 2005 when as a Nationwide Tour player he found himself a co-leader at the halfway point and in the final group on Sunday. Gore used the U.S Open as a springboard to three consecutive wins on the Nationwide Tour in July and August, shooting 59 in one event, to earn a promotion to the PGA TOUR. Embodying the Nationwide Tour's mission to transition players who are ready to compete and win against the world's best, Gore was in the winner's circle at the 84 Lumber Classic in his fourth start, only three month's after his U.S. Open exploits.

The impact of the Nationwide Tour on the professional golf stage continues to grow with next week's U.S. Open offering one more piece of evidence. In the 13 sectional qualifiers held in the United States on Monday, 40 of the 72 spots available (56 percent) went to former or current Nationwide Tour players. Of the 156 players in the field, 68 (44 percent) have Nationwide Tour connections. The Nationwide Tour fared particularly well in two of the larger sectionals as 18 of the 24 qualifiers in Columbus, Ohio and 11 of the 16 in Memphis, Tenn.

One name from the deep list of qualifiers that resonates with golf fans is current Nationwide Tour player Ricky Barnes, who makes his return to the major championship stage. Barnes, who earned one of three spots in Purchase, N.Y., thrilled crowds at the 2003 Masters when as reigning U.S. Amateur champion he was paired with Tiger Woods.

The broader impact of the Nationwide Tour is illustrated by the 204 wins its players have captured on the PGA TOUR since 1990 and the 65% of PGA TOUR membership it now boasts.

Truly an open championship, the USGA accepted 8,544 entries for the U.S. Open, with 72 fully-exempt players and 84 who advanced through a series of local and sectional qualifiers.