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By Dave Lagarde
PGA TOUR Correspondent

One thing you can say about the 2007 Nationwide Tour season as it hit the halfway point on Sunday with a record-setting victory by Roland Thatcher in the Peek'N Peak Classic in upstate New York. With 16 events in the books and 16 events remaining on the schedule, safe to say the first half has been, well, more than halfway interesting.

Paul Claxton took over the money list lead with his second-place finish in New York. (WireImage)

There have been great story lines, great performances, great endings and great disappointment for the 271 players who have earned paychecks yet rest outside "The 25'' on the money list.

The good news is, there is plenty of time for them to find their games, get on a roll and squeeze into the place where everyone on the Nationwide Tour wants to be come Nov. 4 when the last putt falls at the Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek. And that would be inside "The 25,'' which guarantees playing privileges on the PGA TOUR in 2008.

Here's what we know before the second half begins.

The top four players on the money list -- Paul Claxton ($270,921), Nick Flanagan ($249,417), Nicholas Thompson ($243,992) and Omar Uresti ($202,701) -- are locks to graduate, later if not sooner with a three-victory performance promotion. If recent history is any indication, the next sixth players are secure as well. Every player ranked inside the top 10 after 16 events earned his card in 2006.

It will not be as easy for those between 11 and 25 however. Nine of the 15 slumped in the second half of 2006, falling out of "The 25.''

But the best thing to say is, anything is possible. After all, through 16 events there have been 11 first-time champions who mastered the possibilities.

With that said, let's look back at some moments, shots and events from the first half and peer into the crystal ball for some second half predictions.

Best player: The object of the Nationwide Tour is to provide players who excel with an avenue to the PGA TOUR. And that's where veteran Jay Williamson, the runner-up at The Travelers on the PGA TOUR, is headed right after the next shuffle, which comes following the British Open.

Williamson gained a ton of confidence following his victory in the Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens, Inc., then seized the moment after gaining a sponsor's exemption to the Travelers, where he lost in a playoff to Hunter Mahan. He followed with a tie for 21st at the Buick and has $699,100 on the PGA TOUR, more than enough to finish the season in the big show.

Best player still on the Nationwide Tour: Although sidelined for three weeks with an injury, Nick Flanagan gains the nod over money leader Paul Claxton, the first player to win more than $1 million in his career on the Nationwide Tour, because he owns two victories.

Best finish: John Riegger did not look like a guy who had not won in 291 starts in PGA TOUR-sponsored events (198 PGA TOUR, 93 Nationwide Tour) when he hovered over a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the LaSalle Bank Classic in late May. Riegger drained the putt for his first victory and it came in the tournament with the largest full-field purse of the season. That's timing.

Most dominating performance: Want to know why Martin Laird scored his first victory in the Athens Regional Foundation Classic? He led the field in birdies (24), driving distance (327.1 yards), driving accuracy (89.3 percent) and greens in regulation (80.6 percent). That's like hitting for the cycle in baseball.

Best shot: That belongs to Laird as well. Needing a birdie on the 72nd hole to avoid a playoff against Justin Bolli and Jeremy Anderson, Laird faced an uphill 85-yard approach to the par-5 18th in Athens with a pin position on a knob, a shot that left no room for error. Laird knocked it to seven feet and read a left edge putt correctly. He rolled it into the middle.

Best stories: Kris Blanks and Kyle McCarthy began the season without status on the Nationwide Tour, yet each had a realistic shot of making it into the top 60 and qualifying for the Nationwide Tour Championship where anything can happen. Each has played in four events and each rank inside the top 60 this week, Blanks at 54th and McCarthy at 57th. Finding starts without Monday qualifying will be difficult, but it is a road these two have traveled before and they bear watching.

Close calls: Virtually every tournament has come down to the wire this year. There have been four playoffs, seven tournaments decided by one shot, three by two shots and two by three shots.

Best non-winner: There is a consensus among Nationwide Tour watchers that Australian Jason Day is the most talented player on tour and it only is a matter of time before the teenager -- he is 19 -- claims his first victory. He owns three top 10s in 10 starts and will busy in the second half. He is 33rd on the money list this week.

What to look for down the stretch : The money lead to continue to be passed around like a hot potato. Claxton owns it this week at $270,921. He is the last of six to sit at the pinnacle. Flanagan led the previous six weeks. Others who were No. 1 are Miguel Carballo (one week), Scott Sterling (two weeks), Nicholas Thompson (two weeks) and Skip Kendall (four weeks).