Stiles hopes to make history at Hardscrabble  PGA TOUR staff To some, the excitement of playing 'Hardscrabble' might mean a marathon game-night while trying to get the 'Q' to fit on a double-letter score. For the Nationwide Tour, it means returning to Arkansas for the 10th playing of the Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens, Inc., at Hardscrabble Country Club.  Darron Stiles will attempt to become the first player in Nationwide Tour history to successfully defend a win. (Rogash/WireImage)
On a Tour that has produced players who have gone on to win 203 PGA TOUR events, the Fort Smith Classic boasts a strong roster of formers champions. Zach Johnson -- who won in Fort Smith in 2003 -- has PGA TOUR victories at the 2007 Masters Tournament and the 2004 BellSouth Classic. Other Fort Smith winners with TOUR victories are 1998 winner Mark Hensby (2004 John Deere Classic) and 2004 champion Chris Couch (2006 Zurich Classic of New Orleans). Two of the nine winners of the Fort Smith Classic, Hensby (1998) and Tim Clark (2000), were members of Gary Player's 2005 Presidents Cup International team. There are 17 former PGA TOUR winners (30 wins total) in the field, including Carlos Franco, Len Mattiace, Blaine McCallister and Bill Glasson, and players representing 17 countries outside the U.S. Also strengthening the field this year is last year's champion Darron Stiles, who is a member of the PGA TOUR this year. The 33-year-old Florida Southern graduate will attempt to successfully defend a Nationwide Tour title, something that has never been done in the Tour's 18-year history. Stiles will face not only a strong field that includes 20 of "The 25" (leading money winners), but a deceivingly difficult course as well. At first glance, the par-70, 6,783-yard Hardscrabble Country Club, designed in 1927 by Perry Maxwell of Prairie Dunes (Kan.) and Southern Hills (Okla.) fame, might lull one into thinking it will yield low scores. But last year it was the 13th most difficult on Tour. The par-4 10th hole was the 19th toughest on Tour, playing to a 4.354 average and yielding only 24 birdies. "I haven't been back since I won here in 2002, but I remember this being the best par-4 course we play on the Nationwide Tour," said Todd Fischer. "It is a shotmaker's course with some great doglegs. Overall, it is just a great layout." "The greens are really good, but the rough is down a little because of a freeze they got a couple of weeks ago," said Ricky Barnes. "Add to that the rain we've gotten today, and more expected this week, and it will be bombs away and we'll just be firing at the pin." When all is said and done, each player will have one word on his mind... C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N (which would count for 17 points in scrabble). International players have strong presence in 'The 25' One-quarter of the way through the 2007 Nationwide Tour season (8 of 32 events completed), six Australians are among "The 25" and in contention to earn a coveted PGA TOUR card for 2008 -- Nick Flanagan (No.8 / Henrico County Open winner), Aron Price (11th), David Lutterus (15th), Matthew Jones (16th), Greg Chalmers (22nd) and Marc Leishman (24th). Argentina's Miguel Carballo (6th), Scotland's Martin Laird (7th), Canada's David Morland IV (12th) and Chris Baryla (25th), and England's Gary Christian (18th) increase the international representation in the top 25 to 11 through last week's Henrico County Open. |
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