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By Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- No sense stopping now.

That's what Keith Nolan keeps telling himself as the 2007 Nationwide Tour hop scotches its way across America. Hey, if you've played in one, you might as well play in them all. Nolan, an affable Irishman who has settled with his wife and three children in Knoxville, Tenn., has done exactly that this season.

The Xerox Classic, which begins at stately Irondequoit Country Club, is the Tour's 23rd event on its 32-tournament schedule. And Nolan is the only player to have started each and every one.

Ireland's Keith Nolan has played in every Nationwide Tour event this season. (Getty Images)

So why does the Nationwide Tour's version of the Energizer bunny keep going and going and...?

"Simple really,'' Nolan said. "I didn't have status last year and I was Monday qualifying every week. This year I got it back (through the PGA TOUR's Qualifying Tournament) and I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have. Playing professional golf is my dream and my passion. I think I've also played in every pro-am.''

Nolan, 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, laughed.

"I like to tell people I do it because I'm in such great shape,'' he said, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

There's one place Nolan certainly would love to be in better shape. That's on the Nationwide Tour money list. He stands uneasily in 80th position with just $49,177 in official earnings to show for his iron man performance.

That's not to say Nolan has been way off. He had a streak of nine consecutive cuts made -- it included a tie for ninth at The Rex Hospital Open and a tie for 14th at the Legend Financial Group Classic Presented by Cynergies Solutions -- it ended at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic last week.

"I'm just not getting those seconds and thirds that move you up (the money list),'' he said.

Nolan's main problem has been a matter of playing well for four consecutive rounds.

"Everybody's looking for that one week,'' he said. "Maybe mine will come here.''

One thing is certain. To a man, the players like it here at Irondequoit. Its original nine holes were designed by storied architect Donald Ross in 1916. Land was purchased from neighboring Oak Hill Country Club, another Ross masterpiece that has played host to the United States Open, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup, to complete the 18-hole layout in 1952. Irondequoit is a spitting image of Oak Hill.

"You have to think your way around this place,'' Nolan said. "The rough is up and you have to hit it in the fairway because you have to be very precise with your approach shots to these greens.''

Don't let Irondequoit's measurements -- it stretches to just 6,720 yards and plays to a par of 70 -- fool you. It's short by today's monstrous standards, but not necessarily sweet. Kevin Stadler won in 2006 with a 9-under-par total of 271 as the track ranked as the eighth most difficult course, playing to a scoring average of 71.06.

Like everyone else, Nolan set goals for 2007, the primary one being making it into "The 25'' on the final money list in order to gain 2008 playing privileges on the PGA TOUR, where he spent the 1998 and 2000 seasons. For the time being though, he wants to move inside the top 60 to ensure a spot in The Tour Championship. Still he has a cautionary word.

"I just can't get too far ahead of myself,'' Nolan said. "I talk about this with my shrink (golf psychologist Patrick Cohn) all the time. I have to put all my energy and focus to prepare on the shot in front of me. The idea is to have a shot on Sunday afternoon.''