Recap: Nationwide Tour nears mid-year mark

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OK, so we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here, jumping to conclusions that likely should incubate for another seven days.

But what the heck, the Nationwide Tour reaches the mid-way point of the 2008 season when the final putt falls at this week's Knoxville Open presented by Food City. So we've made an executive decision to give our readers some scrumptious food for thought right here, right now and provide the mid-season report a tad prematurely.

Rest assured if there is need for any additions or corrections, they will be made somewhere down the line with 14 events down -- each with a different champion -- and 16 to go.

The first half of the season has been interesting -- and in some travel-related ways quite exhausting, considering the Tour already has stopped in Panama, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia before it headquartered in its usual haunt, the United States. A trip north of the border, to the resort town of Clarksburg, Ontario, Canada, where hockey great Wayne Gretzky affixes his name to an event with a hefty $800,000 purse, will kick off the second half June 26.

One thing is certain. If the second half contains all the thrills and chills, twists and turns of the first, an exciting chase to the finish line is in the offing for those players who finish among 'The 25' and will have earned their way onto the PGA TOUR in 2009.

There have been great story lines, great performances, great endings and great disappointment for the 222 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 25' at the conclusion of the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch on Nov. 9.

BEST PLAYER

David Mathis

David Mathis wouldn't have been the first -- or second or third -- choice to reach the top of the money list 14 tournaments into the season. But there rests the 34-year-old journeyman from Raleigh, N.C., thanks to three sizzling weeks in May when he finished tied for sixth, first and tied for third. His three-week haul was $198,637, not bad for a first-time winner who nearly gave up the game while languishing on the Canadian Tour, the Tear Drop Tour, the Triangle Tour, the Hooters Tour and the Tar Heel Tour. Mathis, with $235,763 in official earnings, holds more than $11,000 lead on Jeff Klauk.

PLUCKY NEWCOMER

Colt Knost

Rookie Colt Knost came to the Nationwide Tour with impressive credentials, having won the United States Men's Amateur and the USGA's Public Links Championship in 2007. He also drew unwarranted scrutiny for turning professional and declining invitations to compete in the 2008 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open -- as an amateur. Knost validated his decision and gagged his critics when he roared from behind to score his first victory as a pro in the Fort Smith Classic presented by Stephens, Inc. Knost also is well-positioned to graduate to the PGA TOUR next season, resting 12th on the money list with $140,315 in eight starts.

BEST MOMENT

Bryan DeCorso

Have to love the Bryan DeCorso story. He's a guy who is 36. He quit the professional golf grind three times to do real, 9-to-5 work, like contracting, event planning, caddying and commentating for the GOLF CHANNEL. He hardly broke an egg on the dog-eat-dog mini-tour circuit. He finally realized his golf game was broken in early April and completely overhauled it in the span of a month's time. Now he's a champion on the Nationwide Tour, having won the South Georgia Classic, his first victory in a 72-hole event. Ever!

OLD SOULS

Scott Dunlap

The Nationwide Tour bills itself as the proving ground for the PGA TOUR, giving them a place to develop their games. But only four of the 14 events have been won by players in their 20s. Eight champions are in their 30s and one, Scott Dunlap, is 44.

HAND OUT THE DIPLOMAS

$200,000 Men

Sure there are big-money events on the horizon, including the Nationwide Tour's first ever $1-million purse in the Nationwide Tour Players Cup, scheduled July 10-13 in Bridgeport, West Va. But let's face facts. Five players -- Mathis, Klauk, Darron Stiles, Greg Chalmers and Kris Blanks -- already have amassed more than $200,000 in earnings. No one in Tour history has gone past $200,000 and failed to advance to the PGA TOUR the following season.

BEST ROUND

Skip Kendall

There have been a passel of great ones, but none was better than the seven-under-par 65 Skip Kendall shot in the second round of the Bank of America Open in suburban Chicago on May 29. The wind was howling 45 MPH, bending flagsticks in half. Kendall went bogey free.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN THE SECOND HALF

Matt Weibring

Former U.S. Amateur champion Ricky Barnes has five top-10 finishes in 11 starts. Matt Weibring, son of D.A., looks like he finally has his act together. And look for Englishman Greg Owen, who has four top-5 finishes in just eight starts, to win sooner rather than later and challenge for player of the year.