Wittenberg's TOUR success, Tour alums in Ryder Cup ...

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AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL
Just two years ago, Boo Weekley was honing his shotmaking skills on the Nationwide Tour, readying himself for a return to the PGA TOUR. Two PGA TOUR wins and 2 ˝ Ryder Cup points later, the Jay, Fla., resident has become a national hero of sorts. With a pure tee-to-green game and winning, down-home personality, Weekley stole the hearts of Ryder Cup fans on both sides of the Atlantic. Who will ever forget the gallop the Ryder Cup rookie took on his toy horse golf club after hitting his first shot in the Sunday singles matches at Valhalla Golf Club? Congratulations to Boo on the great golf and fun he brought to the Ryder Cup.

Turnesa

NEAR MISS IN MISSISSIPPI
Congratulations are also in order for 2007 Nationwide Tour graduate Marc Turnesa for his strong performance in the PGA TOUR's Viking Classic. The North Carolina State grad who grew up in the New York area and now lives in Florida was outlasted by winner Will MacKenzie in a two-hole playoff, along with fellow Tour alumnus Brian Gay. Turnesa bagged $316,800, the most lucrative payday of his career and his first six-figure check. He is now 130th on the money list. Turnesa is the grandson of Mike Turnesa, a six-time PGA TOUR winner and runner-up to Ben Hogan in the 1948 PGA Championship. The elder Turnesa had six other brothers who also enjoyed prominent golf careers on the national stage.

A SUCCESSFUL VISIT TO THE PGA TOUR
Twenty-three-year-old Casey Wittenberg grew up in Memphis, Tenn., about 200 miles north of Jackson, Miss., site of the Viking Classic. Appearing in his third PGA TOUR event of 2008 (Stanford St. Jude Championship and U.S. Open), he took total full advantage of a sponsor exemption when he finished tied for fourth and collected a check for $148,800. With the Nationwide Tour idle next week, the 2003 U.S. Amateur runner-up is entered in the PGA TOUR's Turning Stone Resort Championship in upstate New York. Wittenberg is currently 12th on the Nationwide Tour money list and appears to have locked up his PGA TOUR card for 2009.

Bettencourt

BACK-TO-BACK WHEN IT COUNTS
In the last two weeks, Matt Bettencourt finished fifth in the Albertsons Boise Open and won the Oregon Classic taking home a combined $119,000. He jumped from 77th to 53rd to 19th on the money list and now has $193,843 in total earnings. The California native is one of the Tour's iron men this year having teed it up in 25 of the Nationwide Tour's 26 events thus far. He is one of six players to enter this many tournaments. No one has played all 26.

INTO "THE 25"
Spencer Levin of Elk Grove, Calif., kept up his impressive play of late with a third-place finish in last week's Oregon Classic. A $34,000 check moved the former University of New Mexico All-American another six spots up the money list and into "THE 25" for the first time this year at No. 22. As recently as July 13th, Levin was 60th on the money list. The 24-year-old has four top-eight finishes in his last six outings. Of his last 26 rounds, only three have not been 70 or better.

TRAFFIC JAM ON ROAD TO TPC CRAIG RANCH
The only way to have a chance to earn one's PGA TOUR card for next year via "THE 25" is to be in the field for the Nationwide Tour Championship. Only the top-60 money winners after the final full-field event, the Miccosukee Championship (Oct. 23-26), will be at TPC Craig Ranch. Right now, only $5,848 separates No. 60 Cameron Percy and No. 70 Tom Johnson. In between are Dustin Bray, Gavin Coles, Esteban Toledo, David McKenzie, Sebastian Fernandez, Gary Christian, Chris Nallen, Rich Barcello and Won Joon Lee. The spread between Tee McCabe at No. 50 and Percy is greater -- $15,425.

Barnes

ON THE BUBBLE ONCE AGAIN
In search of his PGA TOUR card for the first time, 27-year-old Ricky Barnes is on the No. 25 bubble for the third time this year. The former University of Arizona All-American has earnings of $174,477 in 22 starts and a $6,399 advantage over No. 26 Bubba Dickerson. Barnes, who fell one spot shy of earning his card in 2006, has been in the "THE 25" picture most of the year. Since May, he has been between 19th and 29th on the money list. He was No. 25 after the BMW Charity Pro-Am in May and the Knoxville Open in June. Like so many players, he is just one top-three finish away from breathing easier about getting his 2009 card.

REPORTS ARE IN ON YET ANOTHER BANNER YEAR IN BOISE
Jeff Sanders of the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft reported the 2008 edition was one of the best ever. "This year's tournament surpassed our expectations in so many ways," Sanders said. "We had our largest charity donation from tournament proceeds ever -- more than $1,026,000. Our "TICKETS Fore CHARITY" sales were $625,000, up almost $100,000 from last year's $529,000, giving us the largest donation on Tour this year. The crowds were the biggest they've been in seven or eight years, and due to the "TICKETS Fore CHARITY" program, we saw more diversity among our attendees. All in all, it was a great year, and we thank Albertsons, Kraft and the fantastic golf fans of Boise for helping us get there." Boise is one of four original Nationwide Tour host cities dating back to 1990 that are still on the schedule.

NEXT WEEK
The Nationwide Tour is idle until Oct. 6-12 when the Tour will be in Midland, Texas, for the WNB Golf Classic.

THIS WEEK IN NATIONWIDE TOUR HISTORY
• Sept. 22, 2006: 1991 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year Tom Lehman becomes the first Nationwide Tour alumnus to captain a Ryder Cup squad when he does so at the 37th Ryder Cup at The K Club in Ireland.
• Sept. 29, 2002: Andy Miller, son of World Golf Hall of Fame member Johnny Miller, becomes the third Monday qualifier to win in 2002 and 15th overall when he captures the State Farm Open in a four-man playoff in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.