Nationwide Tour hits Australia for seventh consecutive year

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The international swing that launches the 2008 Nationwide Tour season moves to its fourth event and fourth different country this week for the inaugural Moonah Classic in Fingal, Victoria, Australia.

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Though this is the seventh consecutive year the Tour has visited Australia, the Moonah event is one of three new tournaments in 2008 that will be played outside the U.S., joining the Mexico Open presented by Corona and the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung in Canada.

The Moonah Classic, co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, offers a $750,000 purse (U.S.) and $135,000 first prize.

Moonah Links, site of the 2003 and 2005 Australian Open won by Peter Lonard and Robert Allenby, respectively, is located approximately 90 minutes south of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. It will play to a par of 72 at 7,469 yards for the 156 competitors.

Jarrod Lyle is back in his native country this week as the Nationwide Tour's leading money winner, looking for his second win of the season. Three weeks ago, the popular native and resident of Shepparton captured his first professional title, the Mexico Open. The 26-year-old looks to improve his record at Moonah Links, having missed the cut in the two Australian Opens hosted by the club.

"My confidence is a lot higher from the last time I played there," Lyle said. "I'm looking forward to trying to beat a few demons I have left out there and try to get one back on Moonah Links."

Australians have prevailed in four of the first six events played in Australia since the two tours entered into their co-sanctioning agreement in 2002 -- Gavin Coles, Euan Walters, Steven Bowditch and Paul Sheehan.

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Two venues in Adelaide, South Australia hosted the Jacob's Creek Open Championship through 2007. Last year's event was won by Nationwide Tour member Scott Sterling of Louisiana. Joe Ogilvie claimed the other victory by a Nationwide Tour member in 2003.

In 2007, three Australians earned their PGA TOUR card via the Nationwide Tour and THE 25, including three-time winner Nick Flanagan, Jason Day and Matt Jones. They joined fellow Aussies Stuart Appleby, Aaron Baddeley and Mark Hensby, among others, in playing their way onto the PGA TOUR via the Nationwide Tour.

Last week, the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship was rain-shortened to just 36 holes. Winner Darron Stiles was not credited with an official victory. However, the paycheck of $123,157 he earned for shooting 66-68 was official, bringing his Nationwide Tour career earnings past the $1 million mark.

Stiles joins Paul Claxton and Tom Scherrer as the only players in Tour history to eclipse that figure. This week Stiles looks to double his Nationwide Tour earnings for the season and secure his first official win since the 2006 Rheem Classic.

The Nationwide Tour returns to the United States next month to kick off the domestic portion of its season March 24-30 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. The 30-event season concludes November 3-9 at the Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, TX outside Dallas where the top 25 money winners will be awarded their PGA TOUR Cards for 2009.

The GOLF CHANNEL will broadcast the Moonah Classic this Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET. The Championship will also air on Golf Channel in Japan and China and be distributed in Europe, Asia and South Africa. Network Ten in Australia will carry it as well.