Storylines: Sept. 25, 2007

The Nationwide Tour resumes tournament play next week (Oct. 1-7) at the Mark Christopher Charity Classic presented by the County of San Bernardino in Rancho Cucamonga, CA near Los Angeles. Last year, Kevin Na was a three-shot winner. Only three events will be left after the Classic to qualify for the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek (Nov. 1-4). JON MILLS / SCORING WHEN IT COUNTS ON SUNDAY -- Jon Mills of Canada has been red hot on Sundays since July. The winner of Sunday's Albertson Boise Open presented by First Health has a 67.8 Sunday scoring average in his last nine events dating back to the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational. Other than a 71 and a 75, all of his scores have been sub-70, including two 65s and a 66, to go along with Sunday's 64. Mills, who currently resides in Indiana, PA, has made every cut in this stretch and only finished worse than T17 twice. With his steady play he stayed within the 24 to 28 range on the money list until Sunday's win, which leaped him to No. 5 on the money list. Mills will return to the PGA TOUR in 2008 and is confident he will be considerably more productive than he was last season ($65,494/227th). HOLE-IN-ONE HISTORY -- For the first time in Nationwide Tour history three holes-in-one were made in the same round on the same hole last week at the Albertsons Boise Open. Ricky Barnes, Tadd Fujikawa and David Hearn all aced the 133-yard 17th hole at Hillcrest Country Club. At age 16 years, 8 months and 11 days, Fujikawa became the youngest player in Tour history to record a hole-in-one. PRESIDENTS CUP CONNECTIONS -- A record nine former Nationwide Tour players will compete in this week's Presidents Cup - seven for the U.S. team and two for the International team. In the last Cup in 2005, 1997 Nationwide Tour grad Chris DiMarco sank the putt that clinched victory for the U.S. NATIONWIDE ANNOUNCES RECORD FIRST-YEAR CONTRIBUTION IN COLUMBUS -- The Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, which debuted in July, announced a Nationwide Tour record charitable donation for a first-year event yesterday. The Invitational raised $482,600, with Columbus, OH-based Nationwide Children's Hospital receiving $410,000 and four other central Ohio organizations, including The First Tee and the Ohio State University/Jack Nicklaus Museum, receiving a portion. TOP-10 AUSSIES -- Three Australian players are among the top 8 on the current money list -- 2-Nick Flanagan, 3-Jason Day and 8-Matthew Jones. In the 18-year history of the Nationwide Tour, the most Australians to finish inside the top 10 is two. "THE 25" UPDATE -- Jon Mills was the big winner in more ways than one last week. He started it 24th on the money list and is now fifth after hovering around No. 25 most of the summer, and no doubt breathing a lot easier. Miguel Carballo of Argentina remains at No. 25 for the second week in a row, with South Africa's Brenden Pappas trailing him by $7,009. Nobody moved into or out of THE 25 this week. KEEPING AN EYE ON BARONA CREEK -- Top-five Boise finishes by Garth Mulroy of South Africa (T3) and former PGA TOUR winner Jim McGovern (T5) probably secured them spots in the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek (Nov. 1-4). Mulroy and McGovern improved to 38th (from 60th) and 47th (from 59th), respectively. Their efforts came at the expense of Kris Blanks who dropped two spots and now sits in the precarious 60th position on the money list. Blanks' advantage on No. 61 Joe Daley is a mere $29. Only the top 60 will be at Barona Creek. NICK FLANAGAN ENJOYS SUCCESSFUL PGA TOUR DEBUT -- Nick Flanagan made the Turning Stone Resort Championship cut on the number, then posted rounds of 70-68 on the weekend to finish T18 in his debut as a PGA TOUR member. The Australian became a member of the PGA TOUR for 2007 and 2008 when he won his third Nationwide Tour event of the year last month and earned a three-win promotion to the TOUR. He collected a check for $73,928. STEVE FLESCH WINS NO. 213 -- Steve Flesch's win in the Turning Stone Resort Championship was his second of the year, but also the 213th TOUR win by a Nationwide Tour alumni. The lefthander won the 210th when he captured the recent Reno-Tahoe Open. TADD FUJIKAWA -- The 16-year-old from Hawaii won a lot of fans in Boise with his quick smile and driving prowess (297-yard average) but failed in his attempt to make his first cut since turning professional in July. His 70-71--141 (-1) was three shots off the mark. "PlayUtahGolf" -- In an effort to promote the state's scenic and affordable public golf courses as a means of increasing tourism revenue, Utah launched "PlayGolfUtah" in conjunction with the Nationwide Tour's recent Utah EnergySolutions Championship. The program will serve as the state's official golf marketing program, with Golf Channel's telecasts of the Nationwide Tour serving as a centerpiece. Phase One will be a national advertising and marketing campaign designed to increase rounds of golf and lodging nights around the state. Former BYU All-American, World Golf Hall of Fame member and NBC's lead golf analyst Johnny Miller is featured in spots for "PlayUtahGolf". Its web site address is www.playutahgolf.com. MARK WIEBE BENEFITS FROM NATIONWIDE TOUR EXPERIENCE -- Mark Wiebe can give some credit to the Nationwide Tour for his surprise win in his Champions Tour debut at the SAS Championship in North Carolina on Sunday. The two-time PGA TOUR winner played 11 Nationwide Tour events between April and September. After missing his first four cuts, he showed steady progress against the Tour's stiff competition, including a T15 and T30 in his last two starts. DID YOU KNOW? 17 of the 27 Nationwide Tour events played to date have been decided by either one shot (12) or a playoff (five). Five have been decided by two shots, three by three shots and two by four shots.

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