With the Nationwide Tour's season winding down, many players are jockeying for all-important positions on the money list.
That's why not many of them are skipping this week's tournament, the Utah Championship at Willow Creek Country Club.
The $550,000, 72-hole tournament gets under way today at Willow Creek and continues through Sunday afternoon when the winner goes home with a $99,000 check.
"We've got an unbelievable field with 26 players from the PGA Tour," said tournament director Mike Smith.
Smith says the tourney has its biggest crossover of PGA Tour players due to the limited player field at the BMW Championship this week. "A lot of players are saying, 'We like Salt Lake so let's go there,' " he said.
Among those players are defending champion Brendon Todd, who has played the big tour all year, as well as several players with PGA Tour wins to their credit, including Jason Gore, Len Mattiace, Jay Williamson, David Gossett, Grant Waite, Willie Wood, Tom Byrum, Jim McGovern and Garrett Willis, who also won the Utah tournament in 2005. Also competing this week is Mark Brooks, the winner of the 1996 PGA Tour and runner-up at the 2001 U.S. Open.
Two benchmarks on the money list for Nationwide Tour players are the top 25 and top 60. The top 25 golfers will earn spots on next year's PGA Tour, while the top 60 get to play in the season-ending $1 million Nationwide Tour Championship, which goes a long way toward determining the top 25.
Only seven players between No. 16 and No. 92 on the money list are not playing this week.
Among the top players, No. 1 Michael Sim is not playing because he already earned a "battlefield promotion" to the PGA Tour with three Nationwide victories. No. 2 Chris Tidland, who was the Nationwide Tour player of the month for August, is in Utah along with No. 4 Blake Adams and No. 5 Roger Tambellini.
Perhaps the hottest golfer on the Tour is Boise resident Troy Merritt, who won the Mexico Open last week. The 23-year-old former Boise State golfer was an All-American in college, and his $117,000 paycheck last week vaulted him from 146 to No. 27 on the money list, just $327 away from the coveted Top 25.
Several Utahns are playing this week, including former State Am champ and BYU standout Daniel Summerhays. Also playing are Clay Ogden, Steve Schneiter, Chris Gresh, Dave DeSantis and Mark Owen.
All four rounds of the tournament will be televised on the Golf Channel. For tickets call 801-495-GOLF or visit www.utahchampionship.com.
e-mail: sor@desnews.com
The Utah Championship will feature several golfers with PGA Tour experience or other prominence on the golf scene. Here are 10 top players and their tee times.
David Gossett (7:40 a.m.) — Won the U.S. Amateur in 1999 and John Deere Classic on PGA Tour in 2001, but has no status on either PGA or Nationwide Tour.
Grant Waite (7:50 a.m.) — He won the Utah Open at Willow Creek in 1992 and the Kemper Open in 1993 and more than $4 million on PGA Tour.
Len Mattiace (8:20 a.m.) — Two-time winner on the PGA Tour, with $6.5 million in earnings. Lost to Mike Weir in playoff at 2003 Masters.
Mark Brooks (8:30 a.m.) — He has the best resume of anyone in the field with seven PGA Tour victories, including a major at the 1996 PGA.
Garrett Willis (9:00 a.m.) — A former champion in Utah (2005), Willis has also won on the PGA Tour (Tucson, 2001) and ranks 18th on the money list this year.
Jason Gore (9:10 a.m.) — In 2005 he won three Nationwide events as well as one on the PGA Tour and was in the final group in the U.S. Open.
Daniel Summerhays (1:00 p.m.) — The Utah native and former BYU golfer won a Nationwide event as an amateur in 2007. This year he ranks 78th on the money list.
Jay Williamson (1:30 p.m.) — Regular on PGA Tour, won $758,000 last year and $5.4 million in his career.
Bob May (1:40 p.m.) — Won $3.6 on PGA Tour, but best remembered for epic duel with Tiger Woods at 2000 PGA Championship.
Tadd Fujikawa (2:20 p.m.) — Was the youngest to qualify for the U.S. Open at age 15 and also made the cut at a PGA event at age 16. Now 18, he received a sponsor's exemption this week.
Other local players — Clay Ogden (9:40 a.m.), Chris Gresh (9:40 a.m.), Steve Schneiter (2:30 p.m.), Dave DeSantis (2:30 p.m.), Mark Owen (2:30 p.m.)