NATIONWIDE
The young guns made their marks on the 2010 Nationwide Tour, and the graduates that bear watching in 2011. By John Dell
The Nationwide Dell T
www.pgatour.com The “Young Guns” fired plenty of bul-
lets in the 2010 season on the Nationwide Tour. The youth invasion was evident
throughout the year as players in their 20s all had their great moments. Among the young players who thrived
was Jamie Lovemark, 22, who despite winning just once, was a consistent per- former and earned Nationwide Tour Player of the Year honors, with nearly $500,000 in earnings. Lovemark’s consis- tency showed, with him making 16 of 22 cuts and 11 top-25 finishes. Others who made their marks were 24-
year-olds Kevin Chappell, Bobby Gates and Keegan Bradley, along with 25-year- olds Chris Kirk, Martin Piller and Colt Knost. They were all among “The 25” graduates from the Nationwide Tour who will play on the PGA TOUR in 2011. “I think it’s great that all of us have
showed what we can do. To graduate together to the PGA TOUR is almost comforting because we all got to know each other pretty well,” said Chappell, who won once and was ninth on the money list. Since 2005, the average age of the
Nationwide Tour graduate is 30, but the 2010 graduates had an average age of 28, which is the lowest in the last five years. There are five graduates who are ages 22 to 24 and 15 of the 25 graduates are under the age of 30. What Chappell learned on the
Nationwide Tour had a lot to do with gaining experience and being able to handle the weekly grind. It’s some- thing that he says will definitely help him on the PGA TOUR.
Winning equals confidence “Just gaining confidence and know- ing you can get the job done is a big thing,” said Chappell, a former UCLA star who played in his first full season on the Nationwide Tour.
Lovemark won the NCAA title as a freshman at the University of Southern California in 2007, and after
turning
professional, he almost won the PGA TOUR’s
Frys.com Open in 2009 but lost in a playoff. In his first full season as a professional, he made huge strides in his game. He set out when the season started to be the leading-money winner on the Nationwide Tour, and he accom- plished that goal. Late in the season, Lovemark said that the best part of 2010 was when he earned that first victory as a professional. He won the Mexico Open Bicentenary in June, beating B.J. Staten with a 3-foot eagle putt on the first play- off hole.
“I haven’t won since 2007, so I can’t tell you how special it is for me to win out here,” Lovemark said. “I’ve knocked on the door a few times this year, and to seal the deal feels so good.”
Lovemark became the youngest player to win the money-list title. Stewart
Jamie Lovemark was the 2010 Player of the Year.
Nationwide Tour
PGA TOUR OFFICIAL ANNUAL 2011 229
© STAN BADZ/PGA TOUR
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