Former Hooters Tour Member Wins Rex Hospital Open

Raleigh, NC (June 8, 2008)…For the third week in row, a former Hooters Tour member wins on the Nationwide Tour. Scott Gutschewski, who started the day four strokes behind the leaders, closed with a five-under par 66 for his second career Nationwide Tour victory. (photo courtesy of Ernst/Getty Images)

Gutschewski carded rounds of 67-69-68-66 for a four day total of fourteen-under par 270 and a two stroke victory over Ginn and Esteban Toledo.

"I caught a glimpse of the leaderboard on No. 17 when I lipped out a putt," said Gutschewski. "I figured I needed to get to 14 under. On the last I had the perfect yardage (248 yards) and hit the hybrid. I just put it in the bag last week."

With the victory, Gutschewski’s $90,000 first-place check moves him from 35^th to 8^th on the Nationwide’s money list with $166,735 in earnings. Currently 8^th on the money list, Gutschewski inches his way closer to a spot in the season ending Top 25 and a guaranteed spot on the PGA Tour next season.

"I'm very excited," said Gutschewski, a PGA TOUR member in 2005-07. "This is a huge step toward getting back to where I want to be."  

The NGA/Hooters Tour is the 3^rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours, and boasts alumni like 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open champion Jim Furyk, British Open and PGA champion John Daly, two-time US Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open champion Tom Lehman, as well as PGA champion David Toms, Tour Championship winner Chad Campbell and back to back Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour alumni have an incredible nine Majors to their credit.  The NGA Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 golf professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide and Champion’s Tour card. In fact, 42% of the players that earned their 2008 PGA Tour cards, and 47% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA Hooters Tour.

For more information about the NGA Hooters Tour, please check out our website at www.hooterstour.com or contact the Tour office toll free at 800-992-8748.