News >> Current Members Bertoni And Knox Shine On Nationwide Tour
Three past players finish T5 or better in Barclays
Longs, SC—Travis Bertoni had already proved he can win on the NGA Hooters Tour by taking the Georgia Sports Orthopedic Specialists Classic earlier this season. After his performance in the Knoxville News Sentinel Open, Bertoni showed he may be ready to win on the Nationwide Tour, too.
Bertoni, of Paso Robles, Calif., shot rounds of 68-70-65-67 to finish second alone and two shots behind winner and former NGA Hooters Tour player Chris Kirk. Bertoni’s finish was his second top-10 finish in a row on the Nationwide Tour.
Current NGA player Russell Knox made the most of his Knoxville exemption, earned through the NGA Hooters Tour. The former Jacksonville University player closed with a Sunday 66 to finish T7. With his strong showing in just his second Nationwide Tour event, Knox, who also has a win on the NGA Hooters Tour this season, qualified for the Nationwide Tour’s next event in Pittsburgh.
Fellow NGA winner and member Michael Lavery made his way through the Monday Qualifier and finished T47 in Knoxville. Member Rob Oppenheim finished T16 with a 12-under 276 total.
In the first round of the FedExCup Playoffs, three former NGA Hooters Tour players put themselves in good position heading into the final three playoff events.
Kevin Streelman, who has one win on the NGA Hooters Tour, finished at 10-under par and T3, two shots behind winner Matt Kucher. Streelman shot himself into contention on Friday when he fired a tournament-low 63 at The Barclays. With his top-five finish, Streelman vaulted from 102nd in the standings to 18th.
Vaughn Taylor, the 1999 Hooters Tour Rookie of the Year and four-time NGA winner, shot 9-under par and finished T5. Former NGA Hooters Tour player Ryan Palmer also finished T5. Taylor moved from 38th to 21st in the standings, while Palmer jumped from 23rd to 13th.
The NGA Hooters Tour is the 3rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours and boasts an impressive list of alumni.
Stewart Cink, the 2009 British Open Champion; 2009 US Open Champion Lucas Glover; Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion; Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Champion; Ben Curtis, winner of the 2003 British Open; Jim Furyk, winner of the 2003 US Open; Lee Janzen, a two-time US Open winner; John Daly, a British Open and PGA Champion; Tom Lehman, winner of the British Open; David Toms, a past PGA Champion; Chad Campbell, the 2003 Tour Championship winner; Vaughn Taylor, a two-time Reno Tahoe Open winner; and Craig Perks, winner of the TPC, tested their mettle on the NGA Hooters Tour before tasting success on golf’s grandest stage.
All told, the NGA Hooters Tour’s alumni have an incredible 12 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA Hooters Tour has helped hundreds of professionals acquire their PGA, Senior PGA, and Nationwide Tour cards. In fact, 48% of the players that earned their 2010 PGA Tour card, and 53% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the NGA Hooters Tour.
For more information, visit www.HootersTour.com.
