- Three-time NGA/Hooters Tour winner picks up fourth PGA win -

 - By Paul Warner -
 

Myrtle Beach, S.C. - Monday, January 7, 2011 - For the third time in five events, an NGA/Hooters Tour alumnus won on the PGA Tour. And for the second time, his name was Mark Wilson.

Mark Wilson, a three-time NGA/Hooters Tour winner, outlasted Jason Dufner in a playoff to win the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Monday afternoon.

Wilson, who won the Sony Open earlier this year, started the final round one shot behind former NGA/Hooters Tour winner Tommy Gainey, but the former UNC Tarheel golfer held a two-shot lead when play was suspended due to darkness on Sunday.

When play resumed on Monday, Gainey slipped from contention, but Jason Dufner fired a final nine 33 to push Wilson into a playoff. Dufner looked to be in the driver’s seat on the first playoff hole, but Wilson knocked in a 7-foot putt to save par and extend the tournament. On the second hole of the playoff, Wilson, who finished sixth on the NGA/Hooters Tour money list in 2000, drained an 8-foot birdie to grab his fourth career victory on the PGA Tour.

Wilson finished with rounds of 65-64-68-69 for an 18-under 266. The win qualifies Wilson for all four Majors and gets him into the Match Play Championship.

Gary Woodland, who posted two top-25 finishes on the NGA/Hooters Tour in 2008, continued his solid start to the year as well. Woodland, who finished T2 at the Bob Hope Classic, used a final round 66 to jump from T18 to T5.

Gainey, who won the NGA/Hooters Tour 2007 Bentonville Open, carried the lead into the final round and stayed in contention until the 17^th hole. But, needing to make something happen, Gainey tried to drive the par-4 17^th. The Bishopville, S.C., golfer’s drive careened over the green and into the water. Gainey made triple bogey on No. 17 and fell to T8.

Former NGA/Hooters Tour player Ryuji Imada finished T13 after shooting a final round 67. Past player Brian Gay picked up a top-20 finish by coming home T18.

Wilson’s win was the 15^th victory by NGA/Hooters Tour alumni on the PGA Tour in just over a year.

The NGA/Hooters Tour is the Third Largest Men's 72 Hole Professional Golf Tour in the United States behind the Nationwide and PGA Tours and continues to be the No. 1 recommended developmental tour by PGA and Nationwide Tour Professionals.

The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped hundreds of professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide, and Champions Tour cards. In fact, NGA/Hooters Tour Alumni have won an incredible Twelve (12) “Major” Championships.

Alumni include: Jim Furyk, the 2010 FedExCup winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year; Stewart Cink, the 2009 British Open Champion; Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open Champion; Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion; Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Champion; Ben Curtis, winner of the 2003 British 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; Craig Perks, winner of the TPC, and many, many more. At this year’s PGA Tour Qualifying School, 46% of the players that earned full exempt status on the PGA Tour (including 2010 Hooters Tour Player of the Year Michael Thompson) and 52% of the players that earned status on the Nationwide Tour have spent time on the NGA/Hooters Professional Golf Tour. In 2011, 23 former NGA/Hooters Tour players will be advancing to the PGA Tour.

For more information on the NGA/Hooters Pro Golf Tour, please visit www.NGAHootersTour.com or contact the Tour Office at (800) 992-8748.
   
For complete results from the Waste Management Phoenix Open click here.
 

NGA/Hooters Tour Alumni Looking for Win No. 3 on PGA TOUR -

Third of Waste Management Phoenix Open field made up of NGA/Hooters Tour Alumni -

Myrtle Beach, S.C. - Tuesday, February 1, 2011 - Last season on the PGA Tour, NGA/Hooters Tour alumni racked up an astonishing 12 wins at golf’s highest level. But if the current trend continues and another alum finds their name to the top at this week's Waste Management Phoenix Open, even those gaudy numbers may pale in comparison to the stats put up by former NGA/Hooters Tour players on the PGA Tour this season. Through four PGA events, NGA/Hooters Tour players have picked up two wins.

The Phoenix Open started in 1932 but was discontinued after the 1935 event because of lack of support. In 1939, Bob Goldwater, Sr. revived the tournament with he and his fellow Thunderbirds running the event and became the official rebirth of the Phoenix Open. In those early years, Goldwater printed the tickets, sold sponsorships and obtained use of Phoenix Country Club. He even invited a few of his friends to tee it up at the tournament. Those friends just happened to be Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and a golfer by the name of Ben Hogan. During that 1939 tournament, a 27-year-old up-and-comer named Byron Nelson won the $700 first prize. Hogan finished second, 12 strokes back, and collected $450. Since then, The Thunderbirds have sponsored an Open every year except 1943, when wartime travel restrictions forced a one-year hiatus.

The names of NGA/Hooters Tour Alumni looking to join those legenday names at this year's Waste Management Phoenix Open are many, covering over a third of the field. The list includes past NGA/Hooters Tour players, winners, Players of the Years and some who have gone on to be PGA Tour winners.

Mark Wilson, a former multi-time NGA/Hooters Tour winner, was the first alum to crack the win column this season. The former UNC golfer carded a final round 67 in the Sony Open in Hawaii en route to a two-shot victory. The victory was Wilson’s third victory on the PGA Tour. Wilson, who played on the NGA/Hooters Tour from 1998-2001, shot rounds of 65-67-65-67 to finish at 16-under 264.

Bubba Watson, who won the NGA/Hooters Tour Michelob Ultra Classic in 2004, held off Phil Mickleson to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines by one shot last week. Watson rolled in a clutch 10-footer for par at the 17th hole to keep the lead and made an up-and-down birdie from the greenside bunker at No. 18 that secured his second PGA Tour victory. Watson finished at 16-under 272.

With the win, Watson jumped to second in the FedExCup standings, while Wilson is fourth. Watson and Wilson are both in the field this week and will be joined by almost 50 former NGA/Hooters Tour players.

Past NGA/Hooters Tour players Gary Woodland and Ryan Palmer are also off to great starts in the FedExCup standings. Woodland, who posted two top-25 finishes during his rookie season on the NGA/Hooters Tour in 2008, made into a three-way playoff in the Bob Hope Classic before finishing second. Woodland is currently 10th in the FedExCup standings. Ryan Palmer, who finished 55th on the NGA/Hooters Tour money list in 2001, has two top-25 finishes, including a fourth-place effort, on the PGA Tour this season and is 13th in the FedExCup standings.

Former NGA/Hooters Tour players have two wins in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Lee Janzen, who played on the NGA/Hooters Tour in 1989, outlasted Andrew Magee in 1993 and Tom Lehman edged Robert Allenby in 2000. Although they haven’t won in recent years, NGA/Hooters Tour alumni have played well in the raucous event of late. Scott McCarron, Kevin Na, Ryan Palmer, Camilo Villegas and John Rollins have all runner up finishes at TPC Scottsdale in the last five years.

The NGA/Hooters Tour is the Third Largest Men's 72 Hole Professional Golf Tour in the United States behind the Nationwide and PGA Tours and continues to be the # 1 most recommended developmental tour by PGA and Nationwide Tour Professionals.

The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped hundreds of professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide, and Champions Tour cards. In fact, NGA/Hooters Tour Alumni have won an incredible Twelve (12) “Major” Championships.

Alumni include Jim Furyk, the 2010 FedExCup winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year; Stewart Cink, the 2009 British Open Champion; Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open Champion; Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion; Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Champion; Ben Curtis, winner of the 2003 British 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; Craig Perks, winner of the TPC, and many, many more. At this year’s PGA Tour Qualifying School, 46% of the players that earned full exempt status on the PGA Tour (including 2010 Hooters Tour Player of the Year Michael Thompson) and 52% of the players that earned status on the Nationwide Tour have spent time on the NGA/Hooters Professional Golf Tour. In 2011, 23 former NGA/Hooters Tour players will be advancing to the PGA Tour.

For more information on the NGA/Hooters Pro Golf Tour, please visit www.NGAHootersTour.com or contact the Tour Office at (800) 992-8748.

To learn more about the Waste Management Phoenix Open please visit here.

Past NGA/Hooters Tour Players in Waste Management Phoenix Open:

Blake Adams
Kris Blanks
Jason Bohn
Chad Campbell
Chad Collins
Michael Connell
Ben Curtis
Brendon de Jonge
Steve Flesch
Martin Flores
Tommy Gainey
Robert Garrigus
Brian Gay
Tom Gillis
Lucas Glover
J.P. Hayes
Ryuji Imada
Jerry Kelly
Chris Kirk
Tom Lehman
Spencer Levin
Bill Lunde
Jeff Maggert
John Mallinger
Ben Martin
William McGirt
Shaun Micheel
Kevin Na
Sean O’Hair
Ryan Palmer
Chris Riley
John Rollins
John Senden
Heath Slocum
Brandon Smith
Kevin Streelman
Chris Stroud
Vaughn Taylor
Josh Teater
David Toms
Camilo Villegas
Bubba Watson
Boo Weekley
Garrett Willis
Mark Wilson
Gary Woodland

Alts:

Tag Ridings
Kevin Kisner
Chris Baryla
David Mathis
Nathan Smith