News >> Collins Wins Miccosukee

13 Alumni Finish In Top 25
 
Miami, FL (October 18, 2009)…With a one-under par 70 in Sunday’s final round, former Hooters Tour winner Chad Collins, captured his second Nationwide Tour title at The Miccosukee Championship.(picture left courtesy of Benc/Getty Images)
 
Collins, a former standout at Methodist College, carded rounds of 69-66-69-70 for a four day total of ten-under par 274 and a two stroke victory over current Hooters Tour member and Monday qualifier Justin Smith, Won Jong Lee and Brian Smock.
 
"It's nice to get one, finally," said Collins, whose first victory came at the 2005 Henrico County Open near Richmond, VA. "I'm overwhelmed. Winning is awesome, it never gets old. It's nice to win again. I was wondering if I would ever win again."
 
With the victory, Collins collects a first place check worth $112,500 and moves from 8th on the money list to 2nd with $386,014 in earnings. Collins had already locked up a spot in the TOP 25 at season’s end prior to this event. The TOP 25 earn their 2010 PGA TOUR cards. 
   
Collins graduated from Methodist College in 2001 where he was a three-time NCAA Division III individual champion. He was the 2002 Rookie of the Year on the Hooters Tour and was back to back champion of The First City Classic in Savannah, Georgia in 2002 and 2003.
 
Collins (1st) and Smith (T-2nd) weren't the only former players that had strong finishes in Miami on Sunday as former members Derek Lamely and Josh Broadaway finished T-7th and current member Joe Affrunti finished T-9th. Rounding out the top 25, former members Tommy Gainey, Josh Teater, Darron Stiles and current member Roberto Casto finished T-12, Michael Sims and Brian Stuard finished T-17 and current members Luke List and Keegan Bradley finished T-21. All told, thirteen of the top twenty-six players on Sunday started their careers on the Hooters Tour.
 
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 alumni like 2009 British Open Champion Stewart Cink, 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson, 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel, 2003 US Open Champion Jim Furyk, 2003 British Open Champion Ben Curtis, British and PGA Champion John Daly, Two-time US Open Champion 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 Winner Vaughn Taylor to name just a few. In all told, the NGA Hooters Tour alumni have an incredible ELEVEN MAJOR championships to their credit. The NGA Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 golf professionals acquire their PGA, Nationwide and Champion’s Tour cards. In fact, 32% of the players that earned their 2009 PGA Tour cards and 41% of the players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour started their careers on the Hooters Tour.
 
For more information about NGA Hooters Professional Golf Tour, check out our website at www.hooterstour.com or contact our Tour office toll free at 800-992-8748.