News >> Alumni Update-Quinn Takes Panama Claro Classic

Nine Former Players Finish Inside Top 10
 
Panama City, Panama (February 28, 2010)…A week after finishing tied for twenty-third at the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico, former Hooters Tour player Fran Quinn collected his fourth nationwide title at the Panama Claro Championship.(picture left, courtesy of Badz/PGA Tour)
 
Quinn, using momentum from his top 25 finish the week before on the PGA Tour, cruised to an eight-under par total at the halfway point on the Panama golf club after back to back 66’s. The forty-five year old then put the tournament and the rest of the field away with an impressive course record eight-under par 62 in the third round to build a five stroke lead heading into the final round.
 
Heavy winds forced Quinn to stumble out of the gates in the final round with a two over par 37 before the Northwestern grad was able to turn it around with a birdie at the 16th hole and then a nice up and down par from behind the green at 17 secured the championship. 
 
Quinn broke the tournament scoring record by five strokes by posting rounds of 66-66-62-71 for a four day total of fifteen-under par 265. Quinn, who finished 25th on the Nationwide Tour in 2009 and graduated to the PGA Tour, took home $99,000 for his fourth career title and moved to third on the Nationwide tour’s money list.
 
Former Hooters Tour winner Tommy Gainey had his best Nationwide Tour finish of his career in Panama. The famed “two gloves” carded rounds of 71-66-66-67 en route to a third place finish for the week at ten-under par.
 
DJ Brigman (T-4), Julio Zapata (T-4), Mark Anderson (T-4), Luke List (T-9), Kevin Kisner (T-9), Kent Jones (T-9) and Chris Kirk (T-9) rounded out the rest of the Hooters Tour contingent to finish inside the top ten for the week in Panama.
 
While these players finished inside the top 10 for the week a handful of other alumni also had good finishes for the week in Panama. This list includes David Mathis (T-16), Rob Oppenheim (T-16), Shaun Micheel (T-16), Ryan Armour (T-16), Ty Harris (T-25), Ken Duke (T-29), Scott Brown (t-34), John Kimbell (T-36), Joe Affrunti (T-36), JJ Killeen (T-36), Scott Dunlap (T-36), Andrew Svoboda (T-42), Josh Broadaway (T-42), Nathan Smith (T-42), Camilo Benedetti (50), Keegan Bradley (T-53) and Casey Wittenberg (62).
 
At the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Open in Scottsdale, Arizona the NGA Hooters Tour was well represented by alumni. For the week, Vaughn Taylor (7), Camilo Villegas (T-8), Matt Every (T-8), Scott Piercy (T-8) all finished inside the top 10. For rookie Matt Every, it was his best finish on tour this season. Joining these players making the cut in Scottsdale were Ryan Palmer (T-14), Tom Lehman (T-14), Mark Wilson (T-14), Michael Letzig (T-24), Zach Johnson (T-24), Chad Campbell (T-24), Lee Janzen (T-24), JP Hayes (T-36), Tom Gillis (T-36), Bubba Watson (T-36), Kevin Streelman (T-36), Skip Kendall (t-36), Jeff Maggert (T-43), Chad Collins (T-43), Parker McLachlin (t-53), John Rollins (t-53), Scott Verplank (t-53),  Sean O’Hair (t-53), Scott McCarron (T-62), Brian Stuard (T-70) and Joe Durant (T-74).
 
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 British Open winner Ben Curtis, 2003 US Open winner Jim Furyk, two time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen, British Open and PGA Champion John Daly, as well as British Open winner Tom Lehman, PGA Champion David Toms, 2003 Tour Championship Winner Chad Campbell, 2004 & 2005 Reno Tahoe Open winner Vaughn Taylor and TPC winner Craig Perks to name just a few. All told, the NGA/Hooters Tour’s alumni have an incredible 11 “Majors” to their credit. The NGA/Hooters Tour has helped more than 100 professionals acquire their PGA, Champions, and Nationwide Tour cards. For more information about the NGA/Hooters Tour, please visit our web site, www.HOOTERSTOUR.com.