News >> NGA Hooters Tour Players Beat Heat With Solid Play
NGA Hooters Tour Golfers Beat the Heat
Longs, SC—The only thing hotter than the August heat seems to be the NGA Hooters Tour players. Last week, Russell Knox, of Scotland, torched The Gold Strike Casio Classic field with a 29-under-par 259 total. He shot 62-61-71-65 en route to an eight-shot win and his second NGA Hooters Tour title.
Couple that with NGA members Roberto Castro and Nick Rousey nearly winning the Nationwide Tour’s Wichita Open and former NGA player Bill Lunde winning the PGA Tour’s Turning Stone Championship and the tour temperature is off the Scoville scale.
This week, a stout field of NGA Hooters Tour regulars looks to keep their hot hand in the Chattahoochee Hospice Classic at Overlook Golf Links in LaGrange, Ga. And all eyes will likely be on Knox after the way the 26-year-old golfer dismantled the Tunica National Golf Club.
“From the opening drive of the week, I was hitting the ball really well and I was able to carry that momentum over each day to get my second career win,” said the former Jacksonville (Fla.) University player.
Though his mind-numbing score was a bit of a shock, Knox had been getting close to his second win all year. Prior to the Gold Strike Casino Classic, Knox had three top-three finishes this season, including a T3 the week before when he made 19 birdies and one eagle at the Michelob Ultra Classic.
With the win, Knox collected $30,000 but more importantly moved into the lead for the Knoxville News Sentinel Open Exemption. The Nationwide Tour exemption will be granted to The NGA Hooters Tour leading points winner over the three (3) events in July and August: Auburn, Ala., Tunica, Miss., and LaGrange, Ga. Knox now leads Michael Thompson by 135 points in the exemption race with one event remaining.
But don’t expect Thompson to wilt under the pressure or the heat. The 2007 US Amateur Runner-Up shot a final-round 64 to win the Michelob Ultra Classic two weeks ago and has five top-10 finishes this season, including a T9 last week.
Todd Bailey, of Spanish Fort, Ala., and Ben Briscoe are currently tied for third in the exemption standings. Bailey has turned in his best performances since the temperatures started to hit triple digits. In his last three events, Bailey has finished third, fifth and 13th.
Briscoe, of Old Colwyn, Wales, has been equally impressive in the heat. In his last five starts, Briscoe has three top-10 finishes, including a second-place effort at the Bentonville Open. A win by either player could boost them to the top of the exemption standings.
The first round of the Chattahoochee Hospice Classic will start at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 12 and admission is free to the public.
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; Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion; Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters Champion; Shaun Micheel, the 2003 British Open 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.
