Staff Reports
The Valdosta Daily Times
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The ninth and 10th moments in the Nationwide Tour’s “20 Greatest Moments” program have been unveiled.
The moments feature John Daly becoming the first Nationwide Tour alumnus to capture a major championship at the 1991 PGA Championship and the establishment of a PGA TOUR promotion for three-time winners on the Nationwide Tour.
- John Daly becomes first alumnus to win a major championship in 1991 — Just one year after the birth of the Nationwide Tour, John Daly became the first Tour alumnus to win a major championship.
In his rookie year on the PGA TOUR, the Arkansas Razorback captured a three-shot victory over Bruce Lietzke in the 1991 PGA Championship, delighting the huge crowds at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indiana.
Daly would go on to be named that year’s Rookie of the Year, win another major in 1995 at the British Open and collect five PGA TOUR titles overall.
-Three-Win PGA TOUR Promotion Established in 1997 — In only its eighth season, the PGA TOUR Policy Board approved the three-win promotion, which grants players immediate access to the PGA TOUR upon winning three times in the same season on the Nationwide Tour.
Chris Smith was the first player to achieve a promotion when it was introduced in 1997.
In subsequent years, seven more players earned promotions, including three who won within two years of joining the PGA TOUR — Chad Campbell, Heath Slocum and Jason Gore.
The 10 remaining “Greatest Moments” will be unveiled during the next five Nationwide Tour telecasts on the Golf Channel airing between June and September, and on PGATOUR.COM. Two new moments will be featured each week.
The No. 1 moment in Nationwide Tour history will be announced on Golf Channel and PGATOUR.COM on the final day of the season (October 25) during the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island, S.C. The greatest moment will be based on a fan vote conducted on PGATOUR.COM that will commence after all 20 moments have been revealed.
The “20 Greatest Moments” is the centerpiece of this year’s 20th-year celebration of the Nationwide Tour. The roster of “Moments” features events and activities that have had significant bearing on the evolution, growth, impact and promotion of the Tour over the last 20 years, both on and off the golf course. “Moments” will involve alumni highlights from the Nationwide Tour and PGA TOUR and will span the late 1980s, ‘90s and current decade.
The following 10 “Moments” have been released (release date in parenthesis):
1989 / Tour is Announced at a Forth Worth, TX Press Conference (4/6/09)
2007 / Zach Johnson Wins the Masters (4/6/09)
1994 / Omar Uresti posts TOUR-record nine straight birdies (4/27/09)
Nationwide Tour Impact on PGA TOUR / 250th Alumni Win Approaches (4/27/09)
2003 / Jack Nicklaus and Sons Compete in TOUR-Sanctioned Event for First Time (5/18/09)
Charitable Impact on Nationwide Tour Communities (5/18/09)
1998 / Notah Begay III Posts First 59 in Nationwide Tour History (6/8/09)
2004 / Daniel Chopra Smashes 72-Hole Scoring Record (6/8/09)
1991 / John Daly Becomes First Alumnus to Win a Major Championship (6/29/09)
1997 / Three-Win PGA TOUR Promotion Established (6/29/09)
Local Sports
Nationwide Tour unveils more ‘Greatest Moments’
- Local Sports
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Lady Packers beat Lowndes, 55-48
The Colquitt County Lady Packers handed the Lowndes Vikettes a second straight loss Tuesday night, 55-48.
Jamesia Jones led Lowndes with 10 points, while Courtne Washington had nine. Tasia Brown finished with eight. -
Braves unveil another alternate home uniform
Hank Aaron recognized the look. Just not the feel.
The Atlanta Braves unveiled a new alternate home uniform Monday that is based on the attire worn when the team moved from Milwaukee in 1966, with Aaron as its biggest star. -
Valdosta native Garland named to Armstrong Atlantic HOF
Armstrong Atlantic State University has announced its latest induction class for the Armstrong Atlantic State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Among the six inductees and one Service Citation award winner is Valdosta native Nikki Garland, who ran cross county and track and field with the Pirates.
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Freeman, Trojans finalize '12 schedule
The Brooks County Trojans’ football motto is to ‘bring the hammer’ each and every Friday night.
Well, the Trojans now know exactly who they will have to bring that hammer to this upcoming season, as head coach Maurice Freeman recently finalized Brooks County’s 2012 football schedule. -
New York wins Super Bowl
Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute touchdown to beat New England 21-17 Sunday night for New York’s fourth Super Bowl title.
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Blazer softball sweeps Nova Southeastern
On Super Bowl Sunday, Valdosta State showed why it has been one of the super teams in the south region for years now.
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Blazers fall to Saints
Just 24 hours after earning an impressive opening day victory, the Valdosta State baseball team struggled to find a rhythm against North Georgia, as the Blazers fell to the Saints 8-3.
North Georgia pitcher Blake Hobby was a major factor for VSU’s struggles. The senior right-hander held the Blazers to just one run on four hits across his eight innings of work on the hill. -
Tift County wins region wrestling championship
Tift County won the Region 1-AAAAA traditional wrestling championship on Saturday at Lowndes High School.
Tift had three individual region champions, had wrestlers place in the top three in 13 of the 14 weight classes and qualified wrestlers for next weekend’s sectional tournament in all 14 weight classes. Tift earned 184 team points, two points more than second-place Lowndes. -
Wildcats beat Crisp in overtime
Valdosta’s boys basketball team dominated the overtime period, and defeated Crisp County 66-56 on Saturday night at the VHS gym.
The Wildcats outscored the Cougars 17-7 in overtime to pull away for the win.
“Another big win,” Valdosta head coach Antonio Haynes said. “I’m happy for the guys. They played hard. They deserved this win.” - More Local Sports Headlines
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Lady Packers beat Lowndes, 55-48
