Stiles leads Nationwide Tour Championship
McKINNEY, Texas - Darron Stiles cruised through a stress-free day Thursday and grabbed the first-round lead at the Nationwide Tour Championship with a 7-under-par 64. Stiles was nearly perfect in the opening round of the Tour’s season-ending $1 million event, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 17 of 18 greens en route to a one-stroke lead over playing partner Jeff Klauk (65).Stiles and Klauk, both Florida Southern grads, were paired together on day one at TPC Craig Ranch because they entered the week Nos. 7 and 8 respectively on the 2008 money list. The top-60 money winners qualified for the Tournament, which closes out the Tour’s 19th season.
“There are still three more days but it’s nice to get out of the gate this well, especially this week,” said Stiles. “It looks like we’ll be paired together for round two and it would be nice to keep Florida Southern one-two for the rest of the week.”
At the end of the week, THE 25 leading money-winners will earn their PGA Tour cards for the 2009 campaign.
Rookies Garrett Osborn and Spencer Levin posted 5-under 66s and share third place. Bryce Molder, Marc Leishman, Colt Knost and Bill Lunde are tied for fifth after carding 4-undenr 67s.
Stiles feels like the Nationwide Tour owes him one and this week’s Championship might be just the place to collect. Stiles was credited with an unofficial win in the third event of the season when the weather-plagued HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship was reduced to a 36-hole event. His first-place check was official but the victory was not, leaving the 35-year old with four career titles and wanting more.
“I don’t feel cheated but I still want that win,” said Stiles. “This week’s trophy would make up for New Zealand. It would accomplish all that I wanted to do this year, except one thing.”
The only thing that a first-place check of $180,000 wouldn’t do is allow Stiles to break Troy Matteson’s single-season money record of $495,009 set in 2005.
Stiles’ only hiccup of the day came on the opening hole, when he spun his second shot off the green and down a slope, where he chipped up to four feet and canned the putt for par.
“I didn’t put it in any bad spots,” he said. “That one on one was the end of my stress for the day, though I didn’t know that at the time. I put myself in good spots all day.”
Klauk missed a short birdie putt on the final hole that would have closed his round with four consecutive birdies. His 8-iron on the par-3, 17th somehow wound up an inch behind the hole.
“My iron game kicked in there at the end,” said Klauk, who won the Melwood Prince George’s County Open in May and will be a rookie on Tour next year. “This week I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. This week is pretty easy for me because I’ve always come trying to attain a goal. This year I’ve already reached that goal.”
Osborn came into the week No. 47 on the money list and knowing he was going to have to finish high in order to earn one of THE 25 PGA Tour cards up for grabs.
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