But List found trouble on 18, hitting his tee shot into the trees.  He second shot caught the trees and advanced only 40 yards, and he failed to make par to force a playoff, settling for bogey and the runner-up finish.  List, like many of the players on Sunday, fell victim to the red hot Swafford, who shot a blistering 9-under 62 and chipped in for birdie on 18 to take the clubhouse lead at 17-under. 

Still, it was a solid outing for List, who moved up to the top spot on THE 25, overtaking fellow GPT alum Andres Gonzales.  Once again the long-hitting List led the field in driving distance, averaging 330 yards off the tee, helping him earn his fourth Top-10 of the season.

For the week, a total of 22 GPT alums made the cut, with three finishing in the Top-10, five in the Top-20 and 10 in the Top-25.

Ty Van Aswegen and James Hahn were the others to finish in the Top-10.  Van Aswegen carded rounds of 67-68-65-70 and finished solo fifth at 14-under to earn his second Top-10 of the year, moving up from 30^th to 20^th on THE 25.  Hahn recorded birdies on three of the final six holes and shot a final-round 68 to finish T7 at 12-under, his second Top-10 of the year, moving him up nine spots to 28^th on THE 25. 

Andrew Svoboda carded four birdies in the final round and shot 69-69-68-68 over the four days to finish T16 at 10-under, while Aron Price opened 67-66 before closing the weekend 71-70 to match Svoboda at 10-under par.  It was the fourth Top-20 finish of the season for Svoboda and the third Top-20 this year for Price. 

Martin Piller and Jason Allred finished T21 at 9-under; while Justin Hicks, Brandon Brown and Nicholas Thompson all finished T24 at 8-under.  Piller shot a final-round 68 to earn his best finish of the year and best since winning the Cox Classic in 2010.  It was the third Top-25 of the year for Allred, while Hicks turned in his fifth Top-25 performance of the year.

For complete results from the Stadion Classic, CLICK HERE.  For a look at the current THE 25, CLICK HERE.

PGA TOUR – WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP

At Quail Hollow, 20 former GPT players finished in the money, with three finishing in the top-15 and four finishing in the Top-25.

George McNeill, Sean O’Hair and Robert Garrigus were the top finishers among the GPT alums in the field, all finishing T15 at 8-under par.

McNeill was in the hunt at 10-under after three rounds, but struggled to a final-round 2-over 74 that included bogeys on 16 and 18 to finish at 8-under.  Still it was McNeill’s fourth Top-20 this year, and he currently sits 36^th in the FedEx Cup standings.

O’Hair shot a final-round 70 but had two critical bogeys on the back nine as well that dropped him to his 8-under finish, six shots back of eventual winner Rickie Fowler.  O’Hair has finished in the Top-25 three times this year, and he turned in his best outing since finishing T2 at the Sony Open in week two of the season.

Garrigus shot a final-round 71 but rebounded nicely after starting with two bogeys and a double bogey in the final round.  He closed with three birdies down the stretch for his fifth Top-25 of the season.

Rounding out the Top-25 was Martin Flores, who carded rounds of 68-70-71-72 to finish T21 at 7-under par.  He also struggled early with four bogeys on the front, but rebounded with a barrage of birdies on the back nine to earn his fourth Top-25 of the year. 

For complete results from the Wells Fargo Championship, CLICK HERE. 

Next up on the PGA TOUR is a trip to TPC Sawgrass for THE PLAYERS Championship, a tournament often referred to as the “Fifth” Major on the PGA TOUR, May 10-13.  The Nationwide Tour takes a week off before heading to South Carolina for the BMW Charity Pro-Am, May 17-20.  We’ll be keeping an eye on current GPT player Brady Stockton, who made it into the BMW field by winning an exemption in the Gateway Pro Tour’s first Points Race of the season.

Good luck to every at THE PLAYERS this week, and be sure to check back here next week for a full recap!

List was solid all week, carding rounds of 67-68-69-68 over the four days that included 18 birdies, two eagles and just six bogeys to win by two strokes over Brian Stuard.  List started the final day sharing the lead with Woody Austin at 12-under and took the early advantage after birdies on the first two holes.  His bogey on the par-4 12^th was his only mistake of the day, and he countered that with an eagle on the par-5 13^th.  Woody Austin struggled on the day, and his closest competition was Stuard, whose bogey-free 6-under 66 wasn’t enough to catch List.

“It feels fantastic,” List said after his win. “It’s hard to describe. People always say it hasn’t really sunk in yet and I think that’s the case.  I’m not going to lie, I was nervous all week.  But the way I handle it is, you just embrace the nerves and know that they’re there and you can kind of accept it and move on.”

List was stellar off the tee, leading the field with an average of 329 yards per drive on what is considered the longest course on the Nationwide Tour at 7,781 yards.  He also ranked sixth in Greens in Regulation throughout the tournament, and was the only player to score all four rounds in the 60s.  His 16-under 272 also tied the tournament record that was set last year by fellow GPT alum Ted Potter.

“This course sets up so well for me, so I told myself coming in, ‘just stay out of your own way and do your thing,’” he said. “I hit a lot of wedges where I could give myself those 15-20 footers. I never really felt stress out there as far as, OK, I’m not making as many putts as I’d like, but it’s OK. I’m hitting it great. I’m giving myself a lot of opportunities. I can eat up the par-5s and hang on for the rest.”

List earned $112,000 for the win and made a big jump from 13^th to second on THE 25.

“I think this is going to be a turning point for me,” he said. “I can’t say that I didn’t expect it. I hope it’s the beginning of a couple more, and I’m ready to get to Athens.”

For the week, 24 GPT alums made the cut, with three finishing in the Top-5, four in the Top-20 and 12 in the Top-20. 

Joining List in the Top-5 were Justin Hicks and Richard Scott, who both finished T4 at 10-under.  Hicks fired rounds of 71-67-73-67 to earn his third Top-10 of the year; while Richard Scott shot steady rounds of 69-70-69-70 for his best career Nationwide Tour finish.  Scott also jumped from 104^th to 34^th on THE 25, while Hicks moved up three spots to 14^th.

Fabian Gomez shot a final-round 67 that included an eagle two on the par-4 15^th to finish T7 at 9-under par, his second Top-10 finish of the year; while Andrew Buckle had his best outing of the season, shooting 71-70-69-70 to finish T11 at 8-under par and jump from 115^th to 68^th on THE 25.

Rounding out the Top-20 were Reid Edstrom and Rob Oppenheim, who finished T14 at 7-under; and Justin Peters, Lee Williams, B.J. Staten, Brice Garnett and Aaron Goldberg, who finished T18 at 6-under par.

Williams opened the back nine with birdies on four of the first five holes and finished with a final-round 69 for his third Top-20 of the year, while Garnett used his bogey-free 67 in round two for his second Top-20 of the season.

Goldberg was feeling it on Sunday and was approaching the Kinderlou Forest Golf Course record after his back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16 got him to 8-under par for the day.  Unfortunately, he closed with a bogey on 17 and double-bogey on 18 to finish with a 67 in the final round.

For complete results from the South Georgia Classic, CLICK HERE. 

For a look at THE 25, CLICK HERE. 

PGA TOUR – ZURICH CLASSIC

A total of 20 GPT alums finished in the money at this year’s Zurich Classic, which included two Top-10s, six Top-20s and nine Top-25s.

Graham DeLaet was the highest finisher, shooting rounds of 68-67-66-71 to finish T4 at 16-under par.  This was his second Top-10 finish of the year, and best outing since he finished T3 at the Shell Houston Open back in April of 2010.  He also moved up to 77^th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Ken Duke also cracked the Top-10, finishing T7 at 14-under thanks in large part to his bogey-free 65 in the first round.  Duke has finished in the Top-10 three times this season (two in his last four starts) and now sits 55^th in the FedEx Cup standings.

J.B. Holmes shot rounds of 71-67-68-70 and finished T13 at 12-under for his third Top-15 of the year, while defending champ Bubba Watson, Jeff Overton and Jimmy Walker all finished T18 at 11-under. 

This was Watson’s first tournament back since winning the Masters a couple of weeks ago, and continues his streak of finishing in the Top-20 in every tournament this year.  In fact, the T18 ties for his worst outing of the season, which goes to show how great of a year the lefty from Florida is having.  He currently sits second in the FedEx Cup standings and continues to vie for player of the year honors.

Overton closed with a final-round 65 to earn his fifth Top-20 of the season, while Jimmy Walker finished 68-68 on the weekend for his fourth Top-20 of the year.

Rounding out the Top-25 were George McNeill, Chris Stroud and Robert Gates, who all finished T24 at 10-under par.  Gates put together a solid second-round 65 that included a stretch of six birdies over seven holes, while Stroud opened with a first-round 66 to help jump into the Top-25.

For complete results from the Zurich Classic, CLICK HERE. 

The PGA TOUR now heads to North Carolina and the Quail Hollow Club for the Wells Fargo Championship, May 3-6.  The Nationwide Tour also is in action and heads to Athens, Georgia for the Stadion Classic at UGA, May 3-6 as well.

Congrats to Luke List for his first career Nationwide Tour win – that makes three straight GPT alums winning on the Nationwide Tour, let’s see if next week we can make it four in a row!

Good luck to all of those competing this week, and as always, check back here next week for a full recap!

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“Quarles & Brady brings a common-sense, solution-oriented approach to our clients’ legal problems – our success is based on the strength of our client relationships,” said John W. Daniels Jr., Chairman of Quarles & Brady.   “Like Gateway Pro Tour, we actively engage in civic and charitable initiatives in the communities where we practice.  We look forward to supporting the Tour’s community efforts.”

Sponsors provide an essential resource for Gateway Pro Tour. Some of the ways sponsor money allows for the continued growth, success, and recognition of the Gateway Pro Tour are – Tour expansion, increased purse sizes, Nationwide and PGA TOUR exemptions, Q-School bonuses, administration, tournament equipment and materials, charity golf tournaments, community involvement and enhanced membership benefits.

In the firm’s 120-year history, Quarles and Brady has grown from a small, well-respected local Milwaukee law firm to a place among the Am Law 200, building a national practice and earning a comparable reputation throughout the United States. For more information about Quarles and Brady visit the company website at www.quarles.com. 

Established in 2001, Gateway Pro Tour was created to help aspiring PGA TOUR professionals fine-tune their skills in competitive golf tournaments. In its 11-year history, the Tour has maintained a leading position as the premier developmental professional golf tour on the West Coast and has paid out more than $42.1 million to players over that period. Gateway has served more than 3,400 players, with 160 GPT alums currently playing on the Nationwide and PGA Tours. These players represent 24 PGA Tour wins and 75 Nationwide Tour wins. Today, Gateway Pro Tour continues to provide the ideal competitive environment as well as significant financial opportunities for aspiring PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour professionals. For more information on sponsorship opportunities or membership information for the 2012 season, go to www.gatewayprotour.com.

Beisser set the tone early in the first round, carding his bogey-free 62 that included an eagle on the 530-yard, par 5-8^th, and an ace on the 206-yard, par 3-14^th.  But despite his blazing start he only held a 2-shot lead after round one, and after battling rough weather on day two with a 71, he was looking at a two-shot lead going into last day.

He got off to another great start in round three, making birdies on three of the first four holes.  He added a birdie on the par-4 seventh and made the turn at 15-under, seven shots ahead of Brian Prouty, who started the day two off the lead.  Beisser added two more birdies on the back for good measure (he had no bogeys in the final round) and finished at 17-under to secure the win and the Nationwide Tour exemption. 

It’s been quite the month for Beisser, who has been on a tear since he shot 71-75 and missed the cut at Papago on March 23.  He won by one stroke at Lone Tree at the end of March, and now has gone back-to-back with his wins at Trilogy-Vistancia and Encanterra.

Prouty stayed in the hunt thanks to his opening-round 64, but couldn’t keep up with Beisser, shooting 71-71 over the next two days to finish T2 at 10-under par.  Brad Hopfinger shot a final-round 69 and birdied the final hole to join Prouty in second at 1-under, while Jake Younan-Wise finished solo fourth at 7-under par.

Younan-Wise started the final-round T15 after a second-round 77, but he rebounded nicely, carding a 65 that included nine birdies and just two bogeys.  His 65 was the low round of the day, matched only by Darren Angel, who finished T6 at 5-under par. 

Scott Adland joined Angel at T6 after his 69 in the final round, while Ray Beaufils and Neil Johnson finished T8 at 4-under par.

Beisser finished atop the Nationwide Tour exemption Points Race leaderboard with 4,000 points thanks to his two victories.  Angel finished in second with 2,690 points, followed by Hopfinger (2,555), Prouty (2,206) and Eric Meierdierks.  This was the second Nationwide Tour exemption that was awarded during the 2012 season – Brady Stockton earned an exemption into the BMW Charity Pro-Am that will be played May 17-20 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

That wraps up the GPT’s Arizona Winter Series – Next up is the Arizona Q-School Bonus event, a three-day tournament at Pinnacle Peak CC, June 5-7, that will award the winner a $4,500 cash bonus to use toward 2012 PGA TOUR Q-School.  Following that the GPT heads to San Diego for the California Q-School Challenge, Aug. 1-3 at Carlton Oaks.

For complete results from Encanterra, CLICK HERE. 

For a look at the United Leasing Championship exemption leaderboard, CLICK HERE.

“I’m trying to keep it all in perspective,” Aragon said. “It’s a major step and I’m proud of myself for doing it.”

Aragon didn’t get a chance to tee it up on Friday for the second round, and played a total of 33 holes on Saturday.  On Sunday, he wrapped up his third round with three pars, and started the fourth round at 6-under par, four shots back of the leaders.  He shot a final-round 66 that included five birdies and just one bogey, and waited about 30 minutes to see if the final groups could match him at 10-under.  Duffy Waldorf, playing in the second-to-last group, missed a 30-foot birdie attempt that would have forced a playoff; then Paul Haley, playing in the final group, missed his 20-footer for birdie that secured the win for Aragon.

“I kept saying to myself all day I was going to win the tournament,” Aragon said. “Regardless of the outcome that’s how I wanted to play. I didn’t want to play with anything else on my mind.”

This was Aragon’s second Top-5 finish of the year, and comes off two straight weeks where he missed the cut.  He earned $105,000 for his first victory, and jumped from 30^th to 14^th on THE 25.

For the week, a total of 30 former Gateway Pro Tour players made the cut, with five finishing in the Top-10 and 10 finishing in the Top-20. 

Rob Oppenheim shot solid rounds of 69-68-67-68 to finish T5 at 8-under par, earning his third Top-5 in his last four starts to move to 11^th on THE 25; while Ty Van Aswegen finished T7 at 7-under.  Aswegen was the third round leader at 10-under par, but struggled to a 3-over 73 in the final round to drop out of contention. He still earned his second Top-15 of the year, and jumped from 57^th to 26^th on THE 25. 

Michael Putnam and Josh Broadaway carded matching 71s in the final round to finish T9 at 6-under, while Jim Renner and Camilo Benedetti finished T11 at 5-under par.  The T9 is the best finish for Broadaway since his T8 last August, and he moved up from 92^nd to 49^th on THE 25.  Renner has come on strong of late, finishing T9 and T11 in his last two starts after missing four straight cuts to start the season.  Benedetti has finished T9, T5, T5 and T11 in his last four starts to remain in the Top-10 on the money list.

Brian Smock and Justin Searles also cracked the Top-20, finishing T16 at 4-under.  Smock earned his third Top-20 of the year, and this was his best finish since winning the Price Cutter Charity Championship last August.

For complete results from the TPC Stonebrae Championship, CLICK HERE.

For a look at THE 25 current standings, CLICK HERE. 

PGA TOUR – RBC HERITAGE

Kevin Stadler was the highest finisher among GPT alums at Harbour Town Golf Links, shooting 6-under 278 to finish T4 at the RBC Heritage.  Stadler really turned it on over the weekend, closing with rounds of 67-68 after he opened 72-71.  He was 1-over heading into the weekend, carding just three birdies and four bogeys, but turned it around on Saturday and Sunday, posting 10 birdies to just three bogeys.  It was Stadler’s third Top-10 finish in his last four starts, and he has made eight straight cuts since missing the cut in the season-opener in Hawaii.  He currently sits 43^rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

For the week, 19 GPT alums finished in the money, with three in the Top-10 and eight in the Top-10. 

Matt Every and Charley Hoffman were the other two players in the Top-10, finishing T8 at 4-under par.  Every opened with a first-round 68 and closed with a 67 to earn his third Top-10 finish of the year; while Hoffman used an impressive 6-under 65 in round two for his best finish since his T2 nearly a year ago at the Valero Texas Open.  Hoffman’s second round 65 was capped off with birdies on the final four holes, and he had a stretch of holes from the back nine in round two to the front nine in round three that saw him card birdies on 10 of 16 holes.

Mark Anderson shot 69-68 over the weekend to finish T13 at 3-under par, while Garrigus matched Anderson at T13 to earn his fourth Top-20 of the year.  Garrigus struggled to a 74 in the final round, but stayed in the Top-15 thanks to his second round 66.

Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Streelman finished T17 at 2-under par, while Michael Thompson finished T20 at 1-under par. 

Snedeker, coming off of his T19 at last week’s Masters, opened with rounds of 71-67-69 and was T5 before his final-round 75 derailed his chances at the win.  Snedeker has made the cut in all 10 starts this year, and has finished in the Top-20 in six of those starts.  He currently sits 10^th in the FedEx Cup standings.

For complete results from the RBC Heritage, CLICK HERE. 

That’s a wrap on this week in golf.  Next week the PGA TOUR heads to San Antonio where GPT alum Brendan Steele will look to defend his title at the Valero Texas Open, April 19-22.  The Nationwide Tour takes a week off before heading to Valdosta, Georgia for the South Georgia Classic, April 26-29.

Congratulations to Alex Aragon once again for earning his first career Nationwide Tour victory, becoming the third GPT alum to win on the Nationwide Tour this year (out of six events).  Keep it up guys! 

Good luck to everyone this week, and make sure to check back here next week for a complete recap!

The driver was key for Every this week – he hit 12 of 14 greens in regulation in the first round, and ranked third in driving accuracy for the week. 

Every’s runner-up finish continues the great 2012 campaign that he is putting together – This was his fourth Top-10 and second Top-5 finish of the year, and he currently sits 24^th in the FedEx Cup standings.

For the week, 19 Gateway Pro Tour alums made the cut, with two finishing in the Top-10, five in the Top-15 and seven in the Top-25. 

Brendan Steele, last year’s Valero Texas Open chamion, had another strong showing at TPC San Antonio.  After starting 73-74 and way back of the pack, he rebounded nicely with a 69 in round three and a bogey-free 67 in the final round to finish T4 at 5-under par.  It was his second Top-10 of the season, and his best finish since he won this tournament last year. 

Kris Blanks closed the weekend 68-70 and finished 3-under for the tournament to finish T11, his best finish of the season so far, while Kevin Streelman and Charley Hoffman finished T13 at 2-under par.  Streelman closed strong with three straight birdies down the stretch for his fourth Top-20 finish of the year, while Hoffman wrapped up the weekend 71-69 for his third Top-15^th finish this year. 

Rounding out the Top-30 are Chris Stroud and Martin Flores, who finished T24 at even par; and Blake Adams, Bill Lunde and Daniel Summerhays, who all finished T29 at 1-over.  This was the sixth Top-25 finish of the year for Stroud, who is putting together a nice season and currently sits 55^th in FedEx Cup points. 

For complete results from the Valero Texas Open, CLICK HERE

Next up on the PGA TOUR schedule is a trip to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic, April 26-29.  Former GPT alum and 2012 Masters champ Bubba Watson is the reigning champ, let’s see if he can defend his title at TPC Louisiana!  The Nationwide Tour gets back to action as well at the South Georgia Classic, April 26-29, at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta Georgia. 

Good luck to everyone playing this week – make sure to check back here next week for a full recap.

The win was Beisser’s second of the season and second in his last two starts (he missed last week’s tournament at Wigwam), and moves him into a tie for first in the Points Race for the exemption into the Nationwide Tour’s United Leasing Championship.

Beisser shot 68-69 over the first two rounds, and started the final day T9 at 7-under, five shots back of second-round leader Joel Dahmen. 

Beisser’s final round got off to a shaky start, recording bogeys on holes three and four to drop to 5-under par.  He bounced back with consecutive birdies on five and six, and closed the front nine with an eagle on the 509-yard, par-5^th to make the turn at 9-under par. 

Beisser had a lot of work to do on the back nine if he wanted to get in contention, and he fell back another shot after a bogey on 12 dropped him to 8-under for the tournament.  That’s where it seems the switch went on for Beisser.  He made par on 13, then got on a serious roll that started with an eagle on the par-5 14^th, his second eagle of the afternoon.  That got him to 10-under, and he made birdies on three of the last four holes, including the 18^th, to get into the clubhouse with the lead at 13-under par. 

Three groups were still left on the course, and while Beisser had the lead, it didn’t seem like it would hold.  Angel, playing in the second-to-last group, got off to a slow start similar to Beisser.  Angel started the day T2 at 11-under, but made three bogeys through the first seven holes and made the turn at 9-under.  He carded consecutive birdies to open the back to get to 11-under, and following a bogey on the par-4 13^th, he rolled off three birdies on the final five holes, including the 18^th, to match Beisser at 13-under par. 

The final pairing of Dahmen, Jonathan Feldick and Ray Beaufils all had their chances to force a playoff or win outright, but couldn’t finish it down the stretch.  Dahmen made a birdie on 17 to get to 12-under, but couldn’t birdie the final hole; Feldick made a costly double-bogey on 17 that dropped him two shots to 10-under; and Beaufils made a bogey at 17 that dropped him to 11-under with just one hole to play.

Beisser and Angel went back to the 560-yard, par-5 18^th for the playoff.  With Beisser on the green in two, Angel drained a long birdie putt while Beisser missed his eagle attempt to extend the playoff.  Playing 18 again, both players failed to make the green in two, but Beisser was able to get up-and-down for birdie to seal the win.

Angel shot 65-68-70 over the three days to finish second, his best finish since opening the season with a win at the 36-hole Sponsorship Event at McCormick Ranch.  Dahmen struggled to an even-par 72 after opening 68-64 and finished solo third at 12-under, while Feldick, Beaufils, Kent Eger and Tim Kunick all finished T4 at 11-under 205.

Beaufils held a share of the first-round lead after his superb 9-under 63 on day one.  That bogey-free round included a 31 on the front with an eagle and three birdies, and a 32 on the back with four birdies.  He shot 70-72 the rest of the way that included nine birdies and seven bogeys.  Kunick matched Beaufils’ 63 in round one, also carding seven birdies and an eagle, but struggled with back-to-back 71s over the last two days as well.

Kent Eger shot 69-68-68 and birdied the final hole for his best finish of the year; while Feldick made all pars on the back nine to stay at knotted at T4 with the rest of the group.

Beisser earned 2,000 points with the win and currently sits tied for first with Ryan Hogue (2,000 points) in the Points Race for the exemption into the Nationwide Tour’s United Leasing Championship.  Eger sits third with 1,825 points, followed by Angel and Chris Kamin in fourth (1,740), Eric Meierdierks in sixth (1,670) and Dahmen in seventh (1,540). 

Next week the boys wrap up the Points Race for the Nationwide Tour exemption at Encanterra Country Club, April 25-27.  It’s still a wide open race, so make sure to check back here next week to see the final results.

For complete results from Trilogy-Vistancia, CLICK HERE.

For a look at the United Leasing Championship exemption leaderboard, CLICK HERE.

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“Homeowners Financial Group is proud to support the Gateway Pro Tour in providing a venue for aspiring PGA TOUR professionals,” said Bill Rogers, President and CEO of Homeowners Financial Group.

Sponsors provide an essential resource for the Gateway Pro Tour. Some of the ways sponsor money allows for the continued growth, success, and recognition of the Gateway Pro Tour are – Tour expansion, increased purse sizes, Nationwide and PGA TOUR exemptions, Q-School bonuses, administration, tournament equipment and materials, charity golf tournaments, community involvement and enhanced membership benefits.

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Established in 2001, Gateway Pro Tour was created to help aspiring PGA TOUR professionals fine-tune their skills in competitive golf tournaments. In its 11-year history, the Tour has maintained a leading position as the premier developmental professional golf tour on the West Coast and has paid out more than $42.1 million to players over that period.  Gateway has served more than 3,400 players, with 125 GPT alums playing on the Nationwide and PGA Tours in 2011.  These players represent 21 PGA Tour wins and 71 Nationwide Tour wins.  Today, Gateway Pro Tour continues to provide the ideal competitive environment as well as significant financial opportunities for aspiring PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour professionals.  For more information on sponsorship opportunities or membership information for the 2012 season, go to www.gatewayprotour.com.

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Hogue shot 70-68 through the first two rounds and started the final round tied for second at 6-under, two shots back of Kamin.  But Hogue got off to a fast start, making four birdies on the first seven holes.  Kamin’s start wasn’t so hot, making back-to-back bogeys on holes four and five to drop two shots, while Meierdierks was even on the front nine. 

Hogue had a three shot lead at the turn, but saw his lead trimmed to one after Meierdierks put together a string of birdies on holes 12, 14 and 15.  Hogue birdied the par-3 16^th to get the lead back to two shots, but left the door open after bogeys on the final two holes.  But neither Meierdierks nor Kamin could capitalize, as Kamin finished par-par while Meierdierks matched Hogue’s bogey-bogey finish to fall back to third.  

Jonathan Feldick carded rounds of 72-67-71 to finish solo fourth at 6-under par, while Scott Harrington and Todd Demsey finished T5 at 5-under.  Harrington closed with a final-round 5-under 67.

PGA TOUR vets Mark Hensby and Ted Purdy were in the field once again, with Hensby finishing T11 at 3-under and Purdy 13^th at 2-under par.

For Hogue, the win was his third Top-10 finish for what has been an up-and-down season for the Mesa native, and the win comes at the right time, as he takes the early lead in the Points Race for the exemption into the Nationwide Tour’s United Leasing Championship in late June.  This was the first of three tournaments players have to accumulate points – Hogue leads with 2,000 points, followed by Kamin in second (1,700), Meierdierks in third (1,500) and Feldick in fourth (1,300).   

There are two tournaments remaining in the Arizona Winter Series, and two more chances for players to compete for the Nationwide Tour exemption.  Next week the GPT heads to Vistancia, April 18-20, followed by the Winter Series capper at Encanterra Country Club, April 25-27.

For complete results from Arizona Winter Series 10 at Wigwam, CLICK HERE. 

For a look at the current Nationwide Tour exemption Points Race, CLICK HERE.

The first Summer Bonus Event will be held June 6-8 at Pinnacle Peak Country Club in Scottsdale, one week before the Arizona Open.  Then, the GPT returns to San Diego to host another Summer Bonus Event at Carlton Oaks outside of San Diego, Aug. 1-3.  Entry fees into each tournament are $950 for GPT members and $1,150 for non-members.  Current Golden State Tour members can enter for the same $950 GPT member entry fee.  

“It’s a great time of year to play golf in Southern California, and we expect a number of West Coast golfers to participate in this San Diego event, especially since it will be played a week after the Long Beach Open,” said Ryan Pray, executive director of the Gateway Pro Tour.

After San Diego the GPT will return to Arizona to conclude the regular season with a Q-School Challenge Sponsorship event and the Q-School Challenge Series.

The Q-School Challenge Sponsorship event is a one-day tournament that will take place on Sept. 17, at Southern Dunes.  Entry fee for this tournament is only $300, with the winner earning FREE entry into all three of the Q-School Challenge Series events that will take place in September/October. 

The Q-School Challenge Series will feature three tournaments and will award $4,500 Q-School bonuses to the TOP TWO cumulative points leaders over that stretch.  The first tournament will take place Sept. 19-21 at Southern Dunes, the second will be held Sept. 26-28 at Alta Mesa Country Club and the final tournament of the Q-School Challenge Series will take place Oct. 3-5 at a site to be determined. 

“This will be the third year we’ve ended the season with a Q-School Challenge, something that has been very popular among the players in the past,” Pray said.  “Not only does it offer one more chance for that free entry to PGA TOUR Q-School, but it’s a final opportunity to gear up for the grind of Q-School by playing against some tough competition.”

Staying consistent with lower entry fees in 2012, the three Q-School Challenge events are $950 per tournament for members and $1,150 for non-members. 

We are looking forward to some great participation for these season-ending events and are excited for a great stretch run for the 2012 season!