Chesdin Golf Club hosts NGA golf tournament
By Lynn Warren CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Nick Rousey's runaway victory in last week's National Golf Association/Hooters Golf Tournament held at Lake Chesdin Golf Club was significant for several reasons. Rousey's 21 under par win was three strokes better than the previous tournament record and was achieved under severe weather duress.

The 6,951 yard Chesdin layout is relatively short by professional tour standards but "wind, rain and very wet conditions made it play very long last week," said Club Professional Tim White.

Rousey's final day 69 and 267 total allowed him to out shoot his nearest competitor, Steve Gilley, by a remarkable seven strokes and elevated him to third place on the tour's money list at $49,645.

Another significance of the event was that this was the fifth straight year that Lake Chesdin has been awarded the tournament as a part of the National Golf Association's grassroots training program for young professional golfers. Scott Camp, president of Lake Chesdin's developer, Base Camp Development, noted that the 18-hole championship course initially impressed the NGA's selection committee with "the quality of its layout" and excellent course maintenance.

Continual upgrades have kept the Chesterfield course on the tour. The most recent upgrade has been a concentration on additional water features. The 3,000 acre facility and the current Arthur Hill designed course will soon be expanded to 36 holes "within the next 18- 24 months," said Camp.

The NGA has parlayed its 20-year commitment from Hooters into financial stability to become the fastest-growing of the three professional golf tours behind the PGA and the Nationwide tours. Its graduates include an impressive list of PGA Tour winners. Masters champion Zach Johnson, PGA winner Shaun Makeel and British Open champion John Daly are included in graduating classes as well as David Toms, Tom Lehman, Ben Curtis and Chad Campbell.

Corporate sponsorship allows the 164 golfers who teed it up in the Chesdin event some relief from the pressure of making a living while working at honing their skills with the ultimate goal of earning a PGA Tour card. The NGA cannot offer an automatic entrée into either the Nationwide Tour or the PGA Tour (the top 25 Nationwide Tour money winners each year earn a one year exemption to PGA events) so the NGA grinders have only the options of earning a PGA Tour card through Qualifying School or teeing it up at Monday Nationwide or PGA Tour qualifiers.

White agrees that many of the NGA golfers "play nine days a week" in pursuit of their passion, and he and Camp are delighted to provide another venue for these young professionals to ply their trade. They are also thrilled with the opportunity to showcase their facility.

In perspective, PGA money leader Tiger Woods put over $4 million in the bank in just seven events this year, while Nationwide money leader Nick Flannagan deposited a respectable $229,000. NGA Tour money leader Tommy Biershenk's $53,959 appears insignificant in comparison until we understand that the only local golfer on either of the junior circuits, Powhatan's Paul Woodson, ranks 222 on the Nationwide Tour with $1,418 in total earnings.