By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Hoping for a gift-wrapped promo of the Nationwide Tour stop in Fort Smith, the final round of the Memorial Tournament was closely monitored.
Matt Bettencourt was the man in the spotlight. The leading money winner on the Nationwide Tour last year, Bettencourt and Mark Wilson were tied for the lead with 18 holes to play in Jack Nicklaus’ event, the most coveted title on the PGA Tour after the four majors and The Players.
Bettencourt stayed close until the ninth when he hit a tee shot in the heel of the club, chipped out of the high grass and chunked a wedge shot into the water, dislodging a dinner plate of sod.
Bettencourt was not the only player who backed up as Tiger Woods ascended. Major winners Davis Love III and Ernie Els failed to break par on a day when Woods carded 7-under.
Turns out, the field for Fort Smith is so deep that selling the quality of golf comes easy without Bettencourt. For example, Casey Devoll, who got into the current Knoxville tournament as an alternate, is No. 192 in the pecking order and will not play at Hardscrabble Country Club unless 36 players drop out.
A review of the commitments reinforces the notion that there are a ton of up-and-comers on the Nationwide Tour who can flat-out play and that the group signed up this week is an eclectic one. Most of those at the top of the Nationwide money list will be present except for No. 1 Michael Sim, who qualified for the U.S. Open, and Steven Alker, who is rethinking his schedule after winning the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Although Sim is absent, the Fort Smith tournament will benefit from some U.S. Open fallout.
Colt Knost, who won at Fort Smith last year and who has played in 13 PGA Tour events this year, is committed. So, too, Mark Hensby, who won at Fort Smith in 1998 and looked like a PGA Tour fixture a few years ago. He won a total of $4 million on the PGA Tour in 2004 and 2005, but was bothered by a foot injury in 2006. He pushed $1 million in earnings the next year, but suffered a torn rotator cuff midway through the 2008 season and the Knoxville event was only his fourth tournament in eight months.
The rehab trail also goes through Fort Smith for Arron Oberholser, a PGA Tour winner in 2006 who underwent hand surgery late in 2007. Another recognizable name is Frank Lickliter, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour who was No. 149 on that money list in 2008.
Also in the field are two men who are linked through failure. Both Bob May and Len Mattiace lost major championships in playoffs — May to Tiger Woods in a PGA Championship and Mattiace to Mike Weir in a Masters.
Top 10 money winners on the Nationwide who might not be familiar include 30-year-old South African Garth Mulroy, 24-year-old Alex Prugh, 30-year-old Aussie Alistair Presnell and 23-year-old Martin Piller.
Given the buffet of talent and stories, pick somebody to follow.
The neat thing about being in the gallery at a Nationwide event is the proximity to the players. Periscopes are not needed and a fan in the right place can eavesdrop on a player-caddy discussion.
Pairings sheet in hand, fall in with a threesome starting on No. 1, follow along for five holes, and be prepared to switch to a group going down No. 11, or teeing off on No. 13. Walking with a trio that begins on No. 10, you can bail on them on No. 17 tee.
Well-placed electronic scoreboards identify the leaders for pursuit and perusal.
——-
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
