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 Rickie Fowler is playing in front of hometown fans at the Soboba Classic (PHOTO: Getty Images). Read a complete preview of the tournament here. Here are five things to watch throughout tournament week: 1. How will Fowler fare? Southland Golf has covered Rickie Fowler ad nauseam this year, and with good reason — the 20-year-old Murrieta native is one of the most talented amateurs to come onto the scene in quite some time. After making history by winning both Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year in his debut campaign at Oklahoma State, he enjoyed another solid collegiate season in 2008-09 and then had a superb summer, nearly becoming the second amateur to ever win a Nationwide Tour event and capping his non-professional career with an undefeated run for the United States in the Walker Cup. Even though Fowler missed the cut in his professional debut at the Albertsons Boise Open last month, that event came quickly off the heels of the Walker Cup — with a bit more rest and the support of local friends and family, he could be poised for a much stronger finish in his second professional start. 2. How low can they go? Come Sunday’s final round, don’t be surprised to see a few guys at 20-under par or better battling for the title. Architect Cary Bickler did a good job of making the Country Club at Soboba Springs more pleasing to the eye with his renovation a few years back — but besides some added length, the layout isn’t about to be confused with a U.S. Open track. Plus, the weather forecast for the week figures to be perfectly sunny without the brutal Inland Empire winds that can sometimes pop up. Throw in the Nationwide Tour’s recent penchant for hosting birdie-fests (in the last eight tournaments, the highest winning score relative to par was 14-under), and expect to see lots of red all week at Soboba Springs. 3. Twenty-five guys to watch Almost every player inside the top 70 on the Nationwide Tour money list is in the field at the Soboba Classic. There are local players who have already locked up their 2010 PGA Tour cards, wily veterans trying to regain their PGA Tour status and youngsters who have the game to win in any given week. Check out 25 players to watch here. 4. Can anyone catch Michael Sim? New Zealand native Michael Sim has already engineered one of the greatest seasons in Nationwide Tour history, racking up a record $527,079 in winnings and earning a Battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour thanks to three victories — a promotion he’s taking advantage of for the first time this week at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. But just because he’s already qualified for the PGA Tour in 2010 doesn’t mean he’ll end the 2009 season as the No. 1 money winner on the Nationwide Tour. Plenty of players can still catch him, including Blake Admas ($369,499), Torrance native Chris Tidland ($336,572) and Tom Gillis ($335,429), Nos. 2-4 on the money list. The $180,000 prize for the Soboba Classic victor would go a long way to solidifying the No. 1 spot, an honor that includes more premium tournament admission status on the PGA Tour in 2010m not to mention an exemption into the 2010 Players Championship and a chance to play for the most lucrative purse in the world. 5. Can a big name resurface? Quick — what do Skip Kendall, J.L. Lewis, Paul Stankowski, Len Mattiace, Robert Damron, Steve Pate and Omar Uresti have in common? They’ve each played in at least 300 PGA Tour events — and each is in the field for the Soboba Classic. None of these veterans is in prime position to reclaim a PGA Tour card (at No. 50 on the money list, Kendall is the highest-ranked player of the bunch), but it’s possible any of them could get hot at Soboba Springs. |
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