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 With the greatest players in the world competing in arguably the biggest of the four majors, you couldn't blame fans for not thinking twice - or even once - about a Nationwide Tour event in Byron, Minnesota. But for two golfers with strong Southern California ties, the Rochester Area Charities Showdown was the biggest event in the world. Rancho Santa Fe's Jamie Lovemark - now a freshman at USC - and San Diego native Chris Riley - who calls Las Vegas home - waged a furious battle on the final day, with Riley forcing a playoff with the hard-charging Lovemark before winning on the second playoff hole. It's a fascinating story both because of where these golfers are from, but also where they've been, and where they might be going. Riley has had his share of professional success and disappointments, having seen his career weirdly stall after a gloriously promising start. A great junior golfer in San Diego, he graduated from UNLV in 1996 and joined the PGA Tour in 1999. He earned more than $2 million in both 2002 and 2003, and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team. But after finishing fourth in the PGA Championship in 2004, and a rather forgettable Ryder Cup experience, Riley seemed to disappear, missing cuts and finishing higher than 25th only six times in 52 tries in 2005 and 2006. This year, Riley, 33, is playing with conditional status on the PGA Tour. In six events, his highest finish has been 18th. But his victory in only his second Nationwide tour event of the season netted him $90,000 and places him in the top 25 on that tour's money list. Lovemark, on the other hand, is still an amateur. But it's only a matter of time before he's playing on tour. A product of Torrey Pines High School, Lovemark was one of the country's top-rated junior golfers before enrolling at USC in 2006. The freshman won the NCAA title two weeks before the Nation-wide Tour event, and was the 2007 NCAA player of the year. He's played in two PGA Tour events as an amateur, making the cut in both the 2006 Western Open and the 2007 Buick Invitational, in which he tied for 39th. And he nearly became the first amateur ever to win on the Nationwide Tour by shooting a blistering 65 on the final day to force a playoff with Riley. He missed a short putt on the first playoff hole that would have given him the victory and just missed a 25-foot par on the second playoff hole that gave Riley the title. Still, it was the highest finish ever by an amateur on the Nationwide Tour. It seems clear from the results that both players have reason to be optimistic and excited about the future. Who knows, if they keep up this level of play, maybe next year on Father's Day, these Southern California natives will be teeing it up at a course they're very familiar with: Torrey Pines, which hosts the 2008 U.S. Open. SG |
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