Notebook: Nationwide alumni succeed on PGA TOUR

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2007 NATIONWIDE TOUR GRAD JASON DAY WINS FIRST PGA TOUR EVENT: In July 2007, Jason Day became the youngest winner in Nationwide Tour history at age 19 years, 7 months and 26 days. On Sunday, he captured his first PGA TOUR win in the HP Byron Nelson Championship at age 22 years, 6 months and 11 days. The much-heralded youngster from Queensland, Australia has dealt with a variety of health issues since graduating from the Nationwide Tour to the PGA TOUR for the 2008 season. In his lone year on the Nationwide Tour, Day was often electric. During one five-tournament stretch he won in Cleveland, then finished T5, 2nd, T13 and 3rd. Cumulatively, he was 60-under-par for the five events. His 62-63 (-17) finish in the Cox Classic tied the Tour record for lowest back-to-back rounds.

DAY WIN IS NO. 274: Nationwide Tour alumni keep chalking up the wins. Jason Day's victory on Sunday in Dallas was the 274th time a former Tour member has won on the PGA TOUR. There have been 14 alumni winners in 22 TOUR events this year. Had Day not won, odds are it would have been another alumnus. All but two of the top-15 finishers were alumni, including the three runners-up, rookie Blake Adams, Brian Gay and Jeff Overton.

NATIONWIDE TOUR REACHES 1/3 MARK: With Sunday's conclusion of The Rex Hospital Open, the Nationwide Tour has now played 10 of its 29 scheduled events, effectively reaching the 1/3 mark in the 2010 season. A few stats:

• Kevin Chappell is the leading money winner, followed by Bobby Gates, Chris Kirk and Martin Piller. All are 25 or under. Their average age is 24.

• Kevin Chappell is the only player who leads in more than one Official Stat category -- Birdie Average (4.48), Eagles and All-Around Ranking.

• Scott Stallings leads in Driving Distance at 315.5.

• Chris Kirk leads in Greens In Regulation (78.57), Kent Jones in Scoring Average (69.22), Ron Whittaker in Driving Accuracy (84.24), Kyle Stanley in Total Driving and Fabian Gomez/Rob Oppenheim in Putting Average (1.682).

CHRIS NALLEN TURNING THINGS AROUND: New York native and four-time University of Arizona All-American Chris Nallen's runner-up in the rain-shortened (54 holes) Rex Hospital Open on Sunday was his first top five in his last 56 starts. The 28-year-old is inside "The 25" at No. 19 on the money list. A Nationwide Tour member since 2005 who has never secured his PGA TOUR card, Nallen has only missed one cut in his seven events this year. His much-improved play comes after a dismal 2009 season in which he missed the cut in 21 of 27 events. An avid New York Rangers fan, he made a stunning debut on the Nationwide Tour in the fall of 2004 when he became the first player in Tour history to Monday qualify and lead from start to finish, shooting 60 (-12) in the first round. He did so in the Gila River (Ariz.) Golf Classic at the age of 22.

CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL AT COLONIAL CONNECTIONS: Chris Tidland and Josh Teater, who finished 6th and 7th, respectively, on the 2009 Nationwide Tour money list, have been invited to play in this week's PGA TOUR event in Fort Worth, Texas as "Captains Choices". In a unique tradition, every year past champions of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial select two deserving young players to compete in the event who otherwise are not eligible. Former choices include Tom Weiskopf, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Mark O'Meara, Paul Azinger and Davis Love III.

In other Crowne Plaza news, Nationwide Tour rookie Kyle Stanley will be competing as a sponsor exemption. The two-time first-team All-American out of Clemson University received last year's Ben Hogan Award, which is presented annually at a dinner at Colonial Country Club during tournament week to a college golfer based on his collegiate and amateur results during the preceding 12 months. On Monday night, Canadian and University of Washington senior Nick Taylor was named the 2010 recipient.

PGA TOUR ROOKIE UPDATE: PGA TOUR rookies Alex Prugh and Josh Teater have made more cuts than any other rookies on TOUR this year. Prugh and Teater have both played in 15 events and made 10 cuts. Next in line are Blake Adams and Rickie Fowler with eight cuts made in 14 starts. Prugh, Teater and Adams all played their way onto the PGA TOUR this year via "The 25" on the Nationwide Tour last year. They finished 16th, 7th and 3rd, respectively, on the money list.

16-YEAR-OLD GRAYSON MURRAY MAKES REX CUT: Last week, Grayson Murray, a 16-year-old high school sophomore from Raleigh, N.C., became the second youngest player ever to make the cut in a Nationwide Tour event. Murray birdied five of his last seven holes to make The Rex Hospital Open cut on the number. He posted scores of 73-66-72-211 (-2) to finish T55 in the rain-shortened event won by John Riegger. Only Gipper Finau at 16 years, 20 days was younger when he played in Utah in 2006. Murray was exactly seven months older. The top-rated golfer in the high school class of 2012, he is bound for Wake Forest University in two years. Murray received his spot by winning The Rex Hospital Open's Junior Invitational, outlasting 88 high school boys and 12 girls in a 36-hole event. He shot 69-67-136.

MICHAEL SIM UPDATE: 2009 Nationwide Tour player of the year Michael Sim finished T23 over the weekend at the PGA TOUR's HP Byron Nelson Championship in his second start since having to skip several spring tournaments including the Masters and PLAYERS due to a shoulder problem. The 25-year-old Aussie missed the cut last week in San Antonio in his return start. Sim will be in Fort Worth, Texas this week.

MEXICO OPEN UPDATES: The name of the Nationwide Tour event in Mexico has been modified. The official new name is the "Mexico Open Bicentenary". The tournament's purse is now $600,000. The Mexico Open Bicentenary will be played June 24-27 at El Bosque Country Club in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, about 125 miles northwest of Mexico City.

UNDER ARMOUR ALIGNS WITH MELWOOD EVENT: With the recent addition of Under Armour as the presenting sponsor of the Nationwide Tour event in Maryland, the tournament has a new name. It is now the "Melwood Prince George's County Open presented by Under Armour".

BIRTHDAY BOYS: Celebrating birthdays this week are Todd Demsey of Scottsdale, Ariz. and Arizona State University (May 27/turns 38) and Nick Beach of Fayetteville, Ark. and the University of Arkansas (May 29th/29).

NEXT WEEK: The Melwood Prince George's County (Md.) Open presented by Under Armour moves to a new venue, the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Md. June 3-6.