NGA Tour's 2012 Player Advisory Board Features PGA, NWT Members, NGA Veterans & Newcomers
Myrtle Beach, SC, May 15, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Over the past 20 years, 100s of NGA Pro Golf Tour members have moved on to the Nationwide and PGA Tours but most say their days spent on the NGA Tour were some of the best of their lives.
This season, a couple of those graduates are relishing the opportunity to remain affiliated with the No. 1-rated developmental tour while still chasing their dreams at the upper echelon of the game.
PGA Tour member Michael Thompson, the 2010 NGA Tour Player of the Year, and Nationwide Tour member Philip Pettitt Jr., the 2009 NGA Rookie of the Year, will remain involved with the NGA Tour as members of the 2012 Player Advisory Board.
“I don’t want to play out there again, but I love the NGA Tour,” joked Pettitt Jr., who also served on the board in 2011. “It’s a great tour and I will do anything I can to help out. It’s a privilege to be on the board and I’m honored to be on it again.”
In 2010, Thompson, the former U.S. Amateur runner-up, racked up six top-10s, four top-5s and his first NGA win en route to POY honors.
“I loved my time on the NGA Tour,” said Thompson, “and I’m honored they asked me to serve on the board.”
With Thompson and Pettitt as part of the Board, the NGA hopes to further emulate the PGA and Nationwide Tour experience.
2012 NGA Player Advisory Board Members:
Paul Apyan (Hixson, Tenn.) - Apyan, a former Southern Miss Male Athlete of the Year Award winner joined the NGA Tour in 2011. This will be Apyan’s second stint on the Players Board after serving as a rookie in 2011.
Todd Bailey (Spanish Fort, Ala.) - Bailey has played in over 100 NGA events and captured four titles since graduating from South Alabama. Bailey has spent two seasons on the Nationwide Tour and is a five-time Alabama Open winner.
Ryan Blaum (Coral Gables, Fla.) - Blaum was an All-American at Duke University and has racked up three NGA wins and over $225,000 in winnings. Blaum has made starts on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and European Tour over the past six seasons.
Hudson Johnson (Longview, Texas) - Johnson has racked up two wins and six top-10s in 30 NGA starts. While at Vanderbilt, Johnson earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as well as making the Division I PING All-Southeast Region Team.
William Lanier (Augusta, Ga.) - Lanier has found success caddying on the PGA Tour for his former LSU teammate David Toms and Ben Martin, both NGA Tour alums, but decided this past year to pursue his own playing career once again.
Philip Pettitt Jr. (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) - Pettitt Jr. is a current Nationwide Tour member who won the NGA's Rookie of the Year in 2009, narrowly edging out PGA Tour star Keegan Bradley for the honor. Pettitt, a former All-SEC selection at the University of Tennessee, won twice on the NGA in 2011 and went on to earn his Nationwide Tour card at PGA Tour Q-School.
Nick Rousey (Pensacola, Fla.) - Rousey has made 125 starts on the NGA Tour, earning nearly $400,000, and winning the 2009 NGA Golf Achievement Award. In 2011 the former Alabama golfer earned 10 top-10s and won the Texas Honing Open by six shots. Rousey still holds the fifth-best career scoring average in Alabama's history. Rousey also played at Central Alabama, where he won back-to-back individual and team national championships.
Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) - Savage joined the NGA Tour in 2009 after an All-American career at FSU. Savage helped FSU claim its first ACC title and was the first player in school history to earn All-ACC honors three times. Savage also served on the Players Board in 2011.
Justin Smith (Franklin, Pa.) - In his rookie season, Smith picked up his first victory in just his ninth start and added two more wins before earning Nationwide Tour status in 2007. Smith also earned full NWT status in 2010. Smith was an All-American at the University of Minnesota where he led the Golden Gophers to the National Championship.
Michael Thompson (Birmingham, Ala.) - Thompson was the 2010 NGA Tour Player of the Year and is a current PGA Tour member. Thompson finished second in the 2007 U.S. Amateur and earned SEC Player of the Year honors in 2008 at the University of Alabama. In 2010, Thompson won twice and picked up eight top-10 finishes en route to POY honors. Thompson went on to earn his PGA Tour card at Q-School and has spent the past two seasons as a full time member of the PGA Tour.
This season, a couple of those graduates are relishing the opportunity to remain affiliated with the No. 1-rated developmental tour while still chasing their dreams at the upper echelon of the game.
PGA Tour member Michael Thompson, the 2010 NGA Tour Player of the Year, and Nationwide Tour member Philip Pettitt Jr., the 2009 NGA Rookie of the Year, will remain involved with the NGA Tour as members of the 2012 Player Advisory Board.
“I don’t want to play out there again, but I love the NGA Tour,” joked Pettitt Jr., who also served on the board in 2011. “It’s a great tour and I will do anything I can to help out. It’s a privilege to be on the board and I’m honored to be on it again.”
In 2010, Thompson, the former U.S. Amateur runner-up, racked up six top-10s, four top-5s and his first NGA win en route to POY honors.
“I loved my time on the NGA Tour,” said Thompson, “and I’m honored they asked me to serve on the board.”
With Thompson and Pettitt as part of the Board, the NGA hopes to further emulate the PGA and Nationwide Tour experience.
2012 NGA Player Advisory Board Members:
Paul Apyan (Hixson, Tenn.) - Apyan, a former Southern Miss Male Athlete of the Year Award winner joined the NGA Tour in 2011. This will be Apyan’s second stint on the Players Board after serving as a rookie in 2011.
Todd Bailey (Spanish Fort, Ala.) - Bailey has played in over 100 NGA events and captured four titles since graduating from South Alabama. Bailey has spent two seasons on the Nationwide Tour and is a five-time Alabama Open winner.
Ryan Blaum (Coral Gables, Fla.) - Blaum was an All-American at Duke University and has racked up three NGA wins and over $225,000 in winnings. Blaum has made starts on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and European Tour over the past six seasons.
Hudson Johnson (Longview, Texas) - Johnson has racked up two wins and six top-10s in 30 NGA starts. While at Vanderbilt, Johnson earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as well as making the Division I PING All-Southeast Region Team.
William Lanier (Augusta, Ga.) - Lanier has found success caddying on the PGA Tour for his former LSU teammate David Toms and Ben Martin, both NGA Tour alums, but decided this past year to pursue his own playing career once again.
Philip Pettitt Jr. (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) - Pettitt Jr. is a current Nationwide Tour member who won the NGA's Rookie of the Year in 2009, narrowly edging out PGA Tour star Keegan Bradley for the honor. Pettitt, a former All-SEC selection at the University of Tennessee, won twice on the NGA in 2011 and went on to earn his Nationwide Tour card at PGA Tour Q-School.
Nick Rousey (Pensacola, Fla.) - Rousey has made 125 starts on the NGA Tour, earning nearly $400,000, and winning the 2009 NGA Golf Achievement Award. In 2011 the former Alabama golfer earned 10 top-10s and won the Texas Honing Open by six shots. Rousey still holds the fifth-best career scoring average in Alabama's history. Rousey also played at Central Alabama, where he won back-to-back individual and team national championships.
Matt Savage (Louisville, Ky.) - Savage joined the NGA Tour in 2009 after an All-American career at FSU. Savage helped FSU claim its first ACC title and was the first player in school history to earn All-ACC honors three times. Savage also served on the Players Board in 2011.
Justin Smith (Franklin, Pa.) - In his rookie season, Smith picked up his first victory in just his ninth start and added two more wins before earning Nationwide Tour status in 2007. Smith also earned full NWT status in 2010. Smith was an All-American at the University of Minnesota where he led the Golden Gophers to the National Championship.
Michael Thompson (Birmingham, Ala.) - Thompson was the 2010 NGA Tour Player of the Year and is a current PGA Tour member. Thompson finished second in the 2007 U.S. Amateur and earned SEC Player of the Year honors in 2008 at the University of Alabama. In 2010, Thompson won twice and picked up eight top-10 finishes en route to POY honors. Thompson went on to earn his PGA Tour card at Q-School and has spent the past two seasons as a full time member of the PGA Tour.
Contact
NGA Pro Golf Tour
Ryan Waters
803-348-3045
www.ngatour.com
Ryan Waters
803-348-3045
www.ngatour.com
Contact
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