Steele wins, PGA next

Brendan Steele, Idyllwild native, won his first and mort important Nationwide Tour tournament today. He captured the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island today in a four hole playoff with Colt Knost.

Steele was first or tied for first after each round of the tournament. He and Knost finished the fourth round tied at 275, 13 under par for 72 holes. It took another four holes before Steele could claim sole possession of the championship.

This victory and its purse jumped into the sixth highest money winner on the 2010 Nationwide Tour. The Top 25 winners earn the opportunity to compete in the Professional Golfers Association Tour in 2011.

Congrats, Brendan.

Brendan Steele run for the championship

Well, former Idyllwild native Brendan Steele is making quite a charge at becoming one of the newest members of the Professional Golf Tour.

For the past several years, Steele has been on the Nationwide Tour which is preparation for the PGA Tour. Each year, the top 25 money winners form the Nationwide Tour advance to the PGA. With one tournament left, Steele was number 30 on the Nationwide Tour's money leaders.

But this week, at the final Nationwide Tour of 2010 in Charleston, SC. Steele has lead the tourney from start through today. For 54 holes he has been number one.

Steele began today tied with two others for first place, but his seven under par performance was the best result of everyone today. He is now five strokes ahead of his challenger.

The Tour Championship at Daniel Island concludes tomorrow.

Steele Still Tied for Lead After Round Two

In his final tournament of the year on the Nationwide Tour and his final opportunity to break into “The 25” players who will qualify for the PGA Tour next year, Brendan Steele now is tied for the lead after the second of four rounds.

At the Daniel Island Club in Ralston, Charleston, South Carolina, he posted an early birdy, but later struggled with back-to-back bogies before closing his second round with a pair of birdies for a one-under-par 71.

To secure a position in The 25, Steele likely will need at least a top-ten finish—perhaps more likely a top-five—in this week’s $1,000,000 Nationwide Tour Championship, where the winner’s share is $180,000.

Steele tees off in the third round tomorrow, Saturday, at 9:25 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. His exploits may be followed on the Golf Channel from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. PDT. (with a recap from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) and online at http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/h045/.

Brendan Steele in Charleston

This just in from our golf correspondent, Jack Clark, somewhere in the mid-West.

Steele Tied for Lead After Round One

In his final tournament of the year on the Nationwide Tour and his final opportunity to break into “The 25” players who will qualify for the PGA Tour next year, Brendan Steele is tied for the lead after the first of four rounds.

At the Daniel Island Club in Ralston, Charleston, South Carolina, he opened today with a bogey-free, six-under-par 66.

Steele tees off in the second round tomorrow, Friday, at 9:20 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. His exploits may be followed on the Golf Channel from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. PDT. (with a recap from 6:30 p.m. to 8:20 p.m.) and online at http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboards/current/h045/.