This past week on the Nationwide Tour, Chris Nallen captured victory in his first ever event on that Tour. The former four-time All-American from the University of Arizona was a Monday qualifier who lead from start to finish at the Gila River Golf Classic.
You may ask yourself what does this have to do with my weekly column on college golf? A good question, which has an answer I hope to repeat over and over again in the years to come.
Since the debut of College Central presented by PING in February of 2003, Chris Nallen is the first player we have showcased on the program who has gone on to win on either the PGA, LPGA or Nationwide Tour. While keeping everyone up to date on what the college game has to offer, College Central is every bit as important in introducing fans of the game to the players they will see at the professional level.
Nallen concluded his days in Tucson with a runner-up finish to Ryan Moore at the NCAA finals, and was a co-host along with Bill Haas of our tour of The Homestead, the site of that event.
Reserved and quiet on the outside, Nallen has a burning desire to succeed on the golf course. A native of New Jersey, Chris made the journey west to spend his days as a collegian. While teammate Ricky Barnes garnered most of the attention, Nallen methodically went about his business while putting up numbers better than Barnes.
I have been fortunate enough to spend time with Chris, as we were partners in the college-am of the 2003 Palmer Cup. While watching him blossom into one of the greats from the college game, Nallens passive appearance always struck me as being one of his finest attributes. While every player wants to do his best, it is usually only those who have a control of their emotions who ultimately make it to the highest level.
Well, I am here to tell you, Chris Nallen has the physical and mental tools to be a force on Tour. Lets hope his win this past week is the first of many from our College Central graduates.
A program reminder, join Jennifer Mills and me Wednesday, at our new time 8:30 p.m. ET.
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