To describe Nick Watney’s rise to prominence in 2009 as meteoric would not do it
sufficient justice.
A standout player while at Fresno State University, where he was the number one ranked
college player in the United States during his senior year, Watney turned professional in
2003 and first won his PGA Tour playing privileges by finishing fourth on the Nationwide
Tour money list in 2004.
Having finished outside of the qualifying 125 places on the PGA Tour money list in his
rookie year, 2005, Watney returned to the Tour School and emerged with a better status for
the tour in 2006 as a result. In his second year on tour, he gave a glimpse of
‘belonging’, finishing in 75th place and securing six confidence-boosting top-10
finishes.
His breakthrough first tour win would follow a year later, when he triumphed at the
Zurich Classic of New Orleans at the relatively tender age of 25, a win that brought him a
pay cheque of more than a million dollars and first-time entry into the US Open, Open
Championship and PGA Championships of that year.
In 2008, the sceptics were given fuel to the argument that his victory was a
flash-in-the-pan, as Watney slumped to 121st on the money list last year, despite making
the cut in 21 of the 27 tournaments that he entered. They couldn’t have been more
wrong.
In the past 12 months, Watney has confirmed that he is here to stay and has the game to
take on the best the world has to offer, with his second victory coming in the most
emphatic style at the Buick Invitational.
A one-shot winner over John Rollins, Watney took the lead for the first time in the
tournament with his birdie putt on the 72nd hole, his second birdie in the final three
holes. Earlier, he had rolled in a 40-footer for birdie at the 16th to tie Rollins, before
calmly reaching the par-5 18th green in two shots and two-putting for the win.
Given his form that week, it was hardly surprising that he was able to putt his way to
victory on the final hole. He was the only player in the field not to have a three-putt in
the tournament, as well as being the only player to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. His
putting consistency is certainly a characteristic that will serve him well at Sun City in
his first Nedbank Golf Challenge appearance.
Apart from getting his second win under the belt, Watney significantly produced top-10
performances in other events with traditionally strong fields, none more so than at the
WGC-CA Championship, where his putt on the final green to tie with Phil Mickelson fell one
agonising roll short of the hole.
He also finished tied for fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and tied
for sixth at The Barclays, one of the FedEx Cup playoff events with the added pressure of
large cuts being made after each of the three tournaments leading up to the season-ending
Tour Championship.
His strong showing at The Barclays ensured his first participation at the Tour
Championship, in which he finished tied for 13th place. This in turn saw him finish 12th
in the final FedEx Cup standings with earnings for the year of more than $3 million and
the respect of his fellow professionals. | 
