Darron Stiles hopes to make it big at the Stadion Classic on the Nationwide Tour – Golf update
One of the most accomplished golfers on the Nationwide Tour and all time Money Leader, Darron Stiles, is sailing smoothly at the start of the season and is all set to win in the upcoming events of the season. The 37-year-old has made three cuts in the five
opening tournaments and he has not dropped any lower than tied for 13th. Stiles is currently ranked seventh on the Money List just behind Bubba Dickerson.
Stiles graduated from Florida Southern College and has been participating on the tour since 1997. He has earned around $1.5 million during his stellar career on the tour.
The golfer added, "It means I've been out here awhile," said Stiles. "It's hard to believe my first year out on the Nationwide was in 1997. That's a long time ago."
Stiles was only able to make eight cuts in 26 events in his first year on the tour. Things, after that, have gradually improved. The veteran golfer considers 2011 as a good year so far and insists that there’s still lot to come.
"We are only five tournaments in," he said in a stern tone. "There's a long way to go."
Stiles has four wins on the tour, most of which came in his prime years of 1999 to 2006. He last won on the tour in 2006 at the Rheem Classic. He also won the 2008 HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship but the victory is not considered official as the match
had to be shortened in the wake of heavy downpour. His first win on the tour came at the Nike Dominion Open. He won next year’s BUY.COM Tri-Cities Open followed by the Knoxville Open in 2002.
This year, Stiles started off as the last player in the field at the Panama Claro Championship and finished tied for second. He finished tied for eighth at the rain-wrecked Pacific Rubiales Bogota Open afterwards.
"I barely got into the field in that first tournament," Stiles said. "In fact, I think I was the last player in the field so that just shows you what can happen if you get that chance."
Stiles lives in Pinehurst with his wife Kim and their two children and also had to undergo a surgery to remove a cancerous jaw in 1999. He always starts off the season with high hopes of making it to the top. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2007 when he finished
tied for 16th at the Qualifying School in 2006 but returned shortly afterwards.
With all the young guns coming out with their mile long shots, Stiles is having a tough time keeping up with the young guns. His tee shot in 1998 hardly ever broke the 300 mark and his average yardage was 298.3.
Though the experienced golfer was not able to fetch an impressive finish at the first round of Stadion Classic with his three-over, 74, he is still keeping his hopes high for the rest of the rounds.
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