The proving grounds: Ralston Creek Course gears up for PalmettoPride Classic.

Thompson and Hendrix, in between tour stops, were in town last week to promote the PalmettoPride Classic at a special media event held at the newly renovated Daniel Island Country Club. They were joined by South Carolina Sen. David Thomas, Nationwide Tour Chief of Operations Bill Calfee, and PalmettoPride Classic Executive Director Kevin Canning.

"Either one of these two, if they win this tournament, will be going to the PGA," said Thomas, who sat in between Thompson and Hendrix. "I expect to see both of these gentlemen on my left and my right, not only be playing in the PGA, but I expect them to be whipping Tiger Woods consistently."

The PalmettoPride Classic, to be held Oct. 16 – 22, is indeed a stepping stone for the 144 players on the Nationwide Tour as they jockey to earn a PGA spot. According to tour officials, about 65 percent of the players on the PGA Tour have had Nationwide Tour experience. The Champions Tour, another PGA event, is for players aged 50 and up.

"We started the Nationwide Tour 17 years ago for two reasons," explained Calfee. "To give developing young players an opportunity to work on their games and get to the PGA Tour level…and secondly, and just as importantly, to give players who are in their middle 40s, who weren’t old enough yet to play in the Champions Tour, an opportunity to play in a competitive atmosphere where they could continue to keep their skills honed."

It may have started out as a "developmental, transitional golfing event" said Calfee, but it has changed dramatically over the years.

"Today this tour is really a highly competitive tour that stands on its own legs," he added.

The PalmettoPride Classic, the 29th event on the Nationwide Tour calendar for 2006, is poised to be one of the most pivotal events of the year. It offers a $500,000 total purse, with the winner earning $90,000.

"One of the exciting things about this tournament is that as we wind down the end of the season, the top 20 money winners on the Nationwide Tour automatically get their

PGA Tour card," he said. "We’re getting down to the last week or two of the official money year, so there is a lot riding on (this event)."

Thompson has been part of the Nationwide Tour for three years and at press time held the 53rd position with $94,796 in Tour money. A PGA Tour card within his reach, the Panama City, Florida native is eager to hit the greens on the Ralston Creek Course.

"This tournament has been the talk of our tour for a few months now," said Thompson, a University of South Carolina graduate with a record-breaking five collegiate tournament wins. "…We’ve got some amazing talent on the tour. I think nine out of 12 guys who played in the Ryder Cup this year played in the Nationwide Tour. These guys who come out and play in a few weeks at your club here, you’re going to see them on TV next year, so I think it’s going to be a really great event and I’m really looking forward to playing."

For Hendrix, a Clemson graduate and a rookie in this year’s Nationwide Tour with eight Top 25 finishes, golfing continues to offer valuable lessons.

"Now that I’ve gotten the experience of a full year of playing, I really do see that this tour is so talented," said Hendrix, an Aiken, South Carolina native who is currently in the 64th Tour position with $80,966 in tour money. "When you get on the range and on one side you have a four time PGA winner and a former Ryder Cupper on the other, it’s definitely a wake-up call. It really taught me how to understand there’s really a lot more to golf than what you’ve learned growing up and the learning just continues every day."

That education will be even further enhanced when the players hit the Ralston Creek Course in mid-October. The Rees Jones-designed layout, a par-72 course playing 7,446 yards from the championship tees, has already earned a reputation in the golfing community for its challenging bunkers and demand for "intelligent management" of the game.

"The club pros were in here yesterday and played," said Thomas to members of the media, who would soon get a chance to play the course. "They found out the hard way that this was not an easy course. This is, as you will find out, a difficult course."

"It’s not an easy test for golf," added Greg Keating, general manager of the Daniel Island Club. "These (Nationwide Tour players) are so good that they’re going to score well I’m sure, but I think the golf course will hold itself up. Obviously I’m very biased, but I think this is one of the best venues that they play."

With PalmettoPride Classic preparations in full swing, Canning and crew have been busy working to secure sponsorships and finalize details for the event. Both Trident Health System and Saturn of Charleston have signed on as co-sponsors. A host of other businesses, organizations and individuals have also joined in to show their support. Among them, state representative and Daniel Island resident Jim Merrill, who Canning describes as a "huge proponent" of the tournament.

"One thing we needed was a little bit of additional funding for advertising and marketing," said Merrill, who was also in attendance at the press conference. "Through the competitive grant process we were able to come up with about a quarter of a million dollars…I think more than anything, PalmettoPride (South Carolina’s non-profit state beautification program) sees this as an opportunity to increase awareness about them and to get sponsors to be affiliated with something that is well thought of."

Although the PalmettoPride Classic must compete for sponsorship dollars with other Charleston-area golfing events (a possible return of the Ryder Cup, the Senior PGA at Kiawah, and the LPGA at Rivertowne Country Club), Merrill is confident there is enough financial support to go around.

"There is certainly a competition for sponsorships and money, but when all is said and done, the community rallies around the things that are here."

Organizers hope that rallying will also include fans who plan to catch the action from the sidelines during the weeklong tournament. In addition, members of the public will have an opportunity to play alongside Nationwide Tour players during the Pro-Am Tournament, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 18. For information on ticket packages for the PalmettoPride Classic or registration for the Pro-Am, call 471-2501, or visit the tournament Web site at www.palmettopride.com.