Nathan’s first event on the USPGA Tour was at the Sony Open in Hawaii and
despite the fact that he had not been all that happy with his form leading into
the tournament, he provided himself with a great boost of confidence and self
belief when he finished fifth behind David Toms. His last round of 64 when
playing with Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh giving him the sense of ‘belonging’ on a
Tour that had been his ‘holy grail’ until then.
If his start in Hawaii had been good, then two weeks later at the Buick
Invitational, at the demanding Torrey Pines, Nathan was again in the mix going
into the final round and again he would outplay his more illustrious playing
partner Phil Mickelson to join Tiger Woods and Jose Maria Olazabal in a playoff
for the title. Going for the green at the first hole of the playoff was a bold
move but he was in a position to do so having been the only member of the trio
to hit the fairway at the first extra hole. He missed the green left and when he
took six he was out of the playoff, which Woods went on to win.
While disappointed there was plenty of reason for joy however as Nathan had,
within just two tournaments, earned enough to be assured of his 2007 PGA Tour
card and now had the rest of the year to concentrate of putting together even
more good performances with out the pressure of survival.