PGA Tour Pro Nick Watney

There is an old sports cliché that says a successful athletic career is determined by the number of championships you win. It's why the San Diego Chargers ran out of patience with Marty Schottenheimer. It's why basketball players like Karl Malone leave the team they have played with their whole career in hopes of a championship ring. It's why George Steinbrenner set out to build the best baseball team money could buy. And it's why Arnold, Jack, Tiger and Phil are so revered. The status and pride associated with winning is what drives coaches, owners and athletes. PGA Tour member Nick Watney is only 26 years old, and has already banked over $2 million in career earnings, yet Watney doesn't believe he has truly succeeded yet. The Sacramento area native has come close, but the win that he feels would make him successful continues to elude him.

“You should be judged by how many times you win,” Watney said earlier this year at the Nissan Open in Los Angeles. “I don't play for money. I mean the money is nice, but that's not why I'm out here.”

In an era where an athlete can earn millions weekly, Watney couldn't care less about the more than $2 million he has banked in career earnings. The millions resting safely in a Fresno bank would be much sweeter to him if he had earned it with a win. In his third year on tour, this 26-year-old said this season he is ready for more - he's ready to win.

“My first year I would be happy to make a cut, but this year I have my sights set a little higher.” Watney said.

The tall, soft-spoken blonde has an athletic look to him, making him look more like a quarterback than a golfer. Watney is humble, polite and tends to downplay his abilities. Despite never having won on tour, there is no doubt that he is talented, and his record shows it.

The three-time college All-American was ranked No. 1 in the country his senior year at Fresno State. While many players struggle to make cuts on the mini-tours, he spent only two years playing them before he won the Nationwide Tour Championship. In his first two seasons on the PGA Tour, Watney rarely struggled. A quick trip to Q-school after his rookie to earn a full-time exemption and he was back in business.

“Obviously he's extremely talented,” Tim Goodell, Watney's caddy said. “He's progressed dramatically. His mental game has really improved quite a bit, and obviously his physical game has too.”

Although it's never exactly easy to compete with players like Tiger every week, Watney has managed to establish himself as a top up-and-coming player. A combination of the god-given talent Goodell mentioned, and the aid of famed swing coach Butch Harmon, has given Watney a swing that is getting his name on the leader boards.

“Butch Harmon has helped tremendously with some of the physical game the past two years,” Goodell said. “He's been hitting it so great ever since he started seeing Butch.”

Putting, however, is a different story for Watney. As of late February, Watney was ranked 19th in driving distance, fourth in greens in regulation percentage and first in total drives. But he was ranked only 153rd in putting average, and 127th in putts per round. Watney and Goodell both believe that putting could be holding him back.

“Definitely this year I have been putting awful. I hit the ball pretty well but just didn't make anything.” Watney said.

Towards the end of last season, Watney switched from cross-hand to conventional style putting. Watney made this switch after putting crosshanded for six years. Goodell said he had several good finishes last season with his new putting style, but it has been somewhat problematic for Watney this season.

“I think he's worked so hard on his physical game, on his ball striking, that we haven't worked as hard on the putting as we probably should have, and I think it shows.” Goodell said.

Later this year, the PGA Tour will return to Northern California when Fresno's Running Horse Country Club will host the Running Horse Championship. Watney, who settled in Fresno after graduating college in 2003, will have a home field advantage.

In the past, he typically has done well in California and Nevada events, and being in his own town may give him the push he needs.

“It will be really nice to be at home. I'll know the golf course better than anybody,” Watney said. “I'll definitely have a home course advantage, but it's just a matter of playing well.”

More than anything, Watney just wants to win. And whether he wins in his town or in anyone else's, a win is a win.

“Honestly, I'll take any win - Fresno, Japan, wherever.”