Notah Finishes 9th at Buick Championship - Monday, July 03, 2006

CROMWELL, Conn. -- His final-round 69 at the Buick Championship was just enough to earn Notah Begay III his first Top 10 finish on the PGA Tour since the 2004 B.C. Open and entry into this week's Cialis Western Open.

Notah, who finished in a tie for 9th place, shot a 68 in the first round followed by a 66 and 71 before Sunday's final 18 holes.

Although he ended the 2nd round in a tie for 3rd place at 6-under, Notah spent a significant part of the day on top of the leaderboard after his solid early round.

"I was not figuring on leading the tournament (Friday)," Notah told the Waterbury (Conn.) Republican-American newspaper after his 2nd round, "I just know that I had not made a cut this year, and I wanted to."

Now 5-1 versus the cut at the Buick Championship, this was the first cut made in five 2006 PGA Tour events.

Notah earned $101,828.57, which places him at No. 189 on the 2006 PGA Tour money list. The Top 125 at the end of the season earn exempt status for the next season.