Notah Finishes Strong with a 64 - Monday, June 05, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. - He finished strong at The Rex Hospital Open on Sunday and Notah Begay III appears to be getting even stronger. Notah shot a tournament-best 64 in his final round to earn a tie for 22nd place at the Nationwide Tour event, held on the TPC at Wakefield Plantation.

The stellar round featured eight birdies to only one bogey - his lowest professional round since the former Stanford star carded a 62 at the 2004 B.C. Open. Now riding a streak of seven consecutive cuts made on the Nationwide Tour, Notah points to his good health as a major factor in his solid play.

"Now that my back is in stable condition I'm able to put in the practice hours necessary," Notah said. "Nonetheless, the desired results are a little ways off but certain parts of my game are progressing nicely.

"If you take a look at my driving stats this past week they've improved dramatically and that's a sign that I'm regaining some power. Now it's simply a matter of playing more tournaments and posting some low scores."

Since April, Notah has played in seven tour events. For the first five tournaments, he averaged 277.86 yards per drive. However, over the past two weeks, he averaged 312.65 - a 12.5-percent increase.

Also, at 312.65 yards per drive, Notah would be the second-longest hitter on the PGA Tour, just behind long man Bubba Watson at 319.4 yards.

Next up for the 4-time winner on the PGA Tour will be the La Salle Bank Open in Glenville, Ill. Be sure to check back with Notah.com to read this week's preview.