Ticke t to PGA Tour in Johnson's grasp

Not long ago, Kevin Johnson of Pembroke said he considered giving up professional Golf and finding other employment, probably in the financial sector with his degree from Clemson. Good thing he didn't make the move, because his next might be to the PGA Tour . Johnson's win at the Nationwide Tour's Knoxville Open last weekend, his second in three starts, all but guarantees him a spot on the 2010 PGA Tour , because his $253,445 in earnings will almost certainly be enough to finish in the top 25 at the end of the season - even if Johnson doesn't make another dime. He's No. 2 on the money list, and the top 25 at year's end get spots on next year's PGA Tour . But Johnson, 42, might not feel like waiting. Anyone who wins three Nationwide Tour events in a season gets an instant promotion to the PGA Tour, so if he wins this week's Fort Smith Classic in Arkansas, Johnson might be headed to Connecticut next week for the Travelers Championship, instead of the Nationwide stop in West Virginia. ``I'm enjoying it. This is the most fun I've had since I turned pro,'' Johnson said. ``Fortunately, I'm on a good roll and things are happening, but I'm trying to keep a big-picture look at it. ``If I win three, that would be great. I would love to go out and play on the PGA Tour, but I'm not going to put pressure on myself. I don't want to just be better for next week, I want to keep getting better three months from now, six months from now.'' Few people in Golf, on any tour, are playing better. Johnson's last six starts: win, tie for 12th, win, tie for 19th, tie for ninth, tie for 15th. In those six events, he's a combined 74 under par, with 13 of his last 16 rounds under 70. ``All the hard work you put in pays off when you play well,'' Johnson said. ``I could go get a 9-to-5 job and be a lot worse off. This is where a lot of guys would want to be.'' Most guys want to be on the PGA Tour, a place Johnson has spent just one season, in 2001. He's either one win or seven months away from going back. Stars won't be out In a time when professional Golf is fighting to maintain tournament sponsors and attract additional fans, it's important to have the best players at the best events. Which is why the US Golf Association, the LPGA Tour, and NBC must be crying this week after Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis failed to qualify for the US Women's Open. Two of the most recognizable faces in women's Golf not playing in the national championship? Quite a shame. The average Golf fan probably can't name too many LPGA Tour players, but they'd certainly know Wie and Gulbis. The Women's Open (July 9-12) will produce interesting stories at Saucon Valley in Bethlehem, Pa., but it'll definitely be lacking some star power . . . Ignorance was indeed bliss Sunday at the LPGA Championship. Playing in just her fifth professional tournament, 22-year-old rookie Anna Nordqvist never left the leaderboard, opening with 66, closing with 68, and winning by four shots for her first LPGA Tour victory. The uncertainty of the event - McDonald's is ending its sponsorship this year, so the tour is looking for a new sponsor and a new venue - was the story most of the week, but Nordqvist made sure the Golf was at a high level. She's the second consecutive rookie to make the LPGA Championship her first tour victory; Yani Tseng won last year as a 19-year-old. Stars will be out Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, Celtics star Ray Allen, and actor Luke Wilson are just a few of the big names expected to participate in the Travelers Championship Celebrity Pro-Am Wednesday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. Other celebrities scheduled to play include Roger Staubach and actors Joe Pesci, Aidan Quinn, Rob Morrow, and James Naughton . . . US Amateur champion Danny Lee (who turned pro after the Masters) and a pair of college players - Clemson's Kyle Stanley and Rickie Fowler of Oklahoma State - have been given sponsor's exemptions into the Travelers. In case you're wondering, John Daly did not request an exemption. He's focusing on playing European Tour events this year, and is scheduled to play the BMW International Open in Germany next week. Some Classic cases With Daly back from a six-month PGA Tour suspension and Phil Mickelson back for the first time since his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, last week's St. Jude Classic had plenty to offer. Neither Daly nor Mickelson, who both tied for 59th, did much in their returns. That opened the door for Brian Gay, who had perhaps as much at stake as anyone. Needing a win to qualify for the US Open, Gay went wire to wire, winning by five strokes. When he's on, he's like a thoroughbred running away from the pack down the stretch. Gay has won twice on the PGA Tour, both coming this year. He captured the Heritage in Hilton Head by a whopping 10 strokes. He must like the carefree stroll up the 18th fairway on Sunday with a big lead; only Geoff Ogilvy (six-shot win at the season-opening Mercedes) has won a tour event this year by more than five shots.