Former Ryder Cupper Chris Riley returns to the Nationwide Tour this week. (WireImage)

After a week of rest, the Nationwide Tour resumes play in Sandy, Utah at the Utah Championship. With eight events remaining and so much on the line, including 25 PGA TOUR cards for 2008 and a top-60 spot for others, the field is stacked with 16 of the year's tournament winners.

For the ninth consecutive year, Willow Creek Country Club outside Salt Lake City will host the Nationwide Tour. Willow Creek Country Club, a 7,101-yard, par-72 layout, had the sixth lowest scoring average on the Nationwide Tour last year (70.965). The course played the easiest it has since the tournament made its debut on the schedule in 1999 (70.775).

It's not every week that a trio of brothers tees it up in a professional tour event, but that will be the case at Willow Creek this week with the Summerhays, Finau and Pappas siblings in the field. Utah native Daniel Summerhays, who became the first amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event (Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational/July), will be making his first start in his home state as a professional. Brother Boyd, a Nationwide Tour regular, joins him in the field for what amounts to a "home" game for the Salt Lake City-area residents.

Another pair of Utah natives, Tony and Gipper Finau, are in the field as a result of sponsor invitations. Both played last year as amateurs, with Gipper (16 years, 20 days) becoming the youngest player in Nationwide Tour history to make a cut. The long-hitting Finaus both turned professional earlier this year. Tony impressed World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer last month when they were paired together in a European Tour event.

South Africans Brenden and Deane Pappas, Nationwide Tour regulars, round out the brother tandems.

Also in the Utah Championship field is former U.S. Ryder Cup team member Chris Riley. Fully exempt on the PGA TOUR from 1999-2006, Riley is seeking to regain his status on the grand stage of the PGA TOUR. This week's Nationwide Tour start will be only his third of the season. His first two starts resulted in a T30 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Industries in March and a playoff win at the Rochester (MN) Area Charities Showdown at Somerby in June.

The 33-year-old Las Vegas native has two possible routes back to the PGA TOUR; a top-125 finish on the PGA TOUR or a top-25 finish on the Nationwide Tour. He is currently 175th on the PGA TOUR money list, $333,876 behind No. 125 Bill Haas. On the strength of his Rochester win, Riley is 47th on the latest Nationwide Tour list, almost $50,000 behind No. 25 John Kimbell.

Three of the four previous winners of the Utah Championship are now on the PGA TOUR, including this year's Master's champion, Zach Johnson (2003), and last week's runner-up at the Deutsche Bank Championship, Brett Wetterich (2004). At 10th and 22nd, respectively, Johnson and Wetterich are deep in the running for the FedExCup and its $10 million champion's bonus. Craig Kanada, last year's EnergySolutions champion, finished 103rd in the FedExCup standings.

Having reached the three-quarter mark in the season (24 of 32 events), many players are beginning to put their focus on the season-culminating Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek. Only the top-60 players on the money list will make it to the Nov. 1-4 season finale near San Diego, Calif. At the very least, a top-60 finish ensures 2008 Nationwide Tour playing privileges for those who finish outside THE 25 and do not earn a PGA TOUR card for 2008. Todd Fischer of Pleasanton, Calif., currently occupies the No. 60 spot by just $782 over Kelly Grunewald.

Not to be overlooked, of course, is the race for a spot in THE 25, with pressure mounting daily on those who are either just inside the 25th spot or on the outside looking in such as Wales' Richard Johnson, who is a mere $230 off John Kimbell's pace. It is estimated that a minimum of $195,000-$200,000 in earnings will be needed to secure one of the coveted 25 PGA TOUR cards for 2008.

Play begins on Thursday, with GOLF CHANNEL set to televise all four rounds.

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