VALDOSTA, Ga. -- The Nationwide Tour returns to Valdosta for the second consecutive season for the South Georgia Classic this week. With the help of strong presenting sponsors such as the First State Bank and Trust Co. and the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia, dba South Georgia Medical Center, the second-year South Georgia Classic has upped its overall purse to $625,000. Sunday's winner will take home a hefty $112,500.

This is the second Georgia event of 2008. Two weeks ago, the Nationwide Tour was in the Athens suburb of Bogart for the Athens Regional Foundation Classic. John Kimbell won his lone Nationwide Tour title when he was victorious last year in Valdosta. He will defend his title this week.

The par-72 Kinderlou Forest Golf Club will host the ninth tournament of the season. At 7,781 yards, it represents the longest course to host a PGA TOUR or Nationwide Tour event. A year ago, Kinderlou ranked as the sixth-toughest course on Tour, with a 73.55 stroke average.

Kinderlou was recently ranked No. 14 on Golfweek's "Best Courses You Can Play." Prior to 2007, the longest course to host a Nationwide Tour event was the 7,702-yard Whistle Bear Golf Club, which hosted Jon Mills' three-stroke victory over Ken Duke at the 2005 Canadian PGA Championship.

Ten players on the South Georgia Classic field list participated in last week's EDS Byron Nelson Championship on the PGA TOUR. Those players were Brad Adamonis (cut), Steve Allan (cut), Michael Bradley (tied for 27th), Paul Claxton (cut), Brad Elder (76th), Jeff Gove (tied for 13th), Ryan Palmer (cut), Travis Perkins (cut), Michael Sim (tied for 57th) and Bob Sowards (cut).

A year ago, north Georgia native John Kimbell arrived in Valdosta to play in his ninth career Nationwide Tour event and departed with the biggest win of a career, a one-shot victory over Australia's Matt Jones. The win was worth $108,000. Kimbell, who didn't begin his golf career until he'd turned 22, was already familiar with the Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, having won his third NGA Hooters Tour title at the same site in September of 2006.

It has been a tale of two careers heading in the opposite direction since John Kimbell clipped Matt Jones by a stroke in 2007. Kimbell struggled the rest of the year, adding just one additional top-10 finish. He missed 14 cuts after the South Georgia Classic and eventually finished 37th on the money list. He is once again off to a slow start in 2008 (98th in money).

As for Jones, his runner-up finish in Valdosta was one of four second-place finishes in 2007. He eventually finished seventh on the money list and was one of "The 25" who earned their 2008 PGA TOUR cards. He has been solid so far on TOUR, tallying four top-25 finishes and ranking inside the top 70 on both the FedExCup points list and the official money list.

With the exception of Chitimacha Louisiana Open champion Gavin Coles, every winner on the Nationwide Tour is scheduled to tee it up this week, including Scott Dunlap, Jarrod Lyle, Darron Stiles, Ewan Porter, Aron Price, Patrick Damron and last week's winner Greg Chalmers.

The four sponsor's exemptions for the tournament all hold ties to the state of Georgia or border-state South Carolina. They are Blake Adams (resident of Eatonton, Ga., and a Georgia Southern University product); Brendon Todd (former University of Georgia All-American); Matt Weibring (former Georgia Tech All-American); and Adam Hart (former golf standout at Francis Marion University and native of Blythewood, S.C.).

One of the favorites this week will be 23-year-old Casey Wittenberg, who may be the most consistent player on the Tour in 2008. He is the only player to make all eight cuts this year and is ranked inside the top 25 in seven Tour statistical categories.

In Athens the 2003 U.S. Amateur runner-up (to Nick Flanagan) enjoyed his first Nationwide Tour top-10 finish in 19 career starts, a tie for third, which has helped him move to No. 14 on the money list. Wittenberg, who turned pro following an abbreviated stint at Oklahoma State where he earned second team All-American honors in 2004, appears to be turning the corner after a slow start to his professional career.

Copyright 2008 PGA.com. All rights reserved.