David Nowell has been here before.

Just never further.

"I've missed it by a couple of shots a couple of times," Nowell, the head golf pro at Santa Fe Country Club, says.

Six straight years. Six straight misses.

Lucky seven?

Maybe.

Nowell isn't talking about pro-ams.

He's talking about bragging rights for New Mexico and West Texas PGA Professionals.

On Monday, more than 40 club pros will compete in the Sun Country PGA Professionals Championship at Sandia Golf Club.

The 54-hole tournament will not only crown a winner, but will give the top three finishers a berth into next year's PGA Professional National Championship in Indiana.

That tournament was just completed a few weeks ago at Santa Ana Golf Club and Twin Warriors Golf Club. The winner, Mike Small from Illinois, received a $75,000 check from the $550,000 purse for first place along with a berth into the PGA Championship.

Not bad stakes for pros who teach more than they compete.

"It's fun because it's a different tournament," Nowell says. "It's just the pros, and we're playing for something cool. You finish in the top three and then you're going to the big one.

"This is one of the three or four a year that you get to take seriously. It's kind of like a major for us. Which is kind of fun."

With the summer being the busy season for pros, it doesn't allow much time for specific preparation for the tournament.

Here and there, Nowell has been out on the course, gearing up as much as he can for the two-day tournament.

"I play enough," he says. "I end up playing with members most of the time."

It's tough to compare the Santa Fe Country Club with Sandia Country Club as far as distance. Sandia is nearly 700 yards longer from the tips.

So Nowell says he's trying to simulate the distance difference as much as he can.

"What I'm working on is just hitting some different shots off the tee," Nowell says, "so I can have longer clubs into the green. Sandia is a long course. When I'm playing here, I hit driver-wedge or driver-nine iron. Over there, it's going to be driver-six iron or driver-five iron.

"So I'm doing different things like hitting irons out of the tee box."

Nowell and his colleagues may also want to practice standing out in the sun for five hours.

They'll play 36 holes on Monday, including an afternoon round. Temperatures in Albuquerque is expected to see temperatures upward of 98 degrees on Monday.

"We call the second 18 the crippler," Nowell says through a chuckle. "That usually spreads out the field pretty good."

Sun Country PGA Professional Championship

What: New Mexico and West Texas professionals compete for title and three berths into the 2010 PGA Professional National Championship
When: Monday, 8 a.m. Tuesday, 7:30 a.m.
Where: Sandia Golf Club, Albuquerque (Par 72, 7,772 yards from the tips)

Northern New Mexico entries
David Nowell, Santa Fe Country Club
Bob May, Las Campanas
Ryan Flamm, Las Campanas
Tom Velarde, Black Mesa
Tad Bourg, Taos Country Club
Dennis McCloskey, Los Alamos
Donnie Torres, Los Alamos