Nationwide Tour Now Web.com Tour
When the 2012 calendar was announced, everyone associated with pro golf’s “junior” tour
knew the end of June was going to bring with it
a new tournament locale.
But when play began Thursday outside
Evansville, Ind., for the inaugural United Leasing Championship, a new corporate sponsor-ship for the entire organization also was in
place. The Nationwide Tour had morphed into
the Web.com Tour.
The PGA Tour announced Wednesday it
had struck a 10-year agreement for Web.com
to become the umbrella sponsor for its “
proving ground” Tour. The transition took place
immediately.
The announcement was made jointly by
PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem,
Web.com Chairman David L. Brown and Bill
Calfee, the president of the newly christened
Web.com Tour.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Web.
com into the PGA Tour’s family of sponsors,”
Finchem said. “The Web.com Tour truly is an
extension of the PGA Tour and has proven to be
the most effective and consistent indicator of
future success on tour.”
Since 1990, golf’s version of a minor league
has served to develop players for the PGA Tour.
Each year, the top 25 money winners at the end
of the season have earned playing privileges for
the following season.
In March, the PGA Tour announced a new
qualifying structure that will begin with the
2013 season, in which all 50 new PGA Tour
membership cards will be awarded through the
Web.com Tour.
The fields for the final three Web.com events
of the season are to include the top 75 play-
ers on the Web.com Tour’s money list, as well
as the players ranked Nos. 126-200 on the
PGA Tour’s FedEx points list. The distribution
breakdown for the available 50 tour cards still
is being considered.
