2007 Season Features A Record 32 Events in Four Countries and 23 States and Record $18 Million in Prize Money
(Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) – The 18th season of the PGA TOUR’s Nationwide Tour will begin one week from today in Panama City, Panama with the Movistar Panama Championship. The 72-hole championship will launch the Nationwide Tour season Jan. 25-28 for the fourth year in a row at Panama Golf Club. The purse is $550,000 with a first prize of $99,000. Tripp Isenhour won the event in 2006.
Two weeks after the Movistar Panama Championship, the Tour moves to Australia and New Zealand for its second and third events of the 2007 season. The Jacob’s Creek Open Championship will be hosted by Kooyonga Golf Club near Adelaide, South Australia, Feb. 15-18. It’s then on to Christchurch, New Zealand and Clearwater Golf Club for the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, Feb. 22-25. Both events are being played for the sixth time at their respective host sites and will air on GOLF CHANNEL.
The domestic portion of the Tour begins March 22-25 in Broussard, LA near Lafayette with the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Industries. From this tournament until the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek near San Diego, CA on Nov. 1-4, the Nationwide Tour will play every week but four, visiting 23 states.
The 2007 schedule features a record 32 events and record prize money of nearly $18 million, an increase of more than $1 million over 2006. The average purse of $560,000 is also a record figure for the Nationwide Tour. Fifteen tournaments will be televised on GOLF CHANNEL.
The foundation of the Nationwide Tour is particularly strong. Last November, Nationwide and the PGA TOUR announced an extension of the Nationwide umbrella sponsorship through 2012. Nationwide Tour tournaments continue to grow and positively impact the communities they are played in and the competition has never been stronger.
About the Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is owned and operated by the PGA TOUR from its Ponte Vedra Beach, FL headquarters. It is a direct extension of the PGA TOUR and its mission is to identify and transition its best players to the PGA TOUR. Launched in 1990, the Tour has grown from a minor league developmental tour into one of the most competitive tours in the world. It features 32 tournaments and a record $18 million in prize money in 2007. Each year the top 25 players on the money list become eligible to play on the PGA TOUR. Through the 2006 season the Nationwide Tour has sent nearly 500 players to the PGA TOUR with 89 recording at least one TOUR victory and the group, collectively, winning 196 events, including ten major championships. Sixty-five percent of current PGA TOUR members have played on the Nationwide Tour. It has produced 28 Ryder Cup and 32 Presidents Cup team members, with nine former players, including captain Tom Lehman, representing the U.S. in the 2006 Ryder Cup. Nationwide has been the umbrella sponsor of the Tour since 2003 and recently extended through 2012. In addition to providing competitive playing opportunities for its membership, the Nationwide Tour and its tournaments are dedicated to raising money for charities in the communities in which it plays. Bill Calfee is president of the Nationwide Tour. Its web site is located at PGATOUR.com.
About Nationwide
Nationwide, based in Columbus, OH, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $157 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks No. 98 on the Fortune 100 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, homeowners, life, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mutual funds, pensions and long-term savings plans. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.
Nationwide and the Nationwide Framework are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. On Your Side is a service of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.
Contact:
Jeff Adams
Director of Communications
Nationwide Tour
Tel: 904-273-3397
Email: jadams@pgatourhq.com
