Web.com Tour
The Web.com Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. Those who are on the top 25 of the money list at year's end are given PGA Tour memberships for the next season. Since the 2013 season, the Web.com Tour has been the dominant pathway for non-members to earn their PGA Tour card, and Q-School has been for entry onto the Web.com tour, not the PGA Tour as was previously the case.
History
Announced in early 1989 by PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman,[1] the "satellite tour" was formalized by the PGA Tour in 1990, originally named the Ben Hogan Tour, sponsored by the Ben Hogan Golf Company.[2][3][4] The first season of 1990 had 30 events, and the typical event purse was $100,000.[5] Late in the third year,[6] Nike acquired the title sponsorship and it became the Nike Tour for seven seasons (1993–99); with another sponsorship change it then became the Buy.com Tour for three seasons (2000–02).
Naming rights for the tour were purchased by Nationwide Insurance and it was renamed the Nationwide Tour for 2003. In 2007 there were 32 events, one each in Australia, New Zealand, and Panama, with the remainder in the United States. The events in Australia and New Zealand were co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia. Canada and Mexico have hosted events since 2008, and Colombia hosted an event since 2010. Purses in 2010 ranged from $500,000 to $1 million, about one-tenth of the level on the PGA Tour.
After 9 1⁄2 seasons as the Nationwide Tour, Web.com was announced as the new title sponsor in late June 2012. Effective immediately, with a 10-year sponsorship deal, the tour's name was changed in mid-season.[7]
Rules and results
All Web.com Tour tournaments operate similarly to typical PGA Tour tournaments in that they are all 72-hole stroke play events with a cut made after 36 holes. The cut on the Web.com Tour is for the top 60 players and ties, unlike 70 for the PGA Tour. The fields are usually 144 or 156 players, depending on time of year (and available daylight hours). For the aforementioned international events, the joint tour will split players spots with the Web.com Tour for proper sanctioning. As with the PGA Tour, the winner of the tournament will get a prize of 18% of the total purse.
Since this tour is a developmental tour, players are usually vying to play well enough to gain status on the PGA Tour.
Until 2012, there were a number of ways of getting onto the Web.com Tour: Top 50 golfers at qualifying school after the top 25 and ties, those who finished between 26th and 60th on the previous year's money list, 126–150th on the previous season's PGA Tour money list, and those who were formerly fully exempt on the PGA Tour in the recent past. Those without status can also earn enough to exceed 100th on the previous season's money list and earned unlimited exemptions for the remainder of the season. Around 14 open qualifying spots are given during the Monday of tournament week, and those who finished in the top 25 of a Web.com event are automatically exempt into the next tournament. If a Monday morning qualifier wins an event, they will earn full-exempt status for the remainder of the season. Past PGA Tour winners aged 48 and 49 can play on the Web.com Tour on an increased basis to prepare themselves for the Champions Tour, while former PGA Tour winners with limited status use the Web.com Tour as a way to get back to the main tour.
In 2007 Paul Claxton became the first man to reach US$1 million in Web.com Tour career earnings.[8]
The Web.com Tour offers Official World Golf Ranking points. The winner earns a minimum of 14 OWGR points (provided at least 54 holes are played) and 20 for the Web.com Tour Championship. Starting in 2013, the first three events of the Web.com Tour Finals award 16 OWGR points to the winner. Tournaments shortened to 36 holes are given reduced values of ten points for regular season events and the win is considered unofficial.
Three-win promotion
Since 1997, a player who wins three tournaments in one year on the Web.com Tour receives an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour for the remainder of the year and for the following year.[9] This "performance promotion" (sometimes informally referred to as a "battlefield promotion") has occurred eleven times:[10]
- 1997:
Chris Smith - 2001: Heath Slocum, Chad Campbell, Pat Bates
- 2002: Patrick Moore
- 2003: Tom Carter
- 2005: Jason Gore
- 2007:
Nick Flanagan - 2009: Michael Sim
- 2014:
Carlos Ortiz - 2016: Wesley Bryan
Changes for 2013 season and beyond
On March 20, 2012, the PGA Tour announced radical changes to the main tour's season and qualifying process effective in 2013. Major changes to what was then known as the Nationwide Tour were also announced at that time.[11][12] Full details of these changes were announced on July 10 of that year.[13]
The first major change was that beginning in fall 2013, the PGA Tour season started in October of the previous calendar year.[12] This change had several consequences for the Web.com Tour, either directly or indirectly.
Starting with the 2013 season, the Web.com Tour has a structure similar to that of the main PGA Tour, with a regular season followed by a season-ending series of tournaments. In the case of the Web.com Tour, the ending series consists of four tournaments, to be held during the main tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, called the Web.com Tour Finals. At least 150 players will be eligible to compete in the Finals—the top 75 on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list, plus the players finishing between 126 and 200 on the FedEx Cup points list.[14] Non-members of the PGA Tour are also eligible if they would have earned enough FedEx Cup points to finish 126 to 200. In addition, PGA Tour players who have been granted medical extensions for the following season are eligible. Because some of the PGA Tour players will be exempt by other means, such as tournament wins in the previous two years, the Finals fields will not consist of all eligible players.[15] A total of 50 PGA Tour cards for the following season will be awarded at the end of the Finals—25 to the top regular-season money winners on the Web.com Tour, with the remaining 25 determined by total money earned during the Finals.[14]
Those who finish in the Top 75 on the regular season money list but fail to earn PGA Tour cards retain full Web.com Tour status, along with the first 25 money leaders after the Finals after the graduates and those who finished 126–150 on the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings. Conditional status is given to those who finish in the top 100 on the money list or 151–200 in the FedEx Cup.
Also, starting in 2013, the PGA Tour's qualifying school grants playing rights only for the Web.com Tour.[13][14] The medalist is fully exempt on the Web.com Tour for the entire season. Those finishing in the top ten plus ties are exempt through the third reshuffle, or thirteen events. Players finishing 11th-45th are exempt through the second reshuffle after nine events and all remaining golfers have conditional status. One can also earn direct access to the Web.com Tour through a top-five finish on the Order of Merit on PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamérica, or PGA Tour China. The money leader from each of those tours is fully exempt and those 2nd-5th are conditionally exempt.
Finally, the Web.com Tour now provides up to two entrants in the following year's Players Championship. One invitation is extended to the player who tops the money list for the entire season, including the Finals. The golfer who earns the most during the Finals also receives an invitation; if the same player leads both money lists, only one invitation is given.[14]
2016 schedule
Career money leaders
The table shows top-10 career money leaders on the Web.com Tour as of the 2016 season. Players in bold were 2016 Web.com Tour members.
| Rank | Player | Country | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darron Stiles | United States | 2,121,641 |
| 2 | Paul Claxton | United States | 1,802,290 |
| 3 | Jeff Gove | United States | 1,648,609 |
| 4 | Kyle Thompson | United States | 1,614,887 |
| 5 | Hunter Haas | United States | 1,611,258 |
| 6 | Jason Gore | United States | 1,566,184 |
| 7 | Justin Bolli | United States | 1,448,295 |
| 8 | Gavin Coles | Australia | 1,428,115 |
| 9 | Mathew Goggin | Australia | 1,400,401 |
| 10 | Michael Putnam | United States | 1,386,984 |
There is a full list on the PGA Tour's website here.
Money list and Player of the Year winners
| Year | Regular season money winner | Earnings ($) | Finals winner | Earnings ($) | Overall money winner | Earnings ($) | Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web.com Tour | |||||||
| 2016 | Wesley Bryan | 449,392 | Grayson Murray | 248,000 | Wesley Bryan | 449,392 | Wesley Bryan |
| 2015 | Patton Kizzire | 518,240 | Chez Reavie | 323,066 | Patton Kizzire | 567,865 | Patton Kizzire |
| 2014 | Carlos Ortiz | 515,403 | Derek Fathauer | 250,133 |  Adam Hadwin | 529,792 | Carlos Ortiz |
| 2013 | Michael Putnam | 450,184 | John Peterson | 230,000 | Chesson Hadley | 535,432 | Michael Putnam |
See also
- List of golfers with most Web.com Tour wins
- Professional golf tours
- Challenge Tour – the analogous tour in Europe operated by the PGA European Tour
- Symetra Tour – the analogous tour in North American women's golf, operated by the LPGA
- Gateway Tour – a third tier tour in the United States
- NGA Pro Golf Tour – another third tier tour in the United States
Notes and references
- ↑ "Beman announces plan for Ben Hogan Tour". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. January 5, 1989. p. 7C.
- ↑ Green, Bob (February 4, 1990). "Hogan Tour a test for young pros". Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. Associated Press. p. 5C.
- ↑ Rushin, Steve (May 7, 1990). "Hogan's Golfing Heroes". Sports Illustrated. p. 61.
- ↑ Rovell, Darren (August 12, 2003). "Legendary brand will soon have new owner - again". ESPN. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ↑ Prisuta, Mike (May 1, 1990). "Ben Hogan Tour no minor league operation". Beaver County Times. Pennsylvania. p. B1.
- ↑ "Nike to sponsor Ben Hogan Tour". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. August 28, 1992. p. 2B.
- ↑ "Web.com signs deal to be new umbrella sponsor". PGA Tour. June 27, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ↑ Reimer, Chris (May 27, 2007). "PG County Open victory makes Claxton first million-dollar man". PGA Tour. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ↑ "2008 Nationwide Tour Eligibility Requirements". PGA Tour. January 17, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Three-win Nationwide Tour promotions to the PGA Tour". PGA Tour. May 19, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ↑ "PGA Tour announces changes". ESPN. March 21, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- 1 2 Harig, Bob (March 21, 2012). "Decoding tour's schedule changes". ESPN. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- 1 2 Elling, Steve (July 10, 2012). "PGA Tour finalizes controversial makeover as Qualifying School gone after six-decade run". CBS Sports. Eye on Golf. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Dell, John (July 10, 2012). "Web.com impact expanded with qualifying changes". PGA Tour. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Top 25 assured of PGA Tour card". ESPN. Associated Press. July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.