What Was the Nationwide Tour in Golf?
"Nationwide Tour" was the name of the developmental tour owned and operated by the PGA Tour (what is, at the time of this writing, now named the Korn Ferry Tour) for about 10 years.
The PGA Tour's feeder tour took on the name of Nationwide Tour in 2003, when Nationwide Insurance replaced Buy.com as the title sponsor. It was called Nationwide Tour from 2003 until mid-2012, when Nationwide Insurance was replaced as title sponsor by Internet services company Web.com. That change from Nationwide to Web.com occurred on June 27, 2012, roughly halfway through the season.
So the years 2003 through 2011 are the full seasons during which the PGA Tour developmental circuit carried the name Nationwide Tour. (Nationwide itself had replaced Nike Inc. as the tour's title sponsor and namesake following the 2002 season.) When this tour was created in 1990, it was named the Ben Hogan Tour.
Each year, from 20 to 25 golfers "graduated" from the Nationwide Tour by finishing high enough on the money list. Those "graduates" went on to play on the PGA Tour the following year.
Nationwide Tour's Top Players and Yearly Graduates
Following are the Player of the Year Award winners and money leaders for each year the tour was named "Nationwide Tour," along with the list of golfers who graduated to the PGA Tour from that season. Also noted, for years in which there was one, are golfers who earned automatic promotion to the PGA Tour by winning three Nationwide Tour events in the same year.2003
- Player of the Year: Zach Johnson
- Money Leader: Zach Johnson, $494,882
- 3-win promotion: Tom Carter
- 20 graduates: Zach Johnson, Joe Ogilvie, Tom Carter, Chris Couch, Bo Van Pelt, Ryan Palmer, Mark Hensby, Trip Isenhour, Jason Bohn, Jason Dufner, Vaughn Taylor, Blaine McCallister, Andre Stolz, Guy Boros, Ted Purdy, D.J. Brigman, Lucas Glover, David Morland IV, Craig Bowden, Tommy Tolles
- Player of the Year: Jimmy Walker
- Money Leader: Jimmy Walker, $371,346
- 20 graduates: Jimmy Walker, D.A. Points, Ryuji Imada, Franklin Langham, Nick Watney, Brendan Jones, James Driscoll, Charles Warren, Justin Bolli, Brett Wetterich, Paul Gow, Bradley Hughes, Kevin Stadler, Euan Walters, Darron Stiles, Hunter Haas, Scott Gutschewski, Chris Anderson, Michael Long, Gavin Coles
- Player of the Year: Jason Gore
- Money Leader: Troy Matteson, $495,009
- 3-win promotion: Jason Gore
- 21 graduates: Troy Matteson, Jason Gore, Chris Couch, Steven Bowditch, Jon Mills, Jerry Smith, David Branshaw, Shane Bertsch, Mathew Goggin, Kris Cox, David McKenzie, Roger Tambellini, Camilo Villegas, Greg Chalmers, Jason Schultz, Eric Axley, Vance Veazey, Nathan Green, Charley Hoffman, Jeff Gove, Bubba Watson
- Player of the Year: Ken Duke
- Money Leader: Ken Duke, $382,443
- 22 graduates: Ken Duke, Johnson Wagner, Cliff Kresge, Craig Bowden, Tripp Isenhour, Jeff Quinney, Boo Weekley, Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker, Matt Kuchar, Craig Kanada, Kevin Stadler, Andrew Buckle, Jim Rutledge, Doug LaBelle II, Gavin Coles, Michael Putnam, Jarrod Lyle, Michael Sim, Paul Sheehan, John Merrick, Bryce Molder
- Player of the Year: Nick Flanagan
- Money Leader: Richard Johnson, $445,421
- 3-win promotion: Nick Flanagan
- 25 graduates: Richard Johnson, Roland Thatcher, Nick Flanagan, Jon Mills, Jason Day, Nicholas Thompson, Matt Jones, Justin Bolli, Patrick Sheehan, Paul Claxton, Ron Whittaker, Michael Letzig, Martin Laird, Kyle Thompson, Omar Uresti, Marc Turnesa, Brad Elder, Chez Reavie, John Riegger, Tom Scherrer, Scott Sterling, Brenden Pappas, Chad Collins, James Driscoll, Jimmy Walker
- Player of the Year: Brendon de Jonge
- Money Leader: Matt Bettencourt, $447,863
- 25 graduates: Matt Bettencourt, Brendon de Jonge, Jeff Klauk, Jarrod Lyle, Bill Lunde, Colt Knost, Darron Stiles, Greg Chalmers, Scott Piercy, Greg Owen, Peter Tomasulo, Rick Price, Kris Blanks, David Mathis, Casey Wittenberg, D.A. Points, Arjun Atwal, Aron Price, Marc Leishman, Brendon Todd, Scott Gutschewski, Spencer Levin, Bryce Molder, Matt Weibring, Ricky Barnes
- Player of the Year: Michael Sim
- Money Leader: Michael Sim, $644,142
- 3-win promotion: Michael Sim
- 25 graduates: Michael Sim, Chad Collins, Blake Adams, Derek Lamely, Tom Gillis, Chris Tidland, Josh Teater, Cameron Percy, Roger Tambellini, Matt Every, Justin Bolli, Garrett Willis, Kevin Johnson, Garth Mulroy, Jerod Turner, Alex Prugh, Jeff Gove, Henrik Bjornstad, Chris Baryla, Steve Wheatcroft, Rich Barcelo, Craig Bowden, Vance Veazey, Mathis Gronberg, Fran Quinn
- Player of the Year: Jamie Lovemark
- Money Leader: Jamie Lovemark, $452,951
- 25 graduates: Jamie Lovemark, Chris Kirk, Hunter Haas, Tommy Gainey, Daniel Summerhays, Brendan Steele, Jhonattan Vegas, Martin Piller, Kevin Chappell, Tag Ridings, Kevin Kisner, Fabian Gomez, David Mathis, Keegan Bradley, Colt Knost, Bobby Gates, Steven Bowditch, D.J. Brigman, Jim Herman, Scott Gutschewski, David Hearn, Joe Affrunti, Peter Tomasulo, Michael Putnam, Justin Hicks
- Player of the Year: J.J. Killeen
- Money Leader: J.J. Killeen, $414,273
- 25 graduates: J.J. Killeen, Ted Potter Jr., Mathew Goggin, Jason Kokrak, Jonas Blixt, Danny Lee, Ken Duke, Scott Brown, Gary Christian, Miguel Angel Carballo, Troy Kelly, Russell Knox, Erik Compton, John Mallinger, Kyle Thompson, Kyle Reifers, Gavin Coles, Matt Every, Daniel Chopra, Steve Wheatcroft, Garth Mulroy, Mark Anderson, Roberto Castro, Martin Flores, Billy Hurley III
