PGA’s Nationwide Tour coming to McKinney

by Kevin Washburn of McKinneyNews.net

MCKINNEY — Recently it was announced that the Tournament Players Club at Craig Ranch will be home to the 2008 Nationwide Tour Championship, which will be held Nov. 6-9.

The event will be hosted by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, which has experience putting on such events as a sponsor for the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

About The Nationwide Tour

- The Nationwide Tour has never had a seven figure purse, but it will have two this year, including the Tour Championship in McKinney. The Tour Players Cup, scheduled for July 7-13, also will have a $1 million purse.

- The earnings record on the Tour is held by Troy Matteson, who took home $495,009 in 2005. That record obviously will be shattered with the larger purses.

- Richard Johnson of Wales topped the money list last year and is the defending Tour Championship winner. He won two of the last five events to overtake Roland Thatcher. Johnson was the first international player to top the money list in 18 years of the Tour.

“I don’t think there’s anyone better in this business to run this tournament and to raise money for charities and put on a better event than the Salesmanship Club,” said Jeff Reinhard, TPC director of membership and marketing. “We’re proud to be associated with them.”

The Nationwide Tour is an extension of the Professional Golfers Association Tour and helps to identify and transition golfers whose games are ready to compete on the PGA Tour. The Tour Championship will be the culminating event of the Nationwide Tour season. It will feature the top-60 money winners through the year’s final full-field event, which will be played Oct. 23-26. PGA Tour cards will be awarded to the 25 leading money winners at the conclusion of the Championship. In addition, No. 1 on the money list will be decided, which means an invitation to the 2009 Players Championship.

There have been no details released about any events or buildup preceding the Tour Championship, but there will be plenty of buzz once play begins. It will be the Tour’s first-ever $1 million purse and up for grabs will be a $180,000 first-prize. There to capture the action will be The Golf Channel, which will cover all four rounds.

The event also will serve as a fund-raising event for the charities supported by the Salesmanship Club and Craig Ranch.

“Obviously it’s very important to us from a public relations standpoint any time you can get national and international television coverage and the eyes of the world on McKinney, Texas,” Reinhard said. “But more than that, it’s the ability to reach out through this medium and through this event to raise thousands of dollars for local charities in the Collin County area. From a philanthropic standpoint, it’s as important as anything we do out at Craig Ranch. We feel like with the Salesmanship Club and with this event, it gives us the best opportunity to do something like that.”

For more information on the Nationwide Tour, you can visit www.pgatour.com/2007/h/12/30/2008.preview/index.html.