Nationwide Tour: 2008 Fact Sheet

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Name
Nationwide Tour

Headquarters
PGA TOUR
112 PGA TOUR Boulevard
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Phone: 904-285-3700

Commissioner
Timothy W. Finchem (since June 1, 1994)

President/Nationwide Tour
Bill Calfee (since 1999)

Web Site
PGATOUR.com

Overview
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Nationwide Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's greatest stage. As the official proving ground of the PGA TOUR, 67 percent of the current PGA TOUR membership played on the Nationwide Tour. Tour alumni have won more than 200 PGA TOUR titles, including a grand slam and three PLAYERS Championships. Twenty-five PGA TOUR cards and a record purse approaching $19 million will be at stake over the course of 30 events in 2008. Recognizing the Tour's growing stature, Nationwide Insurance has renewed its umbrella sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour through 2012. The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its three tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, supports over 2,000 local charities and has surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour and to follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit www.PGATOUR.com.

History
1990 -- 2008. The Tour enters its 19th season in 2008.

Charity
The Nationwide Tour and its tournaments are committed to supporting charities in the communities in which the events are played. In October 2005, the three Tours of the PGA TOUR and their tournaments reached the $1 billion milestone in charitable giving dating back to the first recorded donation in 1938. In 2007, the Nationwide Tour donated $7.5 million to charity. Two Nationwide Tour events, the BMW Charity Pro-Am and Albertsons Boise Open, made record $2 million-plus contributions. Annually, the Tour honors its Charity of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

2008 Schedule
Features 30 events played in 22 states and five countries outside the U.S. (Panama, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and Canada). The Mexico and Canada events are new to the Nationwide Tour schedule in 2008.

Prize Money
$18.95 million (30 events); the average purse is $631,000. Both are record figures. The Nationwide Tour will twice play for $1 million purses in 2008 (Nationwide Tour Players Cup in West Virginia and Nationwide Tour Championship at TPC Craig Ranch).

Eligibility
Each Nationwide Tour player has a position on the priority ranking system that is used to determine full-field open tournaments. The complete priority ranking system may be found at the beginning of Section 2 (page 2-2) of the 2008 Official Nationwide Tour Guide or in the Nationwide Tour area of PGATOUR.com. The majority of Nationwide Tour events have 144- or 156-player fields. See page 2-116 for a country-by-country breakdown.

Membership
Nationwide Tour members hail from around the globe. In 2008, there are 61 international players with full or partial Tour exemptions, representing 18 countries outside the United States: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, England, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

2007 Graduates
A record 25 players earned 2008 PGA TOUR cards based on their final position on the final 2007 money list (they are in order of finish): Richard Johnson, Roland Thatcher, Nick Flanagan, Jon Mills, Jason Day, Nicholas Thompson, Matthew 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 and Jimmy Walker.

Johnson was the leading money winner with $445,421, which earned him an exemption into the 2008 PLAYERS Championship.

"The 25" Program
Introduced in 2007, The 25 program highlights the season-long quest to finish in the top 25 on the money list and earn a PGA TOUR card for the following season. A caddie bib program is one element of a broader marketing campaign that tells the story of The 25 and spotlights the Nationwide Tour's ongoing connection and contributions to the PGA TOUR. Each week caddies of the top-25 players wear a gold caddie bib designating their player's current position on the money list.

PGA TOUR Impact
Every year, the impact of the Nationwide Tour on the PGA TOUR grows. Since 1990, 218 PGA TOUR tournaments have been won by players with Nationwide Tour roots, including all four major championships and three PLAYERS Championships.....of the 48 official events on the 2008 PGA TOUR schedule, all but two have been won by former Nationwide Tour players....67 percent of 2008 PGA TOUR members, seven of the 2007 U.S. Presidents Cup team and nine of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team members, plus captain Tom Lehman, were former Nationwide Tour members. In recognition of the Tour's growing stature and competitive impact, beginning in 2007 the PGA TOUR Policy Board increased the number of PGA TOUR cards available to a record 25.

TV
GOLF CHANNEL, available in more than 100 million homes worldwide, is the exclusive cable television home of the Nationwide Tour and will provide coverage of 16 events in 2008.

Awards
• The Nationwide Tour Player of the Year receives the Jack Nicklaus Trophy.
• The Nationwide Tour recognizes its Player of the Month (February through October).

Nationwide
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $160 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks No. 104 on the Fortune 500 list. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions and long-term savings plans. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.