2012 preview: Calfee looks at Nationwide Tour's growth

text size

Trotman/Getty Images

The Nationwide Tour's 23rd season of competition starts on Feb. 16, 2012 in Colombia.

If there's one mantra Nationwide Tour players should pay attention to it's this: the season is a marathon not a sprint.

RELATED

Replay: Facebook chat with Calfee
Official 2012 tournament schedule
Fresh faces to keep an eye on
Top 20 players to watch in 2012

The 23rd year of the Nationwide Tour starts next week and as usual they'll be up-and-coming young players who will make their marks and veterans who will find their games, and all of that will add up to yet another exciting season.

Players will be chasing the top 25 on the money list and at the end of the season those 25 players will earn PGA TOUR cards for 2013.

Bill Calfee, the president of the Nationwide Tour, finds it amazing how much the Tour has evolved through the years. With such a wide array of talent that spreads out across both the Nationwide Tour and the PGA TOUR the line is somewhat blurred.

"I don't think anybody would have envisioned how good the players would be on the Nationwide Tour when it started so many years ago," Calfee said. "Look at it today and it's certainly easy to call it a developmental Tour but there's more to it than that. I think the sport and the growth of the game where the players have gotten so good that unfortunately the PGA TOUR can't handle everybody."

The statistics bear that out because almost three out of every four players on the PGA TOUR have spent some time honing their games on the Nationwide Tour. And perhaps the best example is who finished first and second in the FedExCup points race last season on the PGA TOUR. Bill Haas and Webb Simpson, both former Nationwide Tour players, wound up first and second in the standings after the Playoffs.

"When you look back on it and you see what the Nationwide Tour does for you, there aren't many players who bypass that (Nationwide) Tour these days," said Haas, who had his best season in 2011 but not that long ago played on the Nationwide Tour. "Now, it's a proving ground and it's a place to play that is very competitive and it can help make you better."

Calfee sees the dynamics of the Nationwide Tour have changed through the years. Sure it's a stepping stone to earn their way to the PGA TOUR, but it's more than that.

"I look at our form as expansion because there's just so much talent out there," Calfee said.

Last season on the PGA TOUR a record 32 alumni of the Nationwide Tour won a tournament and now the total has reached 325 over 22 years.

The Nationwide Tour will be going through some changes after this season. Nationwide Insurance, the umbrella sponsor for the last nine seasons, will end its sponsorship after this season.

Calfee says there are ongoing discussions to find a replacement.

"Nationwide has been a fantastic partner so we are sorry to lose them but we are excited about the future," Calfee said.

There is also a proposal to restructure PGA TOUR q-school. It hasn't been voted on by the policy board yet, but if it passed, q-school would feed players into the Nationwide Tour and the Nationwide Tour would give out 50 PGA TOUR cards each year instead of 25.

Calfee is also excited about the 2012 season, one that will begin with the Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship in Bogota, Colombia.

Adding to the excitement of the season opener will be the presence of former President Bill Clinton, an avid golfer. Clinton will participate in a pro-am and other activities surrounding the tournament. It's the first time a sitting or former president will attend a Nationwide Tour tournament.

"It's a big deal," Calfee said about the presence of Clinton. "This is our third year in Bogota and there have been good crowds in the past and we've had tremendous support from the government and everybody else there. I think we've really helped tell the story of Colombia."

The tournament will be presented by Samsung and will support Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative.

Calfee didn't know Clinton's exact handicap but said: "It's whatever he says it is."

Other highlights for this season on the Nationwide Tour include 27 tournaments and a first-ever stop in Chile for the Chile Classic Presented by Pacific Rubiales in early March.

Traditionally the Nationwide Tour has started its season outside the United States and going to Chile is something Calfee says adds a lot to the schedule.

"It's tough to find markets for us in the states in January, February and early March because of the weather," Calfee said about a three-year commitment for a tournament in Chile. "And South America just makes sense so we're very excited about this and with the Olympics coming up in a few years it just kind of adds to our initiative to grow the game."

Golf has been added for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

As Calfee looks ahead to this season he's pleased with how much it has made an impact over the years.

"There's no question the Nationwide Tour has made the PGA TOUR better," he said. "And we have made it so when our players get to the PGA TOUR they are more known and they are very well prepared. These players have faces already once they get to the PGA TOUR."

Calfee points out that because the Nationwide Tour is so similar to how the PGA TOUR is run, players aren't surprised and are more comfortable.

"They are better prepared for stuff inside the ropes and more comfortable when they are interviewed by the media and there's so much more that they've gone through on the Nationwide Tour," Calfee said.

Once again there are plenty of young players who will make an impact. Some are well-known already and some will become known.

"I see young players like Corey Nagy and Hudson Swafford and many more," Calfee said. "It's an impressive list."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 18 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. You can reach him at johndell@triad.rr.com.