PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The 2007 Nationwide Tour schedule will feature 32 events spanning three countries and 23 states offering approximately $18 million in prize money.

The 18th Nationwide Tour season will begin the week of Jan. 22-28 at the Movistar Panama Championship and will conclude the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4 with the Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek outside San Diego.

Four tournaments -- the Knoxville Open, the Price Cutter Charity Championship, the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open and the Albertsons Boise Open -- will each return for the 18th consecutive season.

Two new events join the Tour -- the South Georgia Classic in Valdosta, Ga., and the Melwood Prince Georges County Open in Mitchellville, Md.

The continued growth of the Tour is reflected in the purses this coming season with 11 events offering $600,000 purses or more. The LaSalle Bank Open in Chicago and the Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek will offer the top purses, at $750,000 and $775,000, respectively.

“We are very pleased with quality of our tournaments and the courses we will play in 2007,” said Bill Calfee, Chief of Operations for the Tour. “We have a solid nucleus of events and we look forward to the debut of two new events as we continue to raise the level of The Nationwide Tour with each passing season.”

This year the top 25 money winners on the Tour will earn playing privileges on the PGA TOUR. Former Nationwide Tour players have earned great success on the TOUR with alums winning 196 TOUR titles, including 21 last season alone.