By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM BETHESDA, Md. -- Web.com, a
provider of internet services and online marketing solutions to
small- and medium-sized businesses, has taken over as the title
sponsor to what is formerly known as the Nationwide Tour. The
10-year agreement is effective immediately (financial terms
undisclosed), and this week’s tournament in Evansville, Ind.,
will be part of the Web.com Tour. “We think this is an ideal
match for this tour that includes this partnership with a strong
dynamic company,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said.
“This company is leader in its space.” Web.com is a
Jacksonville, Fla.,-based company with 1,800 employees. It has been
in existence since 1997 and has grown significantly over the past
15 years with its revenue increasing from $30 million to over a
half-billion dollars during that time. When the company went public
in 2005, it had 50,000 customers. It currently has more than 3
million, which was a large part of the reason it decided to become
the title sponsor of the tour. There were three major keys to the
deal. First, there are no conflicts among title sponsors on the
tour, and Web.com has the same core values of the PGA TOUR with a
focus on service and commitment. Second, the PGA TOUR, along with
the Champions Tour and Web.com Tour, is largely a collection of
small businesses within communities across the country. “This
gives us unparalleled access to every major market,” Web.com
Chairman, President and CEO David Brown said. “When you think
about the Web.com TOUR, the PGA TOUR and the Champions Tour, they
operate in practically every metropolitan market in the United
States, and we will be there helping to educate and helping to
teach and helping small businesses through our educational forums,
through our support of charity, and through our support of the
civic organizations. It helps us reach a market that would be
virtually impossible to reach. It opens doors for us to mayors, to
civic leaders that we otherwise wouldn't be able to get.” The
third reason is because of Web.com’s place in the digital
arena -- an area that has become a major priority with the PGA
TOUR, which includes its decision to bring all operations for
PGATOUR.COM in-house. “Having a partner with this expertise
and reputation is going to help us significantly grow in that space
and make sure we make the right decisions and execute in that
space,” Finchem said. Also, starting next year all 50 new PGA
TOUR membership cards will be awarded through the Web.com Tour,
with the three final tournaments on the Web.com Tour combining PGA
TOUR and Web.com Tour players to determine who earns those 50
cards. The fields for the three final Web.com Tour events, which
will be held around the FedExCup Playoffs, will include the top 75
players on the Web.com Tour’s money list, the players ranked
126-200 on the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup points list and
non-members who meet certain eligibility standards. Q-school now
will become the eligibility avenue to the Web.com Tour. “This
is the most exciting time that I can remember in certainly the
evolution of this tour,” Web.com Tour President Bill Calfee
said. “The restructure that we've talked about will position
us in a very unique and different way and will closely connect us
to the PGA TOUR, and clearly the partnership that we've just talked
about here with Web.com will certainly position us for years to
come, will give us the financial stability and continuity that we
need.”