How to Enter a Nationwide Tour Event

Entering a Nationwide Tour event requires both cash and credentials.

For the golfers who don't quite make it to the PGA Tour, a spot on the Nationwide Tour is a decent runner-up prize. The Nationwide Tour plays a full calendar of events across North America and Mexico, and while the cash doesn't measure up to PGA standards, players who finish in the top-10 on the money list can earn more than $300,000 in a season.

Things You'll Need

• Proof of handicap
• Entry fee

Instructions

1. Achieve a sufficient handicap. A handicap is an assigned number relating directly to a player's skill level, with higher handicaps reserved for less skilled players. PGA Tour professionals all have zero handicaps. In order for a non-Nationwide tour member to be eligible for a chance to qualify for a tournament, he must either be a registered professional golfer or an amateur with a two handicap or lower. The handicap must be verified through the United States Golf Association and players must present a certificate bearing proof of handicap.

2. Locate a Nationwide Tour event and enter its qualifying tournament. This 18-hole competition is held on the Monday before a Nationwide event, and awards spots in the main tournament to the top 14 finishers. The player must have the required handicap, and the Monday entry fee is $350 US. Nationwide competitions are held primarily in warm-weather locations like California and Florida, and the tour often holds two or even three consecutive events in the same state. This gives a player ample opportunity to qualify if he has a place to stay and can easily travel from one event to the next.

3. Earn a sponsor's exemption. Each Nationwide Tour event is made up of tour regulars, those who earned exemptions at previous tournaments and the 14 players who advance through the qualifying round. The final four slots are reserved for those who are granted a "Sponsor Selection" berth, which is decided on by the tournament organizers and sponsors of the event. As with PGA, LPGA and European Tour competitions, a sponsor's exemption is usually given to a local player who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to compete in an event. If a player's home course is at or near the site of a Nationwide Tour stop and he has a decent handicap, he will likely be considered for one of the final berths in the event. In this case, the player does not need to qualify.

References

• PGA Tour: How to become a Nationwide Tour member
• PGA Tour: 2009 Nationwide Tour Money Leaders