PGA Tour Looking At Creating South American Tour
/When I read Doug Ferguson's description of what would possibly be an Olympic-inspired Nationwide feeder Tour to grow the game in South America it's hard not to wonder...ah I'll let you read it first.
With golf returning to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, a series that would provide access to the Nationwide Tour and might offer even minimal world ranking points could increase the number of players in the world ranking from South America and help give golf some momentum on that continent.
Votaw said the plan is not entirely driven by the Olympics, although it has sped up the process.
The plan would be for open competition not restricted to local players. If the purses could be raised to $175,000, and if the top players on a money list (the number to be determined) were offered a spot on the Nationwide Tour, it could provide an attractive alternative to playing the mini-tours in which players have to put up their own money.
So yes the Olympics have sped up the sudden PGA Tour fascination with South America and it sounds like a swell idea, with lots of energy, talks, frequent flyer miles and brainstorming over the last 18 months. But it's hard not to wonder: why wasn't this much effort put into developing an Olympic golf format that anyone cares about?
