Web.com Tour reaches 500 alumni wins on PGA TOUR

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – With his victory on Sunday night at the AT&T Byron Nelson, Aaron Wise secured the 500th PGA TOUR title by a former Web.com Tour player. Wise played the Web.com Tour in 2017, compiling six top-25 finishes in 16 starts, including a win at the Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth in in June. The former University of Oregon standout finished 18th on the Tour’s Regular Season money list to earn his PGA TOUR card for the 2017-18 season, and entered the week in Dallas at No. 56 in the FedExCup standings, thanks to a career-best T2 finish at the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago. “It’s incredible to think of the vision Commissioner Beman had for the Web.com Tour, and how pivotal it has been over the last 29 years in preparing, identifying and transitioning the game’s next generation of PGA TOUR stars,� said Web.com Tour president Dan Glod. “Five-hundred PGA TOUR victories by former players is an impressive number and speaks to the depth of talent we see each week on the Web.com Tour. This milestone clearly demonstrates that our members are prepared to win as soon as they reach the PGA TOUR and continue to have sustained success.� The Web.com Tour, which was founded in 1990 as the Ben Hogan Tour, delivered its first PGA TOUR champion in 1991 when Bruce Fleischer won the New England Classic in a seven-hole playoff for the lone victory of his TOUR career. Fleisher made 12 combined starts on the Ben Hogan Tour between 1990 and 1991, recording four top-five finishes – including back-to-back T3 efforts leading into his breakthrough week at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Massachusetts. Since that inaugural victory, the Web.com Tour has paved the way for 17 former players to win 23 major championship titles, including the last three PGA Championships (Justin Thomas, Jimmy Walker, Jason Day). In addition to major championship titles, eight former players have won THE PLAYERS Championship at least once in their career, including 2018 champion Webb Simpson. In 2012, Jacksonville, Florida-based Web.com became the umbrella sponsor of the Web.com Tour, with a 10-year agreement in place through 2021. With 50 PGA TOUR cards available for the following season (since 2013), the Web.com Tour has become the path to the PGA TOUR. Twenty-five TOUR cards are reserved for the leading money winners at the end of the 22-event Regular Season. Another 25 are up for grabs at the conclusion of the four-event Web.com Tour Finals that follow the Regular Season in September. “The Web.com Tour is producing high-caliber professional golfers ready to compete on the PGA TOUR, and the reason is clear. People in every profession can succeed if they have determination and backing from the right team and tools,� said David L. Brown, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Web.com. “It is gratifying to partner with the PGA TOUR to help golf’s current and rising stars succeed and achieve their potential. Congratulations to Aaron Wise on the win and thank you for demonstrating the power of the Web.com Tour.� That formula has given way to immediate success for a number of graduates in recent years. During the PGA TOUR’s 2016-17 season, the Web.com Tour’s Class of 2016 featured nine graduates winning 10 times, including Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele, who became the first rookie in history to win the TOUR Championship. Thus far during the TOUR’s 2017-18 season, five players from the Class of 2018 have earned titles, including Ryan Armour, Austin Cook, Brice Garnett, Andrew Landry and Wise.

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