The NGA Hooters Tour is the third-tier men's golf tour in the United States after the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. It should be noted that this actually means it is the fourth-most lucrative men's tour based in the United States, as it is also well behind the Champions Tour in prize money, but that tour is restricted to competitors over the age of 50.

Unlike the Nationwide Tour, which is an official developmental tour organized by the PGA Tour, the NGA Hooters Tour is a private company owned by an individual, T.C. "Rick" Jordan, who founded it in 1988. The Tour is headquartered in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 2003 the total prize fund was over $2.5 million dollars, and in 2004 the leading money winner had earnings of $137,000. This is a small fraction of the prize money avaialable on the second-tier Nationwide Tour, and little more than one per cent of that on the PGA Tour, so the incentives for players to win promotion to a higher tour are very strong indeed. The 2005 schedule features 22 events including four with $200,000 prize funds. The tour claims to have helped more players acquire PGA Tour, Champions Tour, and Nationwide Tour cards than any other developmental tour.

Former players on the NGA Hooters Tour

Major winners:

• John Daly
• Jim Furyk
• Lee Janzen
• Tom Lehman
• David Toms

Other leading PGA Tour pros:

• Chad Campbell

External link

Official site