The 1993 Nike Tour was the second season of the PGA Tour’s official developmental golf circuit, which was known as the Nike Tour following a change in title sponsorship from the Ben Hogan Tour. The tour served as a pathway for professional golfers to gain playing experience and to qualify for the PGA Tour.
Overview
- Sponsorship: The tour entered into a title‑sponsorship agreement with the athletic‑apparel company Nike, Inc., beginning with the 1993 season.
- Purpose: It functioned as the primary developmental circuit for aspiring PGA Tour players, offering tournament competition, official world‑golf‑ranking points, and the opportunity to earn PGA Tour membership through performance on the season’s money list.
- Schedule: The season comprised a series of tournaments held primarily in the United States, with events scheduled from early in the calendar year through the fall. The exact number of tournaments and their individual dates are not definitively documented in publicly available sources.
- Qualification: At the conclusion of the season, the top finishers on the official money list were awarded PGA Tour cards for the following year, enabling them to compete on the main Tour. The precise number of cards granted and the exact thresholds for qualification are not consistently verified across sources.
Historical Context
- The developmental tour originated in 1990 as the Ben Hogan Tour. After two seasons under that name, the title sponsorship switched to Nike, resulting in the rebranding to the Nike Tour for the 1993 season.
- The Nike Tour name remained in effect until the end of the 1999 season, after which subsequent title sponsors renamed the circuit (Buy.com Tour, Nationwide Tour, Web.com Tour, and presently the Korn Ferry Tour).
Notable Outcomes
- While the tour’s overall structure and its role in professional golf are well‑established, specific details such as the exact tournament winners, the money‑list champion, and individual statistical leaders for the 1993 season are not conclusively confirmed in readily accessible encyclopedic references.
- Accurate information on the top performers and exact earnings for the 1993 season is therefore not confirmed.
Significance
The 1993 Nike Tour marked the beginning of a decade‑long sponsorship relationship between Nike and the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit, contributing to increased prize purses and greater visibility for emerging professional golfers. The season continued to fulfill the circuit’s central purpose of preparing players for advancement to the PGA Tour.