Web.com Tour: Preparing young talent

When Paul Goydos decided to give the Web.com Tour a shot in the spring of 1991, he wasn’t exactly sure what it was about. Nobody was, really. 

An early start

It was the Tour’s second year of existence, and outstanding play was required just to break even financially. But five PGA TOUR cards were available at season’s end. That was the important thing. “That Tour wasn’t about making money,” said Goydos, who played two full seasons on the Web.com Tour in 1991 and 1992, and went on to a PGA TOUR career that included 500-plus events and two victories. “It was about the experience and going on. “The original thought behind that Tour was that you want people to be uncomfortable—you don’t want to be stuck; we expect you to continue to grow and become a good player and go up to the big TOUR.”

Growing significance

Flash forward to today, and the Web.com Tour is staying true to its original goals, but with an importance more pronounced than ever.  What was originally five PGA TOUR cards awarded at the end of the year has grown to 25 TOUR cards awarded via the 21-event Regular Season, with another 25 awarded via the four-event Finals that brings together the top 75 players on the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the TOUR’s FedExCup standings. As Goydos says, the original intent of the Web.com Tour was to prepare players for life on TOUR, both on and off the course. The idea was that when up-and-coming pros graduated from the Web.com Tour, they could step onto the biggest stage without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. With a stable of former players like Jason Day, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and David Duval—and 440 alumni victories on TOUR and counting, it’s safe to say, “Mission accomplished.”

Learning curve

“We’re so fortunate to have the Web.com Tour, because every opportunity gives guys like me the chance to go out there and learn our craft and learn how to be professional golfers,” Brandt Snedeker said after earning the Web.com Tour’s 400th alumni victory on TOUR at the 2015 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “I firmly believe I would not be the golfer I am without those two years I spent on the Web.com Tour. I learned a lot. Every guy out there should cherish those events, because they teach you how to be a pro.” Being a pro encompasses a lot of things. It starts at the golf course itself—learning a course via practice rounds, engaging pro-am partners, accommodating fans and media. It also extends to life off the course—learning new places and cultures; scheduling flights, hotels and rental cars.

Q-School

Before the Web.com Tour was founded in 1990 as the Ben Hogan Tour, the only direct pathway to TOUR was through Q-School. Aside from Q-School, the majority of aspiring TOUR players would spend their seasons on regional mini-tours, honing their games for another opportunity at Q-School in the fall. The Web.com Tour provided an opportunity to play a full season that mirrors life on the PGA TOUR, on many levels. Players took advantage, and they continue to do so.  “I think that if I’d have gotten straight on TOUR out of college, I’d have struggled,” said four-time TOUR winner Chris Kirk. “I don’t think there’s any way I’d have kept my card.  “Landing there for three years out of school was huge for me. It just helped me learn how to travel, how to play professional golf, how to try to make cuts and eventually try to win tournaments.” Beginning in the fall of 2013, Q-School no longer provides direct access to the PGA TOUR. All players that advance to Final Stage receive Web.com Tour status for the following season, with the higher finishers earning better status.

Preparing for success

The change justifiably received mixed reviews in the golf world, but the overall message was understood: The Web.com Tour provides up-and-coming pros the best chance to prepare for a successful career on TOUR. With recent graduates like Justin Thomas, Smylie Kaufman and Patton Kizzire already thriving in their young TOUR careers—and this year’s crop like Wesley Bryan, Richy Werenski and Dominic Bozzelli seemingly poised to join them—the original aims of the Web.com Tour continue to be fulfilled. “I want to play on the PGA TOUR for about 20 years,” said Harold Varner III last summer. “That’s my No. 1 goal, and I’ve got to start here.” Varner earned his card a few weeks later, yet another Web.com Tour graduate poised for success. There are sure to be many more.