Gateway Tour
The Gateway Tour, title sponsored as the OnCore Gateway Tour, was a third-level men's professional golf tour headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that ran tournaments in Arizona, California and Florida.[1]
| Formerly | Gateway Pro Tour OnCore Gateway Tour |
|---|---|
| Sport | Golf |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Founder | Chris Stutts |
| Inaugural season | 2001 |
| Ceased | 2017 |
| Countries | Based in Arizona, California and Florida |
History
The tour was founded as the Gateway Pro Tour in 2001 by former Arizona State All-American golfer Chris Stutts. The first season had 14 tournaments and paid out US$2,400,000 in prize money. By 2006 it had expanded to 59 tournaments with a pay-out of $7.2 million. The prize money was primarily funded by the players' entry fees. The tour has also been previously titled as the All-American Gateway Tour and the Grey Goose Gateway Tour.
The West Palm Beach series in Florida originated as the Golden Bear Tour, which the Gateway Tour purchased in March 2005. The regular tournaments were 54-hole events, and the four series championships were played over 72 holes. There was also a 72-hole Tour Championship for the top players in all four series.
The aim of the tour was to help players to win a place on the Web.com Tour, or jump directly to the PGA Tour. The tour's board of advisers included Phil Mickelson and Tom Lehman. In 2006 Gateway Tour players earned 10 PGA Tour and 15 fully exempt Nationwide Tour cards. Tour alumni include Sean O'Hair, Notah Begay III, J. B. Holmes, Steve Marino, Kevin Stadler, and Bubba Watson.
Money list winners
| Year | Winner | Prize money (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 |  Nathan Tyer | 92,675 |
| 2012 | Benoit Beisser | 53,775 |
| 2011 | James Drew | 70,375 |
| 2010 | Eric Meierdierks | 71,793 |
| 2009 | Charlie Beljan | 159,180 |
| 2008 | Jesse Mueller | 171,168 |
| 2007 | Ryan Dillon | 134,132 |
References
- Miner, Dan (September 10, 2015). "Get ready for the OnCore Gateway Tour, sponsored by a Buffalo-based golf ball company". Buffalo Business First. bizjournals.com. Retrieved February 24, 2020.