20 of 40 PGA Tour Cards
23 of 49 Fully Exempt Nationwide Tour Cards
N. Myrtle Beach, SC … The NGA Hooters Professional Golf Tour continues to prove year after year to be the #1 developmental tour in the United States for aspiring professionals to begin their careers.  The National Golf Association is the 3^rd largest men’s 72-hole professional golf tour in the country behind the PGA and Nationwide Tours.

This was never more evident than in the recent final stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying School at PGA West in La Quinta, California. Look at the following statistics from last weeks grueling 108-hole Q-School:

• 50% (20 of 40) of those players who earned their 2007 PGA Tour Card played on the NGA Hooters Tour, including 2006 NGA Hooters Tour members Michael Boyd and Chris Stroud, 2004 members Matt Hendrix and Parker McLachlin, Robert Garrigus, John Merrick, Bob Heintz, Ryan Armour, John Mallinger, Craig Lile, Glen Day, Darron Stiles, Scott Gutschewski, Brendan de Jonge, Chris Tidland, Mark Wilson, D.J. Brigman, Brian Bateman, and Michael Bradley.

• 23 of the 49 players (47%) that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour have played on the NGA Hooters Tour in the past, including 2006 NGA Hooters Tour members Michael Letzig, Tee McCabe, Ted Potter Jr., John Kimbell and Adam Riddering, Mario Tiziani, Chad Collins, Ryan Howison, Mike Capone, David Morland IV, Kris Cox, Vance Veazey, Edward Loar, Garth Mulroy, Skip Kendall, Scott Sterling, Jason Enloe, Dustin Bray, Michael Sims, Jeff Klauk, Justin Bolli, Elliot Gealy and Lee Janzen.

• All told, of the 163 players that competed in the 6 round final stage, an amazing 47% (76 players) have played on the NGA Hooters Tour in the past.

Qualifying school is not the only way former NGA Hooters Tour players gained exempt status on the PGA Tour for 2007. This past season, 5 other former players earned their PGA Tour cards by finishing in the top 20 on the Nationwide Tour’s money list giving the NGA Hooters Tour 25 former players who got their PGA Tour card for 2007.

The following are the 5 former NGA Hooters Tour players who finished in the top 20 on the 2006 Nationwide Tour money list: Cliff Kresge, Craig Bowden, Tripp Isenhour, Boo Weekley and John Merrick.

Congratulations to all of our alumni as they begin to fulfill their dreams. For more information about the NGA Hooters Tour, please visit our web site, www.ngahooterstour.com. If you have any other questions concerning sponsorship opportunities or interview requests before or during tournament week please contact the NGA Hooters Tour office at 843-281-TOUR (8687).