PGA Tour to take control of Canadian Tour

• The PGA Tour will assume control of the Canadian golf tour
• The new tour, PGA Tour Canada, will send its top players to the Web.com Tour
• The conversion will begin Nov. 1

The PGA Tour will take over operational control of the Canadian Tour for 2013, and the tour -- to be called PGA Tour Canada -- will become a feeder outlet for the Web.com Tour.

The top five on the final Order of Merit on PGA Tour Canada will earn playing privileges on the Web.com Tour, and the next five will be exempt into the finals of the Web.com tour qualifying school.

The conversion will begin Nov. 1.

The announcement was made in a conference call Thursday by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem; Pierre Blouin, Chairman of the Canadian Tour Board of Directors; and Rick Janes, Commissioner of the Canadian Tour.

"Having gained a thorough understanding of the golf landscape in Canada over the course of the 2012 season, we are confident that by fully dedicating our assets and resources, PGA TOUR Canada will be well positioned to play an increasingly important role in professional golf," Finchem said. "With a solid foundation of existing tournaments along with outstanding opportunities to establish new events, we are confident PGA TOUR Canada will strengthen and grow in the coming years."

"This is the logical next step for the Tour's sustainability and growth," Blouin said. "The PGA Tour provided invaluable assistance throughout the 2012 season and through its evaluation process saw strong potential. Golf is incredibly popular in Canada and PGA TOUR Canada will be a very important part of Canada's sports landscape in the coming years. I also want to acknowledge the efforts made by Rick Janes and his staff throughout the process to assist the PGA TOUR in gaining a better understanding of the Tour."

Details on the full schedule and the Tour's executive structure will be announced at a later date. PGA Tour Canada will debut with a minimum of eight tournaments in 2013 offering a minimum purse of $150,000, with the goal of eventually growing to 12 or 13 events. All tournaments will be held in Canada during the summer months.

The PGA TOUR will work with all Canadian media outlets including its television partners, Shaw/Global TV and TSN, to broaden coverage of PGA Tour Canada. The Tour also will highlight PGA Tour Canada through all media resources, including pgatour.com and digital platforms.

Golf's popularity in Canada is reflected in an in-depth economic impact study that showed nearly 6 million Canadians play golf, representing 21.5 percent of the population, which was more than double the U.S. participation rate. The PGA TOUR has experienced golf's popularity first-hand with the annual RBC Canadian Open, the Champions Tour's Montreal Championship and the highly successful 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal GC. Canada also consistently ranks second only to the U.S. in traffic to PGATOUR.com, the PGA TOUR's official website.

"We view this as a win-win proposition that strengthens an established Tour in a country that absolutely loves golf," Finchem said. "As the Tour continues to develop and grow, charitable contributions and the value provided to tournaments sponsors will increase, as well. As for the PGA TOUR, this expands our brand in Canada and gives us geographic integration throughout the Americas in concert with PGA TOUR Latinoamérica."

Former Canada Tour players have accounted for more than 110 victories on the PGA TOUR, including Canadians Mike Weir, Dave Barr, Dan Halldorson and Ian Leggatt. Other alumni who have PGA TOUR victories include Steve Stricker, Nick Watney, Stuart Appleby, Tim Clark, Bryce Molder, Jason Bohn, Brendan Steele, Craig Parry, Tim Petrovic, Grant Waite, Will McKenzie and Brandt Jobe, to name a few.