PGA Tour VS EPGA Tour

[canpro]

I have read a lot of posts about guys wanting to know which is the best mini tour to play and so on when they do not get through PGA Tour q-school stage 1. I am wondering why guys don't decide to goto Europe and try? The entry is a lot cheaper, airline tickets are not that expensive, I know for us Canadians it is cheaper to goto Europe and try rather that staying home to try to qualify for our own Canadian Tour.

[jamesduncan]

Interesting question.

 

Ive been wondering the same thing.

 

For the same amount of entry free as the Canadian or Hooters Tour's q schools, you atleast get status on the Challenge tour by just entering the European school, which leads to getting world ranking points (admittedly not many) and the chance to play a much longer season.

 

I guess the question that needs to be answered/figured out is just how many events does cat 11 status get you into on the challenge tour?

 

Cause even if its only 10-15, its still a good number of events, I'd feel anyways.

[mankit]

Entering the qualifying school in Europe doesn't automatically get you a status in the Challenge tour (2nd level, after Europeantour). It's just the same after Q1 and Q2 you can get into the final qualifying and the first 30 players and ties gain the full Europeantour exempt status. Where nummers 30-70 wil gain Challenge tour status!! So it's excatly the same as on the PGA tour. So a lot of players that will make the final qualifying won't get any exempt status on both tours!!!!

 

The entry fee for the Q1 was 1500 pounds (around $3000), but i believe the fee increase after each round.

[canpro]

Actually when you enter q school in Europe you automatically get status on the challenge tour, so to me it is a no brainer to young players to go and get status on a major secondary tour.

[azgolf]

The Challenge tour is possibly the most expensive tour to play in the world. Check the schedule, figure flights, hotels, living, plus you need a home base there unless you plan to commute to North America, ect. and then look at the return in earnings by the top 10, 30, and 50 players. You may need to be in the top 30 just to break even. What you spend vs. what you can earn is hard to justify. Earning the European tour card is the carrot, but a very expensive carrot at that. I also feel that being in that low of a catagory will get you into 5 or fewer events, most likely the smallest purses, bad courses and with the toughest travel. Sorry to bust your bubble, but I have several friend who have played there and all agree it is not easy.

[canpro]

It is something I am going to look at. It is $1000 per week to play the Hooters, Tight Lies and Grey Goose tours plus travel and other expenses. You have to finish quite high on the money list to break even. I know that it is easier for players to obtain sponsors by having status on a larger tour rather than a mini tour. I think that a lot of guys from N America do not go to Europe because they do not like to travel and are happy with playing the mini tours in the U.S. and then trying that week of fame called USPGA Tour school.

[jamesduncan]

Entering the qualifying school in Europe doesn't automatically get you a status in the Challenge tour (2nd level, after Europeantour). It's just the same after Q1 and Q2 you can get into the final qualifying and the first 30 players and ties gain the full Europeantour exempt status. Where nummers 30-70 wil gain Challenge tour status!! So it's excatly the same as on the PGA tour. So a lot of players that will make the final qualifying won't get any exempt status on both tours!!!!

 

The entry fee for the Q1 was 1500 pounds (around $3000), but i believe the fee increase after each round.

 

FYI:

 

FAQ on the European Tour Qualifying School

 

How can I become a member of the European Tour or European Challenge Tour?

 

A. The main way to become a member of The European Tour or European Challenge Tour is to go to Qualifying School which takes part in the latter part of the year (September – November).

 

Any player who participates at the 1st Qualifying Stage will be eligible for Category 13 membership of the European Challenge Tour for the following season.

 

 

the FAQ is available here:

 

http://www.europeantour.com/default.sps?pa...7D&pageno=1

 

(sorry having probs with posting the URL)

[theinsider]

If you make the Euro tour fine but the challenge tour is a whole other story.

 

I personally know of one guy who got status on the Challenge Tour but getting last minute calls to fly from the US to play in the Kenyan Open are really not that inviting. The cost could not be recovered unless he actually won!!

 

I think it all comes down to stability. Being able to play in a single country (read: one currency - one taxation - consistent food ) makes playing something like the the Hooter's Tour more appealing than taking the gamble on a Euro card.

 

Most guys are playing the odds that they are not going to actually earn a full Euro Card or even in the US, a PGA Tour card - so they look for the easiest backup which is where they will most likely land.

 

Also the same guy that got Challenge Tour status did both PGA and Euro PGA Qualifying in the same year and the logistics and expense of going back and forth from the US to England, back to US, back to Spain, back to US, and back to Spain (that year) was cumbersome to say the least.

 

As a generalization many Euro players are used to, and comfortable with, international travel where it is easier for some Americans, Canadians, etc. to simply stay in places they are more familiar with.

[slicktry]

In today's world, I think playing the Challenge tour would be better as a Canadian rather than an American, mainly due to the hostility shown to the US. The Challenge tour can't be cheap based on travel alone. They play all over the world, essentially shadow the main tour. I would think that even though you get some status, the expense it would take to obtain your tour card would almost be insurmountable. Example: Miss a cut here in N.A., it is $600 flight home. Miss a cut in say Thailand, you are looking at $2000 just flights alone. I don't think sponsorship would even cover half! Plus hotels, entry fees, caddies etc.... you would be looking at $2900 - 3500 Cdn per tourney easy. If you play the challenge tour you better either have game or lots of financial backing!

 

God Bless

Jer

[mankit]

You would be eligible for cat 13? I didn't knew that. I only know that i know one guy who did make it to the final Q, but didn't finish in the top 70. And he doesn't expect to play any Challenge tour tournaments, maybe a few with sponsor invititation, but certainly not by ranking!

[devondumpling]

Have you considered trying to qualify for The Asian Tour, its a great back door entrance onto The Main European Tour so long as you can get into the top 50 on their order of merit?

I am sure that the flights and accommodation would be cheaper plus you could base yourself somewhere in Thailand which is fairly cheap for digs and stuff.

[Olan1987]

Actually when you enter q school in Europe you automatically get status on the challenge tour, so to me it is a no brainer to young players to go and get status on a major secondary tour.

 

As far as i am aware you don't automatically get status on the challenge tour. Know a couple of pros who went to q school missed the first cut and didn't have status on the challenge tour. In order to get status on the challenge tour you have to get to the final qualifying and make the cut and then you will get your status on the challenge tour.

[jamesduncan]

Thats a great option too.

 

Ty Tyron was playing on the Asian tour this year (admittedly not very well).

 

The Canadian Tour was looking really solid last year with a lot of events early in the season in TX and CA, but this year it seems to be based mostly back in Canada again. Any info on this?

 

As an aside, everyone Ive talked to that is European says how cheap it is to fly around the continental EU.

 

Itd be interesting to get a sense of the quality of courses one gets to play when comparing the challenge tour to something like the Hooters tour.

 

Id agree it would just seem to be easier to get some sponsorship with status (even limited) on a more "major" tour like the Challenge tour, than on a mini tour like the Hooters Tour or Tar Heel tour, but maybe Im wrong.

 

That in itself might be worth not playing too many events or the added costs of last minutes bookings etc

 

BTW Im a Canadian citizen, despite my US location thse days.

[jamesduncan]

yes you do.

 

please read the FAQ.

[devondumpling]

FYI, No manufacturers will support players on The Challenge Tour unless they are currently tied in to a contract and have lost their card on the main European Tour. Depending on your category/Order of Merit position you may get to buy your equipment at trade less a small discount.

The profit to be made on The Challenge Tour is minimal as The European Tour do not want anyone to be able to make a living from it. The courses played tend to be members courses who do not want their course messed with for a tournament so the courses are set up really easy and it tends to be the players with the best short game winning each week.

It's like any tour, if you're playing well you'll make money, but you have to finish top ten to do so.

[mankit]

Most Challenge tour players are sponsored by a manufacturer, even if they never played on the Europeantour. I know even some guys which plays on the EPD tour (even a lower stage) did had sponsorship from OEMs. It only takes some more time to get the newest equipment and goodies from them compared to playing on the Europeantour and probably they won't get a lot of money (or none at all) from the OEMs

 

Also if you didn't made the Q1 don't expect you can play any tournaments on the Challenge tour based on your rankings, as it will be so long that you won't get to play in any. Probably even if you made it to Q2 you won't be able to play in any tournaments.

[Croonie15]

James heath played the challenge tour and was sponsored by Lindeberg and titleist.

 

Croonie