The 1997 Nike Tour was the eighth season of the Nike Tour, the official development tour to the PGA Tour.
| Duration | January 30, 1997 – October 19, 1997 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 29 |
| Most wins |  Chris Smith (3) |
| Money list | Chris Smith |
| Player of the Year | Chris Smith |
← 1996 1998 → | |
Schedule
editThe following table lists official events during the 1997 season.[1][2]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (US$) |
Winner[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2 | Nike Lakeland Classic | Florida | 200,000 | Ryan Howison (1) |
New tournament |
| Feb 23 | Nike Inland Empire Open | California | 200,000 | Mark Carnevale (1) |
|
| Mar 16 | Nike Monterrey Open | Mexico | 225,000 | Mike Small (1) |
|
| Mar 30 | Nike Louisiana Open | Louisiana | 300,000 | Joe Daley (1) |
|
| Apr 6 | Nike Greater Austin Open | Texas | 200,000 | Eric Booker (1) |
New tournament |
| Apr 20 | Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic | Mississippi | 200,000 | Jeff Brehaut (2) |
|
| Apr 27 | Nike Alabama Classic | Alabama | 200,000 | John Elliott (2) |
|
| May 4 | Nike South Carolina Classic | South Carolina | 200,000 | Harrison Frazar (1) |
|
| May 11 | Nike Carolina Classic | North Carolina | 200,000 |  Ahmad Bateman (1) |
|
| May 18 | Nike Dominion Open | Virginia | 225,000 | Jeff Julian (1) |
|
| Jun 1 | Nike Upstate Classic | South Carolina | 200,000 | Chris Smith (3) |
|
| Jun 8 | Nike Knoxville Open | Tennessee | 200,000 | Dave Rummells (2) |
|
| Jun 15 | Nike Miami Valley Open | Ohio | 200,000 |  Trevor Dodds (2) |
|
| Jun 22 | Nike Cleveland Open | Ohio | 200,000 | Mike Small (2) |
|
| Jul 6 | Nike Hershey Open | Pennsylvania | 200,000 | Barry Cheesman (2) |
New tournament |
| Jul 13 | Nike Laurel Creek Classic | New Jersey | 200,000 | Matt Gogel (2) |
|
| Jul 20 | Nike St. Louis Golf Classic | Missouri | 200,000 | Todd Gleaton (1) |
|
| Jul 27 | Nike Wichita Open | Kansas | 200,000 | Ben Bates (1) |
|
| Aug 3 | Nike Dakota Dunes Open | South Dakota | 200,000 | Chris Smith (4) |
|
| Aug 10 | Nike Omaha Classic | Nebraska | 200,000 | Chris Smith (5)[b] |
|
| Aug 17 | Nike Ozarks Open | Missouri | 200,000 | Chris DiMarco (1) |
|
| Aug 24 | Nike Permian Basin Open | Texas | 200,000 |  Paul Gow (1) |
|
| Sep 7 | Nike Colorado Classic | Colorado | 200,000 | Pat Bates (2) |
|
| Sep 14 | Nike San Jose Open | California | 200,000 | R. W. Eaks (3) |
|
| Sep 21 | Nike Boise Open | Idaho | 275,000 |  Iain Steel (1) |
|
| Sep 28 | Nike Tri-Cities Open | Washington | 200,000 | Todd Gleaton (2) |
|
| Oct 5 | Nike Puget Sound Open | Washington | 200,000 | Kevin Johnson (1) |
|
| Oct 12 | Nike Shreveport Open | Louisiana | 200,000 | Mark Wurtz (1) |
|
| Oct 19 | Nike Tour Championship | Alabama | 300,000 | Steve Flesch (1) |
Tour Championship |
Money list
editThe money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[4][5] The top 15 players on the money list earned status to play on the 1998 PGA Tour.[6]
| Position | Player | Prize money ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Smith |
225,201 |
| 2 | Mark Carnevale |
184,997 |
| 3 | Chris DiMarco |
135,513 |
| 4 | Steve Flesch |
133,190 |
| 5 | Trevor Dodds |
130,983 |
Awards
edit| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Chris Smith |
[7] |
Notes
edit- ^ The number in parentheses after each winner's name is the number of Nike Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Nike Tour members. It is rare for someone to accumulate many wins on the Nike Tour as success at this level usually leads to promotion to the PGA Tour.
- ^ Smith earned immediate promotion to the PGA Tour, as this was his third win of the season.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Web.com Tour chronology". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ "1998 Nike Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ "Hoosier Shatters Nike Tour Records". Times-Union. Albany, New York. August 11, 1997. p. 11 (2B in paper). Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Google News Archive.
Chris Smith completed a record-breaking performance in the Omaha Classic to earn the Nike Tour's first "Battlefield promotion" to the PGA Tour.
- ^ "1997 money list". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
- ^ "Flesch wins Nike tourney". The Albany Herald. Albany, Georgia. October 21, 1997. p. 1 (4D in paper). Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Google News Archive.
Chris Smith, a three-time winner this year who topped the money list with $225,201...
- ^ "Web.com Tour past players gaining exempt PGA Tour status". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
- ^ "Smith gets hungry". The Rochester Sentinel. Rochester, New York. March 9, 2000. p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2023 – via Google News Archive.
That year he was first on the Nike money list and Nike player of the year.