Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – The PGA Tour announced on Thursday it will take over operational control of the Canadian Tour, effective Nov. 1.
The new name of the circuit will be the PGA Tour Canada for the 2013 season. This tour will be a path to the Web.com Tour. The top-5 finishers on the PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit will earn playing privileges on the Web.com Tour and the next five will be exempt into the finals of Web.com Tour Q School.
"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," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. "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."
The full schedule for this new tour will be announced at a later date. There will be a minimum of eight events with the possibility of growth and all eight tournaments will be played in Canada during the summer.
The Canadian Tour was established in 1971. Notable PGA Tour players Mike Weir and Steve Stricker got their starts on the Canadian Tour.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.