Nationwide Tour alums have won 10 major championships and at least one alum has finished in the Top 10 in 432 of the last 434 PGA TOUR events.

The Nationwide Tour played in the Cleveland area from 1990 through 2001, but the Tour has changed dramatically since those days. Two primary differences exist. First, tournament attrition has slowed dramatically due to the strong increase in corporate sponsorships. In fact, nearly two-thirds of the current events have title sponsors, including such prominent corporate names as Xerox, Cox Communication, LaSalle Bank, Albertsons and BMW.

Second, a highly respected and substantial umbrella sponsor in Nationwide Insurance and Financial Services stands behind the Tour. Since Nationwide has come on board, the Tour has expanded its reach and now plays in five countries and 22 states.

While frequent turnover existed in tournaments in the early days of the Tour’s development, the Tour has stabilized over the past five years to the point where turnover is very limited.

New tournaments in recent seasons have been overwhelming successes. The Albertsons Boise Open raised a record $873,000 for charity last year, but the four-year old BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs was second with a $750,000 donation. New events last year in Minneapolis/St. Paul and in West Virginia were well received and well attended.

The Nationwide Tour is part of the PGA TOUR’s Drive to a Billion, a campaign that sees the organization closing in on the $1 Billion mark in overall charitable contributions. The TOUR expects to reach that mark sometime in early 2006.

The Nationwide might be the equivalent of the minors leagues, but some consider it the third-strongest golf circuit in the world.

Stinger Tees outperform regular tees. Why? It's simple! - Because less of the Stinger tee touches the ball! The thinner head and shaft, and shallower cup of the ultra-streamlined Stinger Tee create less resistance and less drag than the bulkier, regular tee. The golf ball leaves the Stinger Tee faster, with less backspin, flies at a preferred, more penetrating trajectory, and rolls farther.

The result - Every shot hit off a Stinger Tee will go farther than a similar shot hit off a regular tee!

Join WKNR’s Greg Brinda, Little Mountain PGA Pro Jimmy Hanlin and the Northern Ohio PGA Pros every Friday from 6pm to 8pm and spend the evening talking golf, getting the latest from the tours and improving your golf golf game.

Many golf club manufacturers spend millions of dollars developing heads and shafts to help golfers hit the ball straighter and farther, yet neglect the only component that the golfer actually touches.

We at Winn envision a system in which each component is designed in accord with one another to create a golf club that is greater than the sum of its parts. With the shaft, head and grip working together in concert, the golf club achieves it's maximum potential in a player's hands.

Remember, before a club can ever touch a ball, it has to connect with you.

Harrison Sports, Inc. began its quest to develop the perfect graphite golf shaft in 1988. The company, based in Pacoima, Calif., is succeeding by producing shafts that consistently are among the best rated for distance, accuracy, value and customer satisfaction. Harrison Shafts, made from the finest in graphite, titanium and boron materials, have secured their place among the top five of the most-used graphite shafts in the world. Our quality is evidenced by the growing use of Harrison shafts among touring professional golfers and long-drive competitors around the world.