Nationwide Golf Tour Cuts West Virginia Winnings as Sponsors Lag

One of the Nationwide Tour’s top events slashed its purse nearly in half because of a lack of sponsorships.

This week’s Players Cup at Pete Dye Golf Course in West Virginia will award $600,000 in prize money, down from $1 million, following a trend in professional golf this season.

The LPGA Tour has seen events canceled, while last week’s St. Jude Classic on the PGA Tour lowered its purse from $6.1 million to $5.6 million because Stanford Financial pulled out as the title sponsor.

No tournament on the Nationwide Tour had a higher payout than the West Virginia event. The Soboba Classic in San Jacinto, Calif., and the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship in Charleston, S.C., are the only other tournaments scheduled pay $1 million each in prize money.

“We all recognize the economy has had a negative effect on golf sponsorships, and nowhere has it had more impact than the Nationwide Tour Players Cup with its coal industry-related sponsor base,” Nationwide Tour president Bill Calfee said in a statement. “I am pleased to confirm that this event will be played as scheduled, however, we have been forced to make the difficult decision of reducing the purse.”

The Players Cup has had one of the strongest fields on the Nationwide Tour. Last year Rick Price won the event in a playoff to earn his PGA Tour card. He also collected $180,000, which remains tied for the richest paycheck in the tour’s 20-year history.

Calfee said the tournament will continue to contribute about $125,000 to West Virginia charities.