Gateway Tour

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The Gateway Tour is a third-level men's professional golf tour headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that runs tournaments in Arizona and Florida. The top-level of men's professional golf in the United States is the PGA Tour and the second-level is the Nationwide Tour, which is the official developmental tour run by the PGA Tour. The Gateway Tour and rival ventures such as the Gateway Tour and the NGA Hooters Tour are the level below that. The fourth and lowest level of tour golf is the mini-tour circuit.

The Gateway Tour was founded in 2001 by former Arizona State All-American golfer Chris Stutts. The first season had 14 tournaments and paid out US$ 2.4 million in prize money. By 2006 it had expanded to 59 tournaments with a pay-out of $7.2 million. It should be noted that the prize money is partly funded by the players' entry fees and that it isn't possible to play in all the tournaments as some of them run concurrently. The 2007 tour consists of four series of events:

Desert Winter Series: runs January to March, based in Phoenix, Arizona
Desert Spring Series: runs March to May, based in Phoenix, Arizona
Beach Winter Series: runs January to March, based in West Palm Beach, Florida
Beach Spring Series: runs March to May, based in West Palm Beach, Florida

The West Palm Beach series originate in the Golden Bear Tour, which the Gateway Tour purchased in March 2005. The regular tournaments are 54 hole events and the four Series Championships are played over 72 holes. There is also a 72 hole Tour Championship for the top players in all four Series.

The sporting aim of the Tour is to help players to win a place on the Nationwide Tour or ideally to jump directly to the PGA Tour. The tour's board of advisors includes Phil Mickelson and Tom Lehman. In 2006 Gateway Tour players earned 10 PGA Tour and 15 fully-exempt Nationwide Tour cards. Tour alumni include Sean O'Hair, Notah Begay, J.B. Holmes, Kevin Stadler, and Bubba Watson.