EPD Tour
The EPD Tour (in full the European Professional Development Tour) is a developmental professional golf tour based in Germany. It is a third level tour, the highest level of men's golf in Europe being the European Tour, and the second level being the Challenge Tour. The other third level tours in Europe are the United Kingdom based PGA EuroPro Tour, the Alps Tour, which is sanctioned by the national golf unions of several countries, including France and Italy, and the Nordic League in the Nordic countries.
The EPD Tour was established by Canadian golf professional Wayne Hachey in 1997 and has been recognised as an official third level tour by the PGA European Tour since 2001. In 2005 the PGA of Germany took over the EPD Tour. The prize fund has increased from €7,500 in the first season to over €450,000 in 2006. The 2006 season features more than twenty events. The majority of them are in Germany and the others are in nearby countries.
The five leading players on the EPD Tour's Order of Merit qualify for the following season's Challenge Tour and receive a bye to the second of the three stages of the European Tour's Qualifying School. The next five also receive a bye into the second stage of qualifying for the elite tour.
EPD Tour alumni include major winner Martin Kaymer, as well as Tobias Dier and Marcel Siem, who have both won on the European Tour.
Order of Merit winners
| Year | Player | Country | Earnings (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Florian Fritsch |  Germany | 29.277,57 |
| 2012 | Marcel Haremza | Germany | 26.362,12 |
| 2011 | Reinier Saxton |  Netherlands | 34,809.03 |
| 2010 | Benjamin Miarka | Germany | 25,641.09 |
| 2009 | Bernd Ritthammer | Germany | 25,318.74 |
| 2008 | James Ruth |  England | 23,440.93 |
| 2007 | Tino Schuster | Germany | 25,286.83 |
| 2006 | Martin Kaymer | Germany | 26,664.00 |
| 2005 | Nicolas Meitinger | Germany | 20,280.38 |
See also
- Gateway Tour and NGA Pro Golf Tour - third level tours in the United States
External links
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