First $1 Million N'Wide Event

This kind of fell off the radar, but the Nationwide Tour will be having its first $1 million purse this season in West Virginia. That is only technically speaking because the Tour Championship became the first to announce a $1 million purse, but this event will happen first on the calendar. Here are the details from PGATour.com:

The Nationwide Tour Players Cup will be a marquee event featuring a unique 144-player eligibility criteria and a $1 million purse.

The tournament will be held July 7-13 at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, W. Va. and be the first regular season tournament on the Nationwide Tour to offer $1 million in prize money. GOLF CHANNEL will provide coverage of all four days of tournament play (July 10-13).

Nationwide Tour players will have the first 16 tournaments of 2008 to secure their position among the top 144 available on the Nationwide Tour money list and a spot in the Players Cup field. The cutoff will be the preceding event, the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic in Canada (June 23-29).

A 36-hole cut will be made to the low-60 scores and ties after play on Friday, July 11. There will be no open qualifying or sponsor invitees.

First prize will be a record $180,000 and the winner will, in all likelihood, earn his PGA TOUR card for 2009.