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I heard someone say today that the Nationwide Tour was the second toughest tour in the world right after the PGA Tour, and just ahead of the European Tour.

What do you think?

Easy for sportscasters to make a remark like that. I would submit that either tour is equally tough.

I think that it may have been Ryan Palmer, actually.

Why stop there? I think the Natiowide tour is tougher than the PGA! Everyone is a hot up and commer and they all go way low! What is it now, 6 Nationwide graduates with wins on the PGA this year. With Vijay's other 8, that's 14 events. Not much to be said for the regular PGA guys. The Nationwide Tour is where its at!

Those 6 PGA Tour victories you cited by Nationwide Tour players were probably won by "former" Nationwide Tour players. IMO When the European Tour's stars are playing, it's no contest.

The European tour wins this contest, hands down. Ernie, Retief, Sergio, etc. play European event regularly in addition to guys like Monty, Clarke, Donald, and Harrington who are Europeans. Who does the Nationwide Tour have?

I have to go with Europe. There's been some great golf over there this year. M.A. Jimenez has become one of my favorite players to watch as of late.

Europe has to get the vote. Very good golf being played this year and a lot of young players makng a good impact on the tour.

It's gotta be Europe, there is more top 50 players playing on the European tour than there is Nationwide regulars.

European Tour is better than Nationwide Tour. Only an example will be enough to show it. The european ryder cup team that won easily to U.S. Team is composed by twelve european tour members. Do you think a Nationwide players team would be able to do this? ...

Twelve of the Top American Nationwide Tour players probably would have made it a better match!
Maybe we'll send them over in 2006!

Now that would be a match. Don't think it would ever happen. But I would put my money on the Nationwide players.

Whereas I have never rooted for the American team for the ryder cup. Except for this year, and look where that got me. I've always thought the Europeans were superior.

All five (that's all I could verify) were new "Graduates" of the Nationwide Tour. Meaning, they were rookies on the PGA this year, having been on the Natiowide tour last year. The 6th people talk about is probably Todd Hamilton, who won his first tour card last year at Q-School. Here are the 5 Nationwide Grads:

The following borrowed from pgatour.com.

Andre Stolz won the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas
Ryan Palmer won the FUNAI Classic at the WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort
Vaughn Taylor won at the Reno-Tahoe Open
Mark Hensby won the John Deere Classic
Zach Johnson won the BellSouth Classic

Hey look at that, someone with that understands what they read. Thanks for the help empty_one!

I'd go with the European Tour. There are a lot of good players on that Tour. I know Lee Westwood and a couple of other of those players are going to make the PGA Tour their home tour next year.