Hooters Tour plans a July return to Sikeston course

SIKESTON, Mo. -- After a two-year layoff, the NGA/Hooters Tour will return to the Bootheel Golf Club this summer.

The tour has scheduled a full week of events that will begin July 14 and end July 20.

"It's a chance for people that have never experienced a big-time golf event to come out and see some of the top players in the world," Bootheel club pro Jeff Ketterman said. "It's also a way for us to kick something back into the community. We're very excited about the tour coming back."

Officials from the tour say the're eager to return to Southeast Missouri.

"Every player I've talked to has said this was the best event we had," NGA regional director Ryan Waters said. "The community here really came out and supported the event. I'm really excited about what this year will bring."

The Hooters Tour is considered a training ground for golfers to move on to the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, formerly the Nike and Buy.com tours. Forty-two percent of players who earned their 2003 PGA Tour Card began their careers on the Hooters Tour. Fifty percent of players that earned full exempt status on the Nationwide Tour have played on the Hooters Tour.

"Our players have had a lot of success on the larger tours," Waters said. "It's surprising sometimes. A city like Sikeston will give you a bigger-event feel than a city like St. Louis will. Our tour is like a minor-league tour, and kind of gets lost in the shuffle in the bigger cities. We're planning to make it as special as it has been in the past here."

The week will start Monday, July 14 with a local qualifying tournament. On Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be two sponsors' pro-ams.

The first day of the professional tournament will be Thursday, July 17, when 168 players will compete for a $120,000 purse.

After Friday, July 18, the field will cut to 60 golfers. All qualifiers that make it into the final rounds are guaranteed a share of the purse. The winner gets $20,000.

The Hooters tour will begin March 3 in Orlando, Fla.