U.S.
golf tour that's a notch below the
PGA Tour. It can be considered a sort of "
minor league" to the PGA.
The Buy.com Tour has young players who aren't good enough to play on the PGA Tour yet, as well as some older players who are a few years away from the Senior PGA Tour.
The circuit started in 1990, when it was known as the Ben Hogan Tour. In 1993, Nike became the primary sponsor, so the tour was renamed the Nike Tour. In 2000, Buy.com became the main sponsor, prompting a second name change to its current name.
The Buy.com Tour is both owned and operated by the parent PGA Tour.
Some of the more famous PGA golfers who first played on the Buy.com (or Nike or Hogan) Tour include David Duval, Ernie Els, and Tom Lehman.