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Clutch Pro Tour

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Clutch Pro Tour
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 Clutch Pro Tour
SportGolf
Founded2019
FounderTom Hayward
First season2020
CEOTom Hayward
CountriesBased in England[a]
Most titlesTournament wins:
England Giles Evans (5)
Related
competitions
Tartan Pro Tour
Official websitehttps://www.clutchprotour.co.uk/

The Clutch Pro Tour, currently titled as the Mizuno Next Gen Series for sponsorships reasons, is a series of developmental golf tournaments played in England. The tour is open to both male and female professionals.

History

The tour was created in 2019 by Tom Hayward, a former professional golfer, to give lower level professionals more playing opportunities as well as helping progress their careers. The inaugural season took place after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in June 2020.[1]

In May 2022, the tour undertook a sponsorship agreement with Mizuno Golf, being renamed as the Mizuno Next Gen Series.[2][3]

In December 2022, it was announced that the Clutch Pro Tour and the Tartan Pro Tour would become official feeder tours to the Challenge Tour in place of the now-defunct PGA EuroPro Tour. The Clutch Pro Tour would offer Challenge Tour status to the top two players on the Order of Merit.[4] In December 2023, it was confirmed that an additional player (three in total) from the Order of Merit would be awarded Challenge Tour status for the following season.[5] Each event is a 54-hole tournament with a 36-hole cut for the 50 plus ties. Beginning in 2025, the tour also has a season-ending no-cut championship and a qualifying tournament.

In April 2024, it was announced that the tour would be included into the Official World Golf Ranking with immediate affect, having undergone a 17-month application process.[6][7]

Order of Merit winners

Year Winner Points
2023 England George Bloor 4,129
2022 England Giles Evans 4,098
2021 Australia Daniel Gaunt 3,063
2020 England Mitch Waite 5,228

Tier 2

In October 2022, the tour announced a new second-tier to their ecosystem. The tier 2 was added to increase playing opportunities and prize money for players, with the top 15 on the Tier 2 Order of Merit earning status to play on the main Clutch Pro Tour for the following season.[8][9]

Tier 2 Order of Merit winners

Year Winner Points
2023 England Conor White 3,567

Notes

  1. ^ Schedules have also included events in Northern Ireland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Wales.

References

  1. ^ Heath, Elliott (3 June 2020). "The Clutch Pro Tour - The New UK Golf Tour For Male and Female Pros". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Mizuno 'Next Gen' Series Announced". Mizuno Golf. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Mizuno backs Clutch Pro Tour's 'Next Gen' series". Golf Business News. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Clutch Pro Tour to become Official Feeder Tour to the Challenge Tour". European Tour. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  5. ^ Dempster, Martin (13 December 2023). "Paul Lawrie delighted to see Tartan Pro Tour offer two Challenge Tour cards in 2024". The Scotsman. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Clutch Pro Tour". Official World Golf Ranking. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. ^ McNamara, Ronan (26 April 2024). "OWGR announces ranking points for 54-hole Clutch Pro Tour". Irish Golfer. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  8. ^ Cradock, Matt (22 October 2022). "Clutch Pro Tour Unveils New Changes Ahead Of 2023 Season". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  9. ^ Clutch Pro Tour [@clutchprotour] (8 December 2022). "Proud to release the Tier 2 OOM on The Mizuno Next Gen Series 2023" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 October 2023 – via Twitter.