The Web.com Tour, proving ground for would-be PGA Tour players and the second-chance tour for PGA Tour players who have fallen out of the top tier, is getting a new name: The Korn Ferry Tour.
Korn Ferry is a worldwide consulting firm. Its functions on behalf of corporations include human resources, marketing, cybersecurity and information technology.
Korn Ferry also is a head-hunter firm hired to recruit corporate talent, including members of corporate boards of directors.
While the BigLead.com website thinks the new Korn Ferry Tour name sounds weird, it’s really not much weirder than when the Ben Hogan Tour became the Nike Tour, which became the Buy.com Tour, which became the Nationwide Tour, which became the Web.com Tour.
The Web.com Tour has had a host of New Mexicans playing on it over the years, including Rio Rancho’s Tim Madigan.
Here’s how the BigLead.com website explained the change in the name:
The PGA Tour announced that, starting today, the Web.com Tour will henceforth be known as the Korn Ferry Tour. The developmental tour (essentially the minor league to the PGA Tour) will operate the same way its predecessor did, with the top 50 players — 25 from the regular season points list and 25 from their three-event playoff system — getting all-important PGA Tour membership. But, there’s something about that name that doesn’t elicit a championship feeling.
Korn Ferry is, according to its website, a “global organizational consulting firm.” If you, like me, had never heard of them before, get ready to hear plenty about them moving forward, because, in addition to being the title sponsor for the minor-league tour in the U.S., they’re also an official PGA Tour marketing partner.