The EPD Tour is a developmental professional golf tour based in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. It is a third level tour, the highest level of men's golf in Europe being the European Tour, and the second level being the Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour

The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...

. The other third level tours in Europe are the United Kingdom based PGA EuroPro Tour

PGA EuroPro Tour

The PGA EuroPro Tour is a men's developmental professional golf tour. It was created in 2002 by the merger of two older development tours, the EuroPro Tour and the PGA Mastercard Tour. It is based mainly in the United Kingdom, with a few events in other countries...

, the Alps Tour

Alps Tour

The Alps Tour is a developmental professional golf tour for men which is sanctioned by the national golf associations of France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Morocco. It is a third level tour, the highest level of men's golf in Europe being the European Tour, and the second level being the...

, which is sanctioned by the national golf unions of several countries, including France and Italy, and the Nordic League

Nordic League

The Nordic League was a far right organisation in the United Kingdom from 1935 to 1939 that sought to serve as a co-ordinating body for the various extremist movements whilst also seeking to promote Nazism...

 in the Nordic countries.

The EPD Tour was established by Canadian golf professional Wayne Hachey in 1997 and has been recognised as an official third level tour by the PGA European Tour

PGA European Tour

The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...

 since 2001. In 2005 the PGA

Professional Golfers Association

Professional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...

 of Germany took over the EPD Tour. The prize fund has increased from €

Euro

The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

7,500 in the first season to over €450,000 in 2006. The 2006 season features more than twenty events. The majority of them are in Germany and the others are in nearby countries.

The five leading players on the EPD Tour's Order of Merit qualify for the following season's Challenge Tour and receive a bye to the second of the three stages of the European Tour's Qualifying School

Qualifying school

In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...

. The next five also receive a bye into the second stage of qualifying for the elite tour.

EPD Tour alumni include major

Men's major golf championships

The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...

 winner Martin Kaymer

Martin Kaymer

Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship....

, as well as Tobias Dier

Tobias Dier

Tobias Dier is a German professional golfer.Dier was born in Nürnberg. He won the 1998 German Amateur Open Championship and turned professional later that year. He won a European Tour card by finishing sixth on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit in 1998...

 and Marcel Siem

Marcel Siem

Marcel Siem is a German professional golfer.Siem was born in Mettmann. He turned professional in 2000. He has been a member of the European Tour since 2002 and his first and only win on the Tour to date came at the 2004 Dunhill Championship...

, who have both won on the European Tour.

Order of Merit winners

Year	Player	Country	Earnings (€ Euro The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,... )
2010	Benjamin Miarka		25.641,09
2009	Bernd Ritthammer		25,318.74
2008	James Ruth James Ruth James A. Ruth is an English professional golfer.Ruth was born in Plymouth, England.Ruth was the Order of Merit leader on the third-tier EPD Tour in 2008. In 2008, he had three wins on the EPD tour earning €23,440.93...		23,440.93
2007	Tino Schuster		25,286.83
2006	Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship....		26,664.00
2005	Nicolas Meitinger Nicolas Meitinger Nicolas Meitinger is a German professional golfer.Meitinger was born in Cologne, Germany. He turned professional in 2005 and initially played on the EPD Tour, where he has six wins...		20,280.38