NEXT Golf Tour returns for Season 5 with a new Challenger Series

The tour reported that its first four seasons have distributed more than $3.7 million in prize money. It says players have also gained pathways to the DP World Tour, HotelPlanner Tour, Epson Tour and LIV Golf Promotions Event.

Koivu topped last season’s earnings, followed by Czech Republic’s Simon Zach ($70,358), Sweden’s Oliver Lilliedahl ($44,900), and Americans AJ Cavotta ($43,417) and Jordan Weber ($43,094). In total, ten players earned more than $30,000 competing on TrackMan simulators around the world.

Season 5 will introduce a new Challenger Series as another entry point to the competition. Players will continue to compete for prize money, rankings, exemptions and tour starts, according to the tour. TrackMan describes NEXT as a competition focused on professional opportunities rather than entertainment.

Golf analyst Ryan French said the tour is compelling because of what is at stake for its players. He also pointed to live scoring and video coverage, which let fans follow shots, holes and leaderboard changes. The tour said its career-earnings rankings include two players who have earned more than $140,000.