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By Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

BROUSSARD, La. -- The Nationwide Tour doesn't have a Masters.

There isn't a U.S. Open or PGA Championship on its 32-tournament schedule.

It travels -- to Panama, Australia and New Zealand, but not to the British Isles for the venerable Open Championship.

Larry Mize is in this week's field. (Fontaine/WireImage)

CHITIMACHIA LOUISIANA OPEN

• Field • Tee Times • Past Winners

The point is there isn't a major championship in sight. But make no mistake the Tour does have majors, provided you read between the lines.

Just ask the competitors.

They'll immediately point to the LaSalle Bank Open. It offers the season's largest purse ($750,000 in 2007) outside of the Nationwide Tour Championship, another tournament of major significance to every member. A victory at the LaSalle usually propels its champion onto the PGA TOUR the following season.

Then there is the tour's longest running event, the Albertson's Boise Open presented by First Health. It offers another fat payday ($675,000), gives more money to charity than any other event and brings more spectators to the golf course.

When you look at the purse for the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Industries, the $500,000 doesn't wow you. But it normally provides the year's strongest field, formerly because it was played opposite THE PLAYERS Championship and attracted many PGA TOUR members who could not squeeze into the 144-man field. A change in the PGA TOUR schedule in 2007 created a sweeter scenario in Cajun Country this year.

THE PLAYERS shifted into a new slot in May, with the World Golf Championships-CA Championship and its elite field of 74 players, taking its place this week. That meant a number of PGA TOUR members were looking for a place to compete and the Louisiana Open suddenly became very appealing.

Voila. The Nationwide Tour arguably is looking at its best field of the season, bar none.

"The field here is awesome, absolutely unbelievable for a Nationwide Tour event,'' said Gavin Coles, a Nationwide graduate in 2006. "The field here always has been strong opposite THE PLAYERS, but now it's out of sight.''

How good is it? Try these numbers on for size.

Sixteen players in the 144-man field have accounted for 45 PGA TOUR wins. Two -- Larry Mize (1987 Masters) and Steve Jones (1996 United States Open) -- have won majors. Give the players a vote and they'd say add Craig Perks, who won THE PLAYERS Championship in 2002, to the list of major champions. Eighty-three players (58 percent) have PGA TOUR experience. Finally, the tournament's 20 alternates own an additional 36 PGA TOUR victories.

Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage

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"All you had to do was look at the names to see how strong this field is,'' Todd Fischer said. "That's why I really don't like the word "developmental'' used when talking about the Nationwide Tour.''

Another scheduling quirk also worked in the event's favor. The Shell Houston Open is the next stop on the PGA TOUR and Houston is less than a three-hour drive from Broussard.

"I decided to play because I want to stay competitive,'' PGA TOUR rookie and '06 Nationwide Tour graduate Jarrod Lyle said. "I was first alternate in Tampa and didn't get in. I didn't play last week (at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard). If I didn't play this week I'd be going to Houston with three week's worth of rust. And you can jump in your car and be in Houston in no time after the final round Sunday. It just made sense.''

David Lee of Windance Golf Club in Gulfport, Miss., gained entry through the closed qualifier for members of the Gulf States Section of the PGA of America. He was stunned when he perused the list of entrants and has been wowed since he arrived at LeTriomphe Country Club, the tournament's venue.

"I was having lunch yesterday and there was Larry Mize sitting right next to me,'' Lee said, taking a break from work on the putting clock. "This morning at breakfast I looked up and saw Steve Jones and John Cook. Look right there. That's Steve Pate. Man, this tournament is going to be tough. Those guys know how to win.''