If the Nationwide Tour stops in your hometown, will anybody come to watch?

It's not an issue that's keeping organizers of this week's Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational awake at night. As golfers on the PGA Tour's minor-league circuit begin play today at Ohio State University's Scarlet golf course, organizers say the four-day event will be a success, even if spectators are scarce.

The $10 ticket price won't scare golf fans away. But officials with HNS Sports Group of Dublin, the company Nationwide hired to run the tournament, say they're uncertain how many people will come.

At the same time, they say corporate support came briskly enough to assure that the tournament's approximate $2.2 million in expenses, including a purse of $700,000, are in the bag.

"It was a successful sales process to get the (sponsorships) sold," said Kip Eriksen, HNS chief operating officer. "As an inaugural event, we didn't build the model to rely on significant ticket revenue.

"We want the attendance and ticket revenue to build over time."

No one is certain exactly how central Ohio golf fans will respond to the event, which includes players trying to reach the PGA Tour. The Greater Columbus Sports Commission hasn't calculated the tournament's economic impact, although the PGA estimates the tournament will pump from $1 million to $10 million into the community.

Nationwide, the name sponsor of the tour, insists that it has received its money's worth since it began backing the tour in 2003. The PGA Tour said that research it commissioned from Joyce Julius & Associates indicates the tour will bring Nationwide $22.9 million worth of exposure.

Nationwide said that's double the amount of exposure the tour generated before it took over. Spokesman Mike Switzer said Nationwide will reap an additional $8.5 million in other benefits, such as sales leads, from sponsoring the tour.

Last year, the Columbus-based insurer committed to back the tour through 2012. Nationwide did not announce its financial commitment, but industry estimates peg it at between $6 million and $11 million per year...