This is a list of players who graduated from the Nike Tour in 1996. The top ten players on the Nike Tour's money list in 1996 earned their PGA Tour card for 1997.
| 1996 Nike Tour | 1997 PGA Tour | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Money list rank |
Earnings ($) | Starts | Cuts made |
Best finish |
Money list rank |
Earnings ($) | |
 Stewart Cink* |
1 | 251,699 | 31 | 19 | Win | 29 | 809,580 | |
| Michael Christie* |
2 | 193,971 | 33 | 17 | T6 | 112 | 204,883 | |
| Joe Durant |
3 | 159,386 | 31 | 19 | T5 | 100 | 240,936 | |
| David Berganio Jr.* |
4 | 146,047 | 30 | 14 | T9 | 155 | 118,290 | |
| Brett Quigley* |
5 | 123,763 | 34 | 21 | T12 | 128 | 172,023 | |
| Dave Rummells |
6 | 122,778 | 11 | 7 | T7 | 172 | 90,345 | |
| P. H. Horgan III |
7 | 120,760 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 105 | 226,249 | |
| Lee Porter |
8 | 108,030 | 32 | 8 | T7 | 196 | 62,136 | |
| Skip Kendall |
9 | 107,396 | 31 | 22 | 3 | 74 | 320,800 | |
| Eric Johnson* |
10 | 103,929 | 30 | 11 | T12 | 171 | 92,091 | |
*PGA Tour rookie for 1997.
T = Tied
Green background indicates the player retained his PGA Tour card for 1998 (won or finished inside the top 125).
Yellow background indicates player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 1998, but retained conditional status (finished between 126–150).
Red background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 1998 (finished outside the top 150).
Winners on the PGA Tour in 1997
edit| No. | Date | Player | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 27 | Stewart Cink |
Canon Greater Hartford Open | −13 (69-67-65-66=267) | 1 stroke | Tom Byrum, Brandel Chamblee, Jeff Maggert
|