LONDON, Ont. – Ryan Williams of Vancouver was named the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year on Sunday at the Sunningdale Golf & Country Club, finishing as the top Canadian on the 2014 PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit and earning a $10,000 prize courtesy of Freedom 55 Financial.
The 33-year old finished with $40,945 in earnings on the season, highlighted by three top-10 finishes including his win. Williams finished 6th overall on the Order of Merit and is exempt into the finals of the 2014 Web.com Tour Qualifying School.
“This was Freedom 55 Financial’s second year presenting the TOUR Championship of Canada at Sunningdale Golf Club. We’re fortunate to be working with a partner like PGA TOUR Canada who have given so many aspiring young players an opportunity to move on to PGA TOUR success,” said Mike Cunneen, Senior Vice-President, Freedom 55 Financial. “As a Canadian organization that believes in inspiring freedom and confidence for the future, it was a privilege to recognize young Canadian golfers on the Tour with the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player Award, and help them achieve their goals and dreams. We look forward to doing this again next year.”
“We’re thrilled to see Ryan Williams put on a great performance this season to be named Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year,” said PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday. “Our thanks and gratitude go out to Freedom 55 Financial for all their support of PGA TOUR Canada, including these awards. Thanks to them, some of our best and brightest players are able to take a big step forward in achieving their goals and dreams.”
“To have a great Canadian organization like Freedom 55 Financial support me as I continue to chase my dream is an incredible honour,” said Williams. “As Canadians looking to make our way to the game’s highest level, knowing that we have an extra award to play for each week means a lot.”
Freedom 55 Financial established the Canadian Player of the Week award in 2013 to recognize top Canadian players on PGA TOUR Canada. At each PGA TOUR Canada tournament, Freedom 55 Financial presented this award to the Canadian player who had the lowest total score. Winners also received $1,500 to use toward attaining future goals. Below are the winners of the award in 2014:
PC Financial Open – Eugene Wong (North Vancouver, BC) – Tied for 2nd
Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist – James Allenby (Langley, BC) – Tied for 4th
Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON – Ryan Williams (Vancouver, BC) – 4th
SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel – Ted Brown (Peterborough, ON) – Tied for 7th
The Players Cup – Matt Hill (Sarnia, ON) – Tied for 2nd
Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel – Ted Brown (Peterborough, ON) – Tied for 7th
ATB Financial Classic – Cory Renfrew (Victoria, BC) – Tied for 4th
Forces and Families Open – Greg Machtaler (Summerland, BC) – WON
The Great Waterway Classic – Michael Gligic (Burlington, ON) – 4th
The Wildfire Invitational presented by PC Financial – Michael Gligic (Burlington, ON) – 2nd
Cape Breton Celtic Classic presented by PC Financial – Beon-Yeong Lee (Montreal, QC) – Tied for 3rd
TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial – Ryan Williams (Vancouver, BC) – WON