TORONTO – The 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada schedule was released, featuring 13 official tournaments from May to September and a $25,000 increase for all tournament purses as players compete to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.
The season will begin with the Freedom 55 Financial Open (May 28-June 3) at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia, with purses of $200,000 (CA$) for all regular events and a $225,000 (CA$) purse for the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship (Sept. 10-16) at Highland Country Club in London.
In addition to two new tournaments – the Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open (June 18-24) at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge, Alta. and the Windsor Championship (July 2-8) at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont. – another event to be announced holds a spot on the schedule from Sept. 3-9, with details to be revealed in the coming weeks.
“We are delighted to share the 2018 schedule and the progress it represents with our largest number of tournaments yet and an increase in prize funds. We are so pleased with the accomplishments of our host organizations and our partnerships with sponsors, particularly our Umbrella Sponsor Mackenzie Investments, as we head into our sixth season,” said Mackenzie Tour President Jeff Monday. “We look forward to another great season of players competing to advance their careers towards the PGA TOUR while we continue to build on the $3.2 million raised for charity since 2013.”
Mackenzie Tour players will once again look to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR by leveraging their performances into advantages to reach the next level. The Order of Merit winner will be fully exempt on the Web.com Tour for the following season, with Nos. 2-5 earning conditional status. Those players Nos. 2-10 will also earn an exemption into the Final Stage of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, while Nos. 11-20 on the Order of Merit will earn an exemption into the Qualifying Tournament’s Second Stage.
Players will look to follow in the footsteps of PGA TOUR winners Mackenzie Hughes, Tony Finau and Nick Taylor, along with rest of the 20 alumni who have gone on to earn their PGA TOUR cards. More than 160 Mackenzie Tour players have gone on to earn status on the Web.com Tour, including 72 for the 2018 season.
Off the course, Mackenzie Tour events will look to build off a second consecutive season of more than $1 million raised for local charities across Canada, bringing the total since 2013 to more than $3.2 million.
After beginning the season in Vancouver, the Tour will head to Victoria, B.C. for the 36th playing of the Bayview Place DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist (June 4-10) at Uplands Golf Club, followed by the GolfBC Championship (June 11-17) at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club in Kelowna, B.C., and the new Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open (June 18-24) at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort in Lethbridge, Alta.
The inaugural Windsor Championship takes place at Ambassador Golf Club in Windsor, Ont. (July 2-8), followed by the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel in Thunder Bay, Ont. (July 9-15) and the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval at Les Quatres Domaines Golf Club in Montreal, Que. (July 16-22) after which the top-three players on the Order of Merit earn exemptions into the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open.
The season resumes in Alberta, with the Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON at Edmonton Petroleum Golf and Country Club in Edmonton (July 30-August 5) and the ATB Financial Classic at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary (August 6-12), followed by the Players Cup at Southwood Golf and Country Club in Winnipeg, Man. (August 13-19).
The Cape Breton Open takes place once again at Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck, N.S. (August 27-September 2), followed by an additional event to be announced in the coming weeks. The top 60 players on the Order of Merit through 12 events will retain exempt status for the following season and play their way into the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship at Highland Country Club in London, Ont.
Following the completion of the season, Mackenzie Tour players will once again compete against their peers from PGA TOUR Latinoamérica in the Aruba Cup, taking place December 13-15 at Tierra del Sol Resort and Golf in Arub
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