Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announces 2021 season and tournament plans
Eight-tournament schedule begins in late-July, concludes in October
Season-Ending Championship At Highland Country Club Not Part Of Immediate Plans
From the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada:
TORONTO—The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada will return to action in 2021 with a set of eight tournaments available for players based in Canada. The PGA TOUR made the announcement June 10.
A year after the global pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season, and with restrictions still in place at the Canada-U.S. border, the Mackenzie Tour is giving competitive opportunities to players already in Canada through this eight-event schedule that begins in July and runs to October.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to make this announcement. We always knew we would have PGA TOUR-affiliated golf in Canada in 2021, so it’s nice to finally make it official with the announcement of these eight tournaments,” said Scott Pritchard, Mackenzie Tour Executive Director. “We are appreciative to all of our partners, the golf courses where we’re playing, the communities that will host us for the week and Mackenzie Investments, which has been such a significant partner for so many years.”
The season begins in late-July, with the Mackenzie Investments Open at Club de Golf Le Blainvillier in the city of Blainville just outside of Montreal on July 26-August 1. Following a two-week break, the Tour begins a seven-tournament-in-seven-week stretch, beginning August 16-22 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley for the Osprey Valley Open. Next is a two-week stay in Prince Edward Island for a pair of tournaments at two of the island’s finest golf courses. First up is the Prince Edward Island Open (August 23-29) at Dundarave Golf Club followed by the Brudenell River Classic (August 30-September 5) at Brudenell River Golf Course.
Players will then travel west for a tournament to be announced at a later date and will be played the week of September 6-12, followed by Calgary’s ATB Financial Classic (September 13-19) at Country Hills Golf Club, both long-time Tour partners. The season concludes with a pair of tournaments in British Columbia, the GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon Golf and Country Club (September 20-26) followed by the DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist at Uplands Golf Club (September 27-October 3).
Ed. Note: It looks like the Canada Life Championship, the Mackenzie Tour’s season-ending tournament at Highland Country Club in London, has come to a permanent end. The event is not part of the revamped schedule, and Canada Life is no longer title sponsor of the championship. Pritchard said, “Moving forward, London is still a market we would very much like to be in. But we don’t have any immediate plans to return.” He added, “Canada Life will no longer be the title sponsor for the season-ending event. We very much appreciate their support of the Mackenzie Tour since 2013 and wish everyone at Canada Life and Highland Country Club nothing but the best moving forward.” Sunningdale Golf and Country Club hosted the tournament in 2013-14 before Highland took over in 2015. In total, more than $200,000 was raised for local charities. Despite ideal weather at Highland, attendance was poor, but the local golf industry applauded logistics from all parties, including the Mackenzie Tour and the host committee. Read previous analyses of the Canada Life Championship here , here and here.
The Mackenzie Tour and tournament organizers continue to monitor issues surrounding the global pandemic, and they have worked with local and provincial health authorities and will continue to do so leading up to the tournaments. Approvals to return to competition still need to happen across the country, but organizers remain encouraged that the tournaments will be able to take place based on the vaccine rollout.
Even with the compacted schedule and the number of events played in consecutive weeks caused by continued pandemic issues, Pritchard sees this year’s set of tournaments and their place on the schedule as a good thing.
“We believe there is a good pacing to our schedule, and the players will get in a lot of golf this summer in successive weeks. With the limited amount of competitive golf available over the last year, we know the players are anxious to get started and will embrace these events played at high-quality golf courses in the summer and into the fall,” Pritchard added.
In 2020, the PGA TOUR conducted a four-tournament grouping of tournaments for players in Canada. What the Tour conducted last summer will serve as a model in 2021.
“What I’m most excited about is that these players will have opportunities to compete at PGA TOUR-sanctioned events, the competitions taking place at quality golf courses and the Tour offering some compelling season-ending incentive for these players,” Pritchard added.
The top player at the conclusion of the season will earn full status on the 2022 Mackenzie Tour, while players finishing No. 2 through 5 on the Points List will receive conditional 2022 Mackenzie Tour status, which will gain them entry into the first set of events before the reshuffle. Finishers six through 10 will each earn a sponsor exemption into a 2022 Mackenzie Tour event.
Tour officials will continue to monitor the travel restrictions in place and adapt accordingly should policies change before or during the season.
2021 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Schedule
July 26-August 1
Mackenzie Investments Open
Club de Golf Le Blainvillier
Blainville, Quebec
August 16-22
Osprey Valley Open
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley
Caledon, Ontario
August 23-29
Prince Edward Island Open
Dundarave GC
Brudenell, Prince Edward Island
August 30-September 5
Brudenell River Classic
Brudenell River GC
Brudenell, Prince Edward Island
September 6-12
TBD
TBD
TBD
September 13-19
ATB Financial Classic
Country Hills G&CC
Calgary, Alberta
September 20-26
GolfBC Championship
Gallagher’s Canyon GC
Kelowna, British Columbia
September 27-October 3
DCBank Open presented by Times Colonist
Uplands Golf Club
Victoria, British Columbia
About the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada
The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is a series of tournaments played across Canada each summer, where tomorrow’s stars begin the path to the PGA TOUR. In 2021, because of restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border, the Mackenzie Tour is for players based in Canada. The Mackenzie Tour’s mission is to deliver a PGA TOUR experience for its members, fans, volunteers and partners in order to develop the future stars of professional golf and enrich the communities it visits.
