The next bash is always tougher to live up to when you were voted the host with the most last time. But Victoria organizers say they will try to top themselves.
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada unveiled its 2020 season schedule Tuesday, with the DCBank Open presented by the Times Colonist second up in the order June 4-7 at Uplands. It follows the opening Canada Life Open on May 28-31 at Seymour Golf Club in Vancouver.
The Victoria tournament was voted the best stop on the 2019 Tour in the inaugural Players’ Choice Award last fall.
The third tournament in this province this year will be the GolfBC Championship from June 11 to 14 at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna. The furthest east the Tour goes is to Prince Edward Island from July 2 to 5. For the first time, the Canadian Tour dips south of the border for a stop in Brainerd, Minnesota, in August.
All the tournaments will offer prize purses of $200,000, with the exception being the concluding $225,000 Canada Life Championship from Sept. 17 to 20 in London, Ont.
There are 13 tournaments in 2020, up one from last year.
“We are thrilled to play 13 tournaments this summer for the first time in Mackenzie Tour history, which will allow our players more opportunities to advance their careers on their path to the PGA Tour,” said Tour managing director Todd Rhinehart.
In hockey terms, Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada is the ECHL and the Korn Ferry Tour the AHL. Or in baseball terms, Double-A and Triple-A.
This year’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada season points champion will earn a full exemption onto the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour. Those placing in the second-through-fifth positions on the Mackenzie Tour season points list will earn conditional status for next year’s Korn Ferry.
Players who finish in the second through 10th spots will also earn an exemption into the final stage of the Korn Ferry Tour qualifying tournament while numbers 11 to 25 on the points list will earn an exemption into the second stage of the Korn Ferrry qualifying process.
The dream starts here. There are a record 85 Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada alumni competing on the Korn Ferry Tour this season.
Three Mackenzie Tour alumni won PGA Tour events last season — Adam Long, Corey Conners and C.T. Pan.
Then there is just simply the meteoric. Doc Redman finished second in the Victoria tournament last year at Uplands. He went on to Monday qualify less than a month later and placed second at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, winning $788,000 US in the process and earning a spot in the 2019 British Open, in which he tied for 20th at Royal Portrush.
Victoria tournament director Murray Thomas has a line he imparts to all the aspirant players who come through Uplands each year: “It’s good to see you but I hope to never see you again except on TV at the next level [Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour].”
Redman lived it last year in just under a month. What story is to be written this summer?
Since 2013, when the Canadian Tour became the Mackenzie Tour, several players from the Victoria tournament have gone on to the PGA Tour, including seven PGA Tour tournament winners in Long, Conners, Pan, Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Aaron Wise.
This will be the 38th year for the Victoria tournament.
Canadian Tour alumni to play on the PGA Tour include the likes of Craig Parry, Steve Stricker, Stuart Appleby, Scott McCarron, Mike Weir, Kirk Triplett, Chris DiMarco, Brandt Jobe, Todd Hamilton, Tim Clark, Tim Herron and Ken Duke.
Canadian Tour alumni Weir, Hamilton and Michael Campbell have won majors.
The Mackenzie Tour events have raised more than $5-million for local charities across Canada since 2013. Last year’s Victoria tournament contributed just under $200,000 for the Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island.
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