Taylor Moore took home a cool $1.46-million US on Sunday as winner of his first PGA Tour event, the Valspar Open, in Palm Harbor, Florida. The payday was much more modest at Uplands when Moore placed second in the Victoria Open in 2016.
The point is you can get there from here. The newest batch of fledgling pro golfers will open the 2023 PGA Tour Canada season June 15-18 at Uplands Golf Club in the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by the Times Colonist.
“When you looked at the [Valspar] leaderboard, you saw several guys who played in our tournament on their way up to the PGA Tour,” said Keith Dagg, founding director of the Victoria Open, and still the driving force behind the venerable tournament.
The chase begins anew with the 10-event PGA Tour Canada schedule released Wednesday.
“We’re really excited about again being the first tournament of the season,” said Dagg, about the Victoria event’s continuing traditional role as the season opener.
From the 40th Victoria Open, which will be the lone B.C. stop this year, the players will head the following week to the Saskatchewan Open at Elk Ridge.
The Tour runs through the Fortinet Cup in September at Country Hills in Calgary. In-between the Royal Beach Victoria Open and Fortinet Cup in Calgary, through the summer, are the Saskatchewan Open, ATB Classic in Edmonton, Quebec Open in Bromont, Ottawa Open, Osprey Valley Open in Caledon, Ont., Windsor Championship, Manitoba Open in Winnipeg and the CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Minnesota.
At stake in the 2023 PGA Tour Canada are five spots into the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour, which is the tour directly below the PGA in the progression chain of pro golf.
“All nine of our full-field tournaments are crucial as they lead to the Fortinet Cup Championship,” said PGA Tour Canada executive director Scott Pritchard, in a statement.
“I am constantly amazed and impressed at the level of play and abilities of our players. The fact they are going on to success on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour should come as a surprise to no one.”
Six qualifying tournaments will lead up to the PGA Tour Canada season, including the final qualifier at Crown Isle in Courtenay, the week before the Royal Beach Victoria Open.
“That will make for a great two-week period of pro golf on Vancouver Island,” said Dagg.
TEE-OFFS: To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Victoria Open, the first winner Dave Barr, will present the championship trophy to this year’s winner. “It will be a very nice touch, from the first champion to the 40th champion,” said Dagg.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
