Golf: Canada’s Mackenzie Tour announces cancellation of remaining 2020 schedule

Seven other professional golf tournaments in Canada have joined Kelowna in having their events cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis.

On Friday, the Mackenzie Tour announced that it has cancelled its 2020 season for a variety of reasons, including mandatory quarantines for those entering Canada and gathering restrictions in all provinces.

Also known as the PGA’s Canadian Tour, the Mackenzie Tour holds tournaments across the country, including the GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon in Kelowna that was to run June 11-14.

On April 16, though, the PGA said it was postponing the first six scheduled events of 2020, which included Kelowna. At the same time, it said more news was expected regarding the schedule.

And on Friday, the tour announced it was cancelling the rest of the season.

“With growing uncertainty surrounding the border and the 14-day quarantine regulations, among other factors, we’ve weighed all of our options and concluded that it is not feasible to play this summer,” Mackenzie Tour executive director Scott Pritchard said in a press release.

“With the safety of the communities we play in mind, as well as the well-being of our players, sponsors, tournament-organizing committees, volunteers and golf course staff, we came to the realization that this is the best decision for everyone involved.”

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The first six Mackenzie Tour stops  originally postponed were:

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• The Canada Life Open in Vancouver, May 28-31
• The DCBank Open in Victoria, June 4-7
• The GolfBC Championship, Kelowna, June 11-14
• The Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open, June 25-28
• The Prince Edward Island Pro-Am, July 2-5
• The Osprey Valley Open in Caledon, Ont., July 9-12

The remaining seven that have been cancelled are:

• The Windsor, Ont., Championship, July 16-19
• The ATB Financial Classic in Calgary, Aug. 6-9
• The Manitoba Open in Winnipeg, Aug. 13-16
• The CRMC Championship in Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 20-23
• The Ontario Open in Tottenham, Ont., Aug. 27-30
• The Mackenzie Investments Open in Blainville, Que., Sept. 10-13
• The Canada Life Championship in London, Ont., Sept. 17-20

Pritchard added that “understanding the complexities that this pandemic has caused, we knew it wasn’t fair to leave our members in positions that might prevent them from pursuing other playing opportunities elsewhere while waiting to see what transpired in Canada.”

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The Mackenzie Tour said 2020 was to be its eighth season, one featuring 13 scheduled tournaments, the most in the tour’s history.

At the 2019 GolfBC Championship at Gallagher’s Canyon, Jake Knapp of Costa Mesa, Calif., took top spot and won $36,000.

Knapp finshed with a 20-under 264, a one-stroke win over best friend Jonathan Garrick of Atherton, Calif.

The final round featured a 59 by Greyson Sigg of Augusta, Ga., who placed third.

Overall, Knapp finished third in Mackenzie Tour money standings with $120,295 in winnings from 12 events. Placing first was Paul Barjon of New Caledonia (near Australia) with $127,336.

For more about the Mackenzie Tour, click here.

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