EDMONTON – The CN Canadian Women’s Open is well underway at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, and the city is benefiting in a number of ways.
The event, organized by Golf Canada and sponsored by CN rail, runs from August 19 to 25.
There are 156 players taking part in the Edmonton event. Qualifying rounds began on Monday, and Championship rounds began on Thursday.
There is a $2 million (US) purse up for grabs.
Click here for the full results.
The CN Canadian Women’s Open raises support for the care of sick children in the communities that host the event. In the past six years, the CN Canadian Women’s Open, through the CN Miracle Match program and proceeds from the championship, has raised over $8.25 million for local children’s hospitals.
“I just that’s important for us as human beings; that we should try, with everything that we do, to give back,” said Scott Simmons, CEO of Golf Canada.
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“Every dollar that’s donated by either individuals or corporations, CN will match that. I would estimate that by the time the last putt drops here, they will have generated $10 million for children’s hospitals across the country over the last eight years of running this event.”
However, the event doesn’t just offer support to area hospitals; it also supports local economies.
“It would be anywhere from $15 million to $25 million, depending on the city and event,” estimates Simmons.
He says the cities that host the Women’s Open and Men’s Open events can expect to welcome athletes, visitors, and golf fans, as well as some additional attention.
“We’re getting – depending on the event – anywhere between 75,000 and 100,000 spectators at these events,” says Simmons. “When you combine that with all the economic impact that happens as a result of that, whether it’s air travel, hotels, food and beverage, it’s huge for the city, the province.”
“The club obviously benefits economically. They make some money off of this which they then can put into the club in whichever way they desire, whether it’s clubhouse renovations or course renovations. But what I hear year after year more than anything is the pride that events like this instil in the club.”
The Royal Mayfair also hosted the tournament in 2007, when Lorena Ochoa won.
“If we look back to 2007, when the tour was here before, we know that we generated over $8.2 million in impact then, so we’re expecting to break that this time,” says Maggie Davison, with the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.
She explains Edmonton has worked hard to bring world-class events to Alberta’s Capital City.
“We have a partnership with the city and we work to attract this calibre of event. And, as you can see, more and more of those internationally-renown events are starting to come to Edmonton, so that’s kudos to the city.”
“I think we’re starting to build a reputation, and we’ve got some really great stuff in the works.”
“The 2007 event was a tremendous success and there’s no doubt that Royal Mayfair and the City of Edmonton will once again prove fabulous hosts for the Championship,” added Simmons.
For information about tickets and the event, please visit www.cncanadianwomensopen.com.
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