Golf Canada joins the Canadian golf community in extending our deepest respect and condolences to the family and friends of Canadian Golf Hall of Fame honoured member Bob Panasik of Windsor, Ont. on the news of his unexpected passing December 27 following complications from heart surgery in late November. 

Panasik was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2005 following an outstanding career across amateur, professional, and international golf. He was also inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2005, the PGA of Canada Hall of Fame in 2014 and was a charter class inductee into the PGA of Ontario Hall of Fame in 2020. 

Born October 20, 1941 (82), Panasik’s celebrated competitive career spanned more than 50 years, with bookend victories at the 1955 Ontario Bantam Championship through to the PGA of Canada Super Senior title in 2003. Among his many accomplishments are wins at the 1958 Canadian Junior, 1958 and 1960 Ontario Junior, 1959 Ontario Amateur, two PGA of Canada Championships, two PGA of Canada Club Professional Championships, and three PGA of Canada Senior Championships along with 12 provincial titles.  

Panasik played his way (through qualifying) into nine US Opens, played on three Canadian World Cup Teams, and competed in 14 Canadian Open Championships including 1958 where he finished T64 and became the youngest player to make the cut in a regular PGA TOUR event (15 years, 8 months), a record that stood for 56 years.  

Fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Lorne Rubenstein celebrated ‘Panny’ with a fitting tribute to one of Canadian golf’s great competitors and storytellers.  

Panasik is survived by his daughter Melissa and brother Nick along with nephews, nieces, and countless friends across the Canadian and international golf community. 

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, January 13, 2024 from 1pm to 4pm at the Beach Grove Golf and Country Club in Tecumseh, Ont. Those wishing to make a donation in Bob’s memory, are asked to consider the Heart and Stroke Foundation. 

Nick Taylor’s putter flip after winning the RBC Canadian Open was the exclamation point on arguably the best year in Canadian golf history.

Taylor drained a 72-foot eagle putt to end a four-hole playoff with England’s Tommy Fleetwood at the Canadian national men’s championship on June 11, the first time a Canadian had won the title in 69 years. But Canada’s success on the course went beyond that, with Canadians winning at every level of the professional game including four wins on the PGA Tour and one on the LPGA Tour.

“I think the state of Canadian pro golf, especially on the PGA Tour, has never been better,” said Taylor, the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher did it in 1954. “Our goal, as players, with Golf Canada is to keep that number growing of Tour members.

“The more players that we can get out here, obviously, it gives us a greater chance of winning more and more.”

Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., joined Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., as winners on the PGA Tour in the 2022-23 season. It was the most wins by Canadians in a single PGA Tour campaign to date.

“The camaraderie is great,” said Taylor, whose victory at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Country Club was the fourth win by a Canadian in the season. “I feel like we play a lot of practice rounds together, houses often have dinners together, so we all rally together.

“I think we push each other to be better and I think that’s why we’ve continued to get better and reach new heights.”

Conners, who won the Valero Texas Open for a second time on April 2, said that winning is the best feeling you can have in professional golf.

“That was definitely a highlight for me,” said Conners. “I think another highlight, and something that I’m always very proud of, was making it to Eastlake — the Tour Championship — and being in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup rankings and having a chance to win the FedEx Cup. 

“Looking back on the year as a whole I would have liked to improve on some things, but making it there is a nice bonus because it means you had a great year.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions on Jan. 22 for her 13th victory on the LPGA Tour, the most of any professional player in Canadian golf history regardless of gender.

“It was a little bit up and down year for me,” said Henderson, assessing her 2023. “But it was nice to try to defend my title at the Evian Championship with a runner-up finish this year, it was really fun to be back in contention. 

“Then same kind of thing to be in our Tour Championship in November, it’s always a big goal when you start the season is to be in contention to try to win that, that big money and the race, the CME Globe in November.”

Canadian success wasn’t limited to the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, however.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., both won on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour to earn full-time PGA Tour status in 2024. That means there will be eight Canadians on tour with Silverman and Sloan joining Taylor, Conners, Hughes, Svensson, Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford.

Hamilton’s Alena Sharp won an Epson Tour event and had five top-10 results on the second-tier tour, not missing a cut in 14 tournaments played. She also won Canada’s second-ever golf medal at the Pan American Games, winning bronze in Santiago, Chile. 

Sharp once again earned LPGA Tour status through final qualifying, as did Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont. They’ll join Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., on the LPGA Tour in the new year.

Two more Canadians won on the PGA Tour Canada, a feeder circuit for the Korn Ferry Tour, with Etienne Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald each claiming a victory. Papineau finished fourth on the season-long points list to earn conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., won on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, another third-tier circuit in the PGA Tour system. Calgary’s Stephen Ames won a remarkable four times on the Champions Tour.

On the amateur side, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. earned the 109th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. won the 118th Canadian Men’s Amateur, marking only the third time both tournaments were won by Canadians in the same year since 2011. Monet Chun of Richmond Hill, Ont., became the first Canadian to make the cut at the Augusta Women’s National Amateur.

With the Paris Olympics coming in July and the Presidents Cup returning to Royal Montreal Golf Club in September, Taylor expects 2024 to be an even bigger year for Canadian golf.

“Those two are at the top of the list of things I want to be involved in, participate in, this coming year,” he said.

Together with the PGA of Canada, Golf Canada is pleased to announce the continuation of the Women in Coaching program and formally open applications for the 2024 cohort.

Now entering its fourth year, the Women in Coaching program improves the balance of female high-performance coaches to better reflect the Canadian golfing community. To date, the program has supported 25 coaches and aims to increase the number of trained female high-performance coaches through intentional delivery of professional development opportunities.

The year-long program is focused on four main areas: virtual learning sessions, individualized learning plans with monthly check-ins led by coach developer Beth Barz, coach shadowing opportunities, and an in-person technical development session.

The program is financially supported through the Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund (JBLF), a fund created to provide critical educational opportunities for women who are developing their careers as professional coaches, thereby helping to increase the number of Canadian women who are prominent leaders and role models for golf in our country.

“We are excited to partner with the PGA of Canada to continue to deliver professional development opportunities to female coaches as we work collaboratively to address the gender gap in high-performance coaching.” said Emily Phoenix, Golf Canada’s Manager of High-Performance Sport. “We are very grateful to the donors of the Jocelyne Bourassa Legacy Fund who continue to make this program possible through their generous support.”

The Women in Coaching program is led by Phoenix, Jennifer Greggain (Associate Coach, Team Canada – Women), Salimah Mussani (Team Canada Stollery Family Women’s Head Coach), and Beth Barz (Master Coach Developer).

“The Women in Coaching Program has accelerated the development of my coaching skills by providing valuable knowledge and offering high-level coaching experiences,.” said Kat Kennedy, 2023 program participant. “Thanks to the incredible support I received from Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada, Team Canada coaches and the women’s golf professional community, the program has significantly boosted my confidence in coaching.”

The 2024 cohort will kick off with an in-person session February 24-27 in Phoenix, Ariz., where participants will shadow national team coaches during a training camp and engage in two days of technical skill development education.

Coaches interested in the Women in Coaching program can click here to apply and are encouraged to reach out to Emily Phoenix (ephoenix@golfcanada.ca) with any questions.

Applications close on Sunday, January 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET.

TORONTO – The Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) has announced their golf story of the year, as well as various Player of the Year awards for the 2023 season.

“GJAC is pleased to recognize Canadian professional and amateur golfers again this year with our year end player and Canadian golf story of the year awards,” said Mike Johnny, President of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. “Golf continues to thrive across Canada.  Participation remains high and consistent with its success at the grassroots, the professional and amateur play of Canadians is also at an all-time high.  Nick Taylor’s iconic victory at the RBC Canadian Open is symbolic of the successes enjoyed in the game of golf by Canadians across professional and amateur competition.”

Without further ado; here is the story of the year and Players of the Year for the 2023 season

Nick Taylor’s Historic Win Named GJAC Story of the Year

Nick Taylor’s victory at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in dramatic fashion in a playoff over Tommy Fleetwood was voted as the golf story of the year.  Having a Canadian win our national open championship is special, but the matter in which it was achieved; sinking a 72-foot putt in a sudden-death playoff, capped a moment Canadian golf fans will never forget.

Nick Taylor Named Male Professional of the Year

A career-defining moment gave Canadian golf fans a feeling they have been waiting for since Mike Weir’s win at the 2003 Masters.

While the twenty-years in-between saw quite a few notable Canadian performances – no year had been more prominent than 2023.

Along with Taylor’s win at Oakdale Golf and Country Club, Mackenzie Hughes captured the Sanderson Farms Championship, Adam Svensson broke through for his first PGA TOUR title at The RSM Classic, and Corey Conners won the Valero Texas Open for the second time. Adam Hadwin also added three runner-up finishes this past season.

Of course, it was Taylor’s win that stood out and makes him our Player of the Year, as voted by GJAC members. 

Brooke Henderson named Female Professional Player of the Year

Once again, the most decorated Canadian professional player collected more than enough votes among GJAC members to be named the Female Professional of the Year.

Brooke made Canadians proud (which she has done perennially in her career) with an early-season win and 10 top-20 finishes on the LPGA Tour, including a runner-up at the Evian Championship.

Ashton McCulloch named Male Amateur of the Year

With a win at the Canadian Amateur Championship and a runner-up finish at the Ontario Amateur Championship, McCulloch had a standout 2023 summer in Canada following a notable spring season south of the border at Michigan State University.

The five-stroke win at the Canadian Amateur Championship was the biggest victory of the Kingston, Ontario product’s career to date as he is now mid-way through his Junior season with the Spartans.

Savannah Grewal named Female Amateur of the Year

Savannah Grewal capped off a historic collegiate career at Clemson University with a victory at the Cougar Classic in Charleston – finishing her final season as a first-team All-ACC team member with a 71.77 stroke average, best in school history.

Following a tremendous 2023 amateur season, Grewal recently turned professional and is one of the newest members of the LPGA Tour, finishing T10 at the final stage of Q-School.

Twenty years ago, Mike Weir won The Masters to become the first Canadian male to win a major championship. The Green Jacket came north of the border – to borrow a line from Jim Nantz.

The impact of Weir’s Masters triumph has been long felt. And in 2023, two decades on, there were more Canadians who won on the PGA TOUR than in any other 12-month timeframe. Emphasized, of course, by Nick Taylor’s dramatic playoff victory at the RBC Canadian Open in June.

“I think it’s a tournament that we’ve circled on our calendar since probably junior golf. But ever since I’ve been on the PGA TOUR, this is one that we want to do as well as we can in, and the crowd support was the most unbelievable thing I will probably ever experience in my life,” Taylor said. “To, kind of, break that curse – I’m pretty speechless.”

“I don’t think it’s going to sink in for quite some time what happened today.”

Along with Taylor’s win at Oakdale Golf and Country Club, Mackenzie Hughes captured the Sanderson Farms Championship, Adam Svensson broke through for his first PGA TOUR title at The RSM Classic, and Corey Conners won the Valero Texas Open for the second time. Adam Hadwin also added three runner-up finishes this past season.

Conners and Taylor would advance to the TOUR Championship in August, marking the first time that there has been more than one Canadian in the final-event field on Tour during the FedExCup-era. There were excellent major-championship efforts, in-the-mix weeks at almost every tournament, and plenty of momentum behind the mid-30s group on the top of their games on the biggest stage in men’s golf.

And that’s just what happened on the PGA TOUR over the last 12 months.

Add in Brooke Henderson’s season-opening triumph on the LPGA Tour along with a handful more impressive results on the professional and amateur circuit, it’s been a magical time in Canadian golf – one that could be the pillar for even more big-time inspiration to come.

“Our specific goal is to help heroes grow the game,” says Tristan Mullally, Golf Canada’s Head of National Talent Identification. “There’s a Canadian from a small town and if they can do it, I can too.”

Taylor and Henderson are the only golfers in this country’s history to win the Canadian Junior Championship, Canadian Amateur Championship, and Canadian Open on their respective Tours. Henderson won the Canadian Junior Girls in 2012, the Canadian Women’s Amateur in 2013 and the CPKC Women’s Open in 2018. Taylor won the Canadian Junior Boys in 2006 and the Canadian Men’s Amateur in 2007.

“When (junior golfers) see these guys winning and when they see Brooke doing well… they have to see it to know they can do it,” says Kevin Blue, Golf Canada’s Chief Sport Officer. “The success the players are having, they have earned over their own hard work and their achievements. It shows up-and-coming players that Canadians can and are doing it on the world stage.”

While the impressive victories – and seasons overall – by those on the PGA and LPGA Tour are the world-beating newsmakers, it doesn’t take long to see how incredible the results have been by so many other Canadians on planet golf.

Alena Sharp earned Canada’s second ever medal in golf at the PanAm Games, winning bronze in Santiago, Chile in early November. Sharp, who once again earned LPGA Tour for 2024 status through final qualifying, also enjoyed success this past season on the Epson Tour, winning one tournament in June and adding five top-10 results while not missing a cut in 14 tournaments played.

Two Canadians, won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 – Ben Silverman and Roger Sloan. Both Silverman and Sloan have locked up their PGA TOUR cards for next season.

Another two won on PGA TOUR Canada this season. Long-time Golf Canada National Team members Etienne Papineau (Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist) and Stuart Macdonald (Commissionaires Ottawa Open) each found the winners’ circle in Canada in 2023, with Papineau finishing fourth on the season-long points list to earn conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour. He also, as the top Canadian on PGA TOUR Canada, earned an exemption into the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. Papineau also had an impressive run at the PanAm Games coming up just short of the podium, finishing tied for fourth.

Kudos, too, to Myles Creighton, a winner on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica. And of course, Stephen Ames, who won a remarkable four times on PGA TOUR Champions this season.

Canadian amateurs also gave us impressive moments throughout 2023.

Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C. captured the 109th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont. won the 118th Canadian Men’s Amateur, marking only the third time both tournaments were won by Canadians in the same year since 2011. Even more impressive for Kim, she played in the U.S. Junior Girls, U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Open in addition to the Canadian Women’s Amateur and CPKC Women’s Open, a checklist that very few players have crossed off in a single season.

A pair of 14-year-olds won their respective Canadian Junior Championships with Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta. winning the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, and Alex Zhang of Richmond, B.C. taking home the Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Judith Kyrinis of Thornhill, Ont. had another great season, highlighted by winning the Canadian Women’s Mid-Am for a third time. Kyrinis also earned the best finish by an amateur at the U.S. Women’s Senior Open, finishing tied for sixth in August. Another Canadian golf icon, Mary-Ann Hayward, won the Canadian Women’s Senior Amateur in a thrilling final round by one over Kyrinis.

Monet Chun, a senior at the University of Michigan, became the first Canadian to make the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She finished tied for 14th after her final round at Augusta National and made the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

Natasha Stasiuk of Oakville, Ont. won her third straight Canadian All Abilities Championship, while Chris Willis of Aurora, Ont. won the men’s championship for his first national title.

The UBC Thunderbirds Women’s team continued their dominance by winning a sixth straight national title at the Canadian University/College Championship. Sonja Tang of Victoria, B.C. not only helped lead her team to victory but also won back-to-back Women’s individual titles and made her first appearance at the CPKC Women’s Open.

Canada added its fourth Tailhade Cup in November as Felix Bouchard of Otterburn Park, Que. and Brady McKinlay of Lacombe, Alta. led Canada to victory by four strokes over Denmark and Switzerland.

The most successful season in Canadian golf history added another exciting chapter in early October as Team Canada won its first-ever team title at the World Junior Girls Golf Championship.

The Canada 1 Team comprised of 14-year-old Anna Huang of Vancouver, Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto and Vanessa Zhang of Vancouver shot a team-total 138 at Brampton Golf Club in Brampton, Ont. to finish a single shot clear of the Republic of Korea. Huang’s runner-up finish was the best Canadian individual result since Brooke Henderson’s finished fourth in 2014.

“The excitement level for results we’re seeing is fantastic and it rubs off on the young players,” says Blue. “The younger players will see this and think, ‘why not me?’ and that’s great.”

While there were several milestones that deserved recognition on the golf course, there were many off it as well this year.

Golf Canada celebrated two successful launches this year with the creation of the BDO National Golf League and the She Plays Golf Festival.

The BDO National Golf League is a nationwide, season-long competition that was created to enhance the league experience for men, women, and junior players. In its inaugural season, 11,000 golfers and 107 leagues competed coast-to-coast for a spot in the Regional Playoffs. Through the Regional Playoffs, 51 teams qualified for the BDO National Golf League Championship, which will be taking place during tournament week at the 2024 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. The 51 teams will be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime, all expense paid trip to compete for the championship.

The She Plays Golf Festival was a week-long women’s golf celebration that took place this June in Calgary in partnership with The Glencoe Golf and Country Club. The festival was designed to celebrate women’s golf at all levels and address gaps in the participation pathway for women and girls; the festival ran concurrently with the Digital Commerce Bank Glencoe Invitational. Events during the week included try-golf clinics for women and girls, a team nine-hole scramble along with a networking event for women in sport and professional development events for women leaders in golf. Following the successful pilot this summer, the She Plays Golf Festival is set to expand to more cities across the country in 2024.

First Tee – Canada welcomed over 57,000 participants at 240 locations with programming delivered at golf courses, schools, and community centres across the country in 2023. This past year saw a 151% increase in participants and a 114% increase in locations offering programming. First Tee – Canada expanded to six chapters with the addition of Alberta, joining British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. All chapters provide children life-enhancing experiences through the game of golf.

The growth of First Tee – Canada, and success of our athletes in our high-performance programs reflects the sustained impact of champion donors driving the philanthropic excellence of the Golf Canada Foundation which experienced another banner year, raising over $8 million dollars in support of the game.

Creating a safe and welcoming sport environment continued to be a focus for the National Sport Federation, as Golf Canada became a Program Signatory of Abuse-Free Sport, the new national independent mechanism to prevent and address maltreatment in sport. All high-performance athletes, coaches, employees and athletes support personnel are under the jurisdiction of the new mechanism. As a program signatory, all participants have access to the Abuse-Free Sport Helpline where operators with expertise in counselling, psychology and sport will listen, offer support and refer individuals to appropriate reporting mechanisms..  Golf Canada was proud to launch a new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Safe Sport Resource to support its member clubs in this critical mandate.

The success of 2023 for Golf Canada’s two National Open Championships was rightfully recognized by the LPGA and PGA Tours in their season-ending tournament recognition. The RBC Canadian Open took home “Best Marketing Initiative” and “Best Tournament Sales” while the CPKC Women’s Open was once again awarded the LPGA Tour Tournament of the Year Award (the second consecutive year taking home the Tour’s top honour), in addition to recognition for “Best Sponsor Activation” and “Best Volunteer Appreciation.”

The year ends with another celebrated milestone—the first time ever that Golf Canada members surpassed the 10 million mark for scores posted to the Golf Canada Score Centre for handicap tracking. Let that sink in—10M scores—an increase from the previous record 9.7M scores posted a year prior as the resurgence of golf continues. Be part of the celebration and share your own #MyGolfYear achievements to wrap the year!

From Weir’s win to Henderson’s heroics, Taylor’s triumph and the many milestones celebrated through the season, there’s never been a more exciting time in Canadian golf, and this year has been a shining example.

Be sure to follow our social channels over the coming weeks as we continue to celebrate 2023, a momentous year in Canadian golf.

Three Canadians have earned 2024 Korn Ferry Tour membership following the final round of the PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry on Monday in Ponte Vedra, Fla.

Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Mississauga, Ont. finished T14 at 4-under. Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. finished T38 at 1-under, and Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S. finished T45 at even par. They will join fellow Canadian Wil Bateman on the Korn Ferry Tour to start the 2024 season.

Yellamaraju recorded rounds of 71-69-68-68-276 to earn Korn Ferry Tour membership for next season after successfully making his way through both second stage and final stage of Q-School.

Papineau previously earned 2024 Korn Ferry Tour membership by finishing fourth overall in the 2023 Fortinet Cup standings on the PGA TOUR Canada (now PGA TOUR Americas). Papineau’s T38 finish at Q-School with rounds of 74-67-68-70-279 improves his Korn Ferry Tour status for the coming season.

Creighton also previously earned his 2024 membership by finishing second on the PGA TOUR Latinoamerica (now PGA TOUR Americas) season point rankings. Creighton shot rounds of 70-68-72-70-280 to finish inside the cut line of players who are awarded Korn Ferry Tour cards through Q-school and improve his status for 2024 as well.

Three other Canadians were competing in Ponte Vedra at final stage including, Stuart Macdonald who finished at 7-over, Thomas Giroux at 9-over and Jared Du Toit at 10-over. They will have conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2024.

Harrison Endycott of Australia finished atop the leaderboard at 15-under, Americans Trace Cowe (11-under) and Brian Hale Jr. (9-under) finished second and third, while Raul Pereda of Mexico and Hayden Springer of the United States finished tied for fourth at 8-under to earn their 2024 PGA TOUR cards.

The top five players and ties earned their full status for 2024 on the PGA TOUR. The next 40 finishers and ties earned exempt status through multiple reshuffles of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, with the first 25 finishers and ties being subject to the third reshuffle (12 guaranteed starts), and any remaining finishers within the category being subject to the second reshuffle (eight guaranteed starts).

This marked the first time since 2012 that PGA TOUR cards were awarded during the Final Stage of PGA TOUR Q-School. The field of 168-players played two rounds at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course and two rounds at Sawgrass Country Club. The final round was originally scheduled for Sunday but was postponed due to heavy rain in northern Florida.

PGA TOUR event honored for “Best Marketing Initiative” and
“Best Tournament Sales” for 2022-23 season

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – The RBC Canadian Open was honoured with two awards by the PGA TOUR at the TOUR’s Tournament Meetings on December 7. The RBC Canadian Open, held in 2023 at Oakdale Country Club in Toronto, earned the awards for “Best Marketing Initiative” and “Best Tournament Sales.”

This is the first time since the 2018-19 season the PGA TOUR has presented a complete roster of tournament awards, due to challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, I am thrilled to congratulate the RBC Canadian Open on being recognized with two ‘Best Of’ awards for the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Season,” said PGA TOUR Chief Competitions Officer Tyler Dennis. “After several years of challenges related to the pandemic and its impacts on event operations, I’m pleased we are able to once again celebrate the incredible work all PGA TOUR tournaments have accomplished to elevate the experience for players and fans. Our award winners should be extremely proud to be recognized as top among their peers on TOUR.”

The award for “Best Marketing Initiative” recognizes the tournament that best develops and executes a marketing campaign designed to increase ticket sales and attendance.

The RBC Canadian Open carried forward the momentum from its record-breaking year in 2022 with their 2023 campaign, “Summer’s Open.” The initiative positioned the RBC Canadian Open as not only a premier professional sporting event, but a diverse entertainment experience that offers value to golf fans and non-golf fans alike. The campaign had four key objectives: build excitement among golf fans leveraging Rory McIlroy’s potential three-peat (including a first-ever championship ring); generate buzz among casual Canadian sports fans by using Canadian TOUR players to tease potential historic win; profile breadth of entertainment offerings to drive purchase intent among attendees that are not sports fans; and capitalize on key viral moments in golf to drive reach.

“Best Tournament Sales” evaluates current year contracted sales across Sales Support Initiative categories (pro-am, hospitality, and sponsorship/advertising) compared to previous year overall performance and is equally weighted based on year-over-year growth by percentage and dollars.

Canada’s national open had its best sales year to date in 2023 and grew tremendously year-over-year, thanks to the incredible support from the people and business community of Toronto. Significant hospitality product was added to keep up with generated demand, with Golf Canada building over 200,000 square feet of hospitality along the Oakdale property, including a new double-decker structure for the first time. On the golf course, 11 viewing decks and bleachers were spread out across the property and there were over 50 activations for fans to engage in. Corporate hospitality and the pro-am was completely sold out.

New in 2023, the team launched the Gallery Fast Pass, a premium ticket offering that allowed fans to purchase preferred reserved viewing areas. Gallery Fast Pass ticket holders save time with access to the premium hospitality gate, expedited concessions and the premium 1904 Club viewing structure.

The RBC Canadian Open continues to boast some of the most unique and robust sponsorship activations on the PGA TOUR, anchored by “The Rink.” “The Rink” was back on Oakdale’s 14th hole and was completely enclosed for the first time. A fan experience combining Canada’s most popular pastimes – golf and hockey – “The Rink” earned the TOUR award for “Best in Class Element” in 2018. The area is modeled after an ice hockey rink, complete with hockey boards lining the hole, upgraded bleachers, and viewing decks, while featuring volunteer gallery management dressed as referees.

“We are honoured to receive both PGA TOUR awards in recognition for the success of the 2023 RBC Canadian Open. A sincere thank you as well to the membership at Oakdale Golf and Country Club for their significant support in getting behind the tournament in a major way,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford. “We are extremely appreciative of RBC and our incredible network of partners along with the agency support of Wasserman and others for their continued elevation of the RBC Canadian Open into a true festival experience with innovative fan activations such as Hilton on the Green, The ScoreBet Hole Zero, Audi Performance Lab, The Fare Way featuring the Keg and so many more. Congratulations to all the award winners, and we look forward to hosting another great RBC Canadian Open in 2024 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.”

The 2024 RBC Canadian Open, won this year by Canadian Nick Taylor, returns to Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario, May 27-June 2.

Golf Canada is excited to announce the return of #MyGolfYear presented by BDO for year three.

Look back and celebrate your 2023 golf season at a glance! Golf Canada members get access to a snapshot of their golf season highlights and their personal #MyGolfYear can be proudly shared with friends and fellow golfers across their social media channels.

After the successful launch of #MyGolfYear following the 2021 golf season, the 2022 campaign saw the addition of new achievements and golfing milestones available for every member who logged their scores into the Golf Canada Score Centre over the course of the season.

Golfers can share their #MyGolfYear stats, highlighting total rounds, best round, total holes played, total distance played along with personalized achievements from the 2023 golf season.

“We have seen record levels of play in 2023 and Golf Canada members have shown great enthusiasm in sharing their #MyGolfYear stats. It’s a great way to look back on their season and be proud of what they have accomplished on the course and then be able to share with those milestones with their friends and networks,” said Tim McLaughlin, Chief Marketing Officer, Golf Canada. “We are continually looking into the data and have increased the number of achievements since the program’s inception that members can highlight. We encourage all members to take advantage of this fun way to reflect on their golf season.”

The #MyGolfYear campaign wraps up one of the most successful years in Canadian golf including a record 10 million scores posted by Golf Canada members in 2023 – the first ever that that 10M milestone has been reached!

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The full list of #MyGolfYear achievements for 2023 include:

• Top Golfer: Your handicap ranks you as one of the top 15% golfers in Canada.
• Every Day I’m Golfing: You played golf every day of the week this year, joining 116,567 other Canadians who accomplished the same feat in 2023.
• Golfer For All Seasons: You played at least one round in each of April, May, June, July, August, September, and October.
• Have Clubs, Will Travel: You played a round in five or more different cities within Canada in 2023.
• #MyGolfDay: You play golf on Saturday. That’s your day and you’re sticking to it!
• Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: You managed to play at least one round, five weeks in a row this year.
• Peak Summer: Canada’s warmest day in 2023 was July 5. On that day, you and 66,300 other Canadians played golf.
• Hole in One: The highest of achievements! You and 3,358 other Canadians recorded a hole-in-one in 2023.

• From Sea to Sea: You toured the country and while doing so, golfed in three or more provinces in 2023.
• I am Canadian: You and 114,606 others celebrated Canada Day weekend with a round of golf.
• Giving Thanks: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry are all Thanksgiving staples…for you and 23,654 other Canadians, adding a round of golf is equally as important.
• Golf Supporter: You have been a supporter of Golf Canada and golf in Canada for more than five years – Thank You!
• Golf Protector: You have supported Golf Canada for over 10 years and helped us grow the game – Thank You!
• Breaking Not Bad: You broke 100/90/80/70 this year – Congrats!
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The 50th playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open is set for
July 23-28, 2024 in Calgary

Golf Canada, in partnership with the title sponsor Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), is pleased to announce that select tickets for the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open are now on sale.

The 50th playing of the CPKC Women’s Open will take place at Earl Grey Golf Club in Calgary from July 23-28, 2024. It will mark the seventh time that the province of Alberta has hosted Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship, the fourth time for the City of Calgary and first time ever at Earl Grey.

Originally founded in 1919 as a five-hole layout and now on its current site overlooking the picturesque Glenmore Reservoir since 1932, Earl Grey is world-class championship facility located in the heart of Calgary. The club, which features an 18-hole championship course as well as a nine-hole Par 3, has hosted numerous major provincial, national and international competitions. Earl Grey underwent an extensive renovation project in 2018 that included construction of a brand-new clubhouse along with extensive on-course renovations, featuring new greens and an enhanced irrigation system along with a full bunker renovation.

“We are excited to return to Calgary and welcome the world’s best golfers to Earl Grey Golf Club for the 50th playing of our National Open Championship,” said Ryan Paul, CPKC Women’s Open Tournament Director. “The stars of the LPGA Tour love our event and we are looking forward to delivering an incredible experience for golf fans next summer in Calgary.”

Canada’s National Women’s Open heads to Calgary riding the momentum of being named the LPGA Tour’s 2023 Tournament of the Year, the second consecutive year that the CPKC Women’s Open has taken home top honour at the LPGA Tour’s season-end tournament awards celebration last month. The 2023 CPKC Women’s Open hosted this past summer at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver also won additional awards for the Best Sponsor Activation and Best Volunteer Appreciation.

One of Canada’s premier annual sporting events, the CPKC Women’s Open marks the only Canadian stop on the LPGA Tour schedule. The week-long celebration of golf attracts the world’s best players, including 13-time LPGA Tour winner and CPKC Ambassador Brooke Henderson along with defending champion Megan Khang who defeated 2019 champion Jin Young Ko on the first hole of a playoff to earn her first LPGA Tour win.

CPKC will once again leave a meaningful legacy in the host community through its CPKC Has Heart campaign. This past year, CPKC raised nearly $3.5 million for children’s heart health with donations of $2.9 million to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and $580,000 to the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) Foundation.

The 2024 CPKC Women’s Open at Earl Grey offers three select ticket options now on sale for golf fans to experience the thrill of live professional golf at Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship. The advance ticket options include:

• Any Day Ticket: Access to the CPKC Women’s Open on any one day, Tuesday through Sunday (on-sale for a limited time, while supplies last.)

• Weekly Grounds Ticket: Access to the full week of the tournament, Tuesday through Sunday.

• Heritage Lounge Weekly Ticket: Access for all four days of Championship play from Thursday through Sunday.

As part of the championship’s commitment to junior golf, admission all week is free for youth aged 12-and-under.

Volunteer, sponsorship, and corporate hospitality opportunities are also available. For more information on the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open and to purchase tickets, please visit cpkcwomensopen.com.

After a down year, there will be more than double the number of Canadian golfers on the LPGA Tour in 2024.

Maddie Szeryk and Alena Sharp will return to the top women’s professional golf circuit next year and Savannah Grewal will make her debut after all three qualified at the LPGA Tour’s Q School last week. They’ll join world No. 12 Brooke Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc on tour.

“That’ll be really cool to grow on the women’s side and have more players out on the LPGA Tour every single week,” said Henderson before Szeryk, Sharp and Grewal had confirmed their status. “It’s been really fun to watch the men’s side of Canadian golf, they’ve been playing amazing with four wins on the PGA Tour last season, which is really cool.

“Hopefully something similar like that can happen on the LPGA Tour in the next few years.”

Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Szeryk of London, Ont., were the only two Canadians on the LPGA Tour last season after Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., missed most of the year with an injury. 

Szeryk is also happy to see ranks of the Canadian contingent swell in 2024.

“It’s so great to see that, that there’s going to be more Canadians out there,” said Szeryk. “We all feel the support from each other and build off of that, so that will be really nice to have more.”

Henderson maintained her LPGA Tour membership thanks to her end-of-season ranking and Leblanc will return on an injury exemption. Szeryk had to re-earn her LPGA Tour membership through Q-School after finishing the 2023 season just outside of the rankings threshold. 

She tied with Hamilton’s Sharp for 38th at the third stage of the qualifying format.

“A lot of relief that the week was over. It was just a stressful week,” said Szeryk with a sigh. “Obviously, you want to be on the LPGA and play as best as you can. 

“I think I’m just relieved and excited that I get to play out there again next year, because that’s really the dream.”

Grewal, from Mississauga, Ont., was the top Canadian at Q-School after she tied for 10th at 18 under. She turned professional in November after playing U.S. collegiate golf at Clemson. It is a requirement for all golfers to turn pro before entering the third stage of Q-School.

“Honestly, my goal is to be rookie of the year,” said Grewal, who made three starts on the LPGA Tour as an amateur. “I want to go out there and hopefully play some good golf.”

The 22-year-old Grewal will be the youngest Canadian to make her LPGA Tour debut as a professional since Henderson, now 26, turned pro in 2014.