CALGARY – Canadians who collect an ace between March 1 and August 10 can win the opportunity to play with the pros at the 2016 Shaw Charity Classic, thanks to RBC’s extended support of the Pro-Am Championship for two more years.
The award-winning PGA TOUR Champions event in Calgary, along with RBC, will bring back a truly unique, three-stage contest for a second straight year for any Canadian resident that scores a hole-in-one at a Golf Canada Member Club across the country between March 1 and August 10.
Individuals who record a hole-in-one on a hole 85 yards or longer during a nine- or 18-hole round of golf can register the feat to be invited to a qualification event at Calgary’s Golf Canada Centre on August 13, 2016. Each member of this hole-in-one club will have one attempt in a closest-to-the-pin contest. The 10 closest shots will then be invited to Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, the host course of the Shaw Charity Classic, on August 19, 2016, where they will compete head-to-head in another closest-to-the-pin contest for the Grand Prize of one full Pro-Am team at the Shaw Charity Classic. Balls finishing off the green will be ignored, even if they are closest to the hole. Entrants will be responsible for all their costs for attending and playing golf on the day of the qualifiers.
“Anyone who ever plays golf knows that getting a hole-in-one earns you a spot in a very exclusive club, and we want to celebrate these accomplishments by not only recognizing all Canadians who achieve the feat, but also giving them the opportunity to win the ultimate golf experience and tee it up under the ropes with the greatest names in the game,” said Sean Van Kesteren, tournament director, Shaw Charity Classic.
The announcement was symbolically made Wednesday with two of the Stampede City’s legendary mascots – Harvey the Hound and Ralph the Dog – leading a star-studded group of Calgary’s elite athletes, volunteers, kids and media in the tournament’s annual “Shootout at the Meadows” – a head-to-head, par-3 closest-to-the-pin competition.
“The Shootout traditionally kicks off our marketing campaign each year, and I can’t think of a better way to launch this season than by welcoming RBC back as title sponsor of our Pro-Am Championship for two more years, and more importantly, by giving as many Canadians as possible the opportunity to win a chance to feel like a PGA TOUR professional for a day at the Shaw Charity Classic,” added Van Kesteren.
The winner among the 10 finalists invited to compete at Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club will receive one RBC Championship Pro-Am team on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 – a prize value of $20,000. Second place will receive two weekly tickets to the Champions Club for all tournament rounds, along with one TaylorMade putter and one dozen TaylorMade golf balls. The third-place finisher will win two weekly tickets to the Champions Club.
Individuals who record a hole-in-one during the 2016 contest period must register through the tournament website at www.shawcharityclassic.com. The hole-in-one must be attested by the golf facility’s general manager, chief operating officer, club president, head professional or director of golf. Participants between the ages of 13 and 18 must also have parental consent. Full contest details and an FAQ can be found here.
Tournament officials also used the Shootout at the Meadows to announce that the Shaw Charity Classic will be donating $100,000 to support children’s charities in Fort McMurray.
“Everyone across the province and country were saddened to see the devastation caused by the fires in Fort McMurray, and the impact it will have on thousands of children in the city,” said Clay Riddell, chairman of the Shaw Charity Classic. “In keeping with the spirit in which we created the Shaw Charity Classic Foundation, and the PGA TOUR Champions mandate to support communities in need, we are proud to direct the Foundation’s first donation this year to Fort McMurray.”
Specific youth-based charities in Fort McMurray who will benefit from the donation will be named at a later day.