The RBC Canadian Open is officially back to kick off the 2022 summer festival season!

Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, is pleased to offer a full selection of ticket options for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open.    

Following two years of cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open returns June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility. The stars of the PGA TOUR will return to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host the tournament for the fifth time and first since 2010.

With a superb June date on the PGA TOUR schedule the week prior to the US Open, the 111th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship will be a week-long summer festival and a premier event on the Canadian sports calendar.

Building on the multi-day sellout that thrilled fans in 2019 and culminated with Rory McIlroy’s impressive victory, fans of all ages will once again experience the energy of world-class PGA TOUR golf and exciting activities all week long including the return of the RBCxMusic Concert Series on Friday and Saturday (musical acts to be announced in the coming weeks), The Rink on the 16^th hole at St. George’s, and a variety of food and patio experiences at the Recipe Unlimited Fare Way.

“Together with RBC we are incredibly excited to bring the 2022 RBC Canadian Open back to the PGA TOUR schedule in a big way as a kick-off to summer festival season in Toronto,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford. “With so much built-up momentum and the deep interest in golf at all levels of the game, the return of the RBC Canadian Open will be a can’t miss pinnacle celebration.”

“We are thrilled to welcome fans back to the tournament along with our partners Golf Canada,” said Shannon Cole, Vice-President, Brand Marketing, RBC. “We look forward to sharing more details on the return of the RBCxMusic Concert Series and building on the success of 2019.”

In addition to the full suite of RBC Canadian Open tickets now available, youth aged 12-and-under get free general admission when accompanied by a ticketed adult. All Friday and Saturday tickets will include access to the RBCxMusic Concert Series.

GENERAL ADMISSION – DAILY GROUNDS TICKETS 

Spectators can take advantage of miles of front row seating! General admission tickets provide access to the golf course—get an up-close look at your favourite PGA TOUR stars, enjoy fan activations throughout the property and experience the thrill of major professional golf.  

1904 CLUB PRESENTED BY RBC ISHARES  

The 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares delivers an elevated fan experience in the heart of the golf course. Located between the 1^st and 10^th greens, this premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the PGA TOUR. Enjoy relief and shelter from the elements, take in the broadcast on TV and treat yourself to an elevated food, beverage and hospitality experience.  

Visit www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets  for more information, and to secure your tickets before they sell out.

Click here to sign up for the RBC Canadian Open newsletter and be among the first notified for upcoming RBCxMusic Concert Series announcements and updates.

Golf Canada is pleased to announce its 2022 championship schedule, which includes amateur and professional competitions in addition to various qualifiers hosted at golf facilities across Canada.

The 2022 schedule is headlined by Golf Canada’s signature professional championships — the RBC Canadian Open, June 6-12, at St. George’s Golf & Country Club with host practice facility, Islington Golf Club in Toronto, Ont., and the CP Women’s Open, to be conducted August 22-28 at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.

Golf Canada’s 2022 competition calendar includes nine National Amateur Championships presented by BDO, eight NextGen Championships fueled by JOURNIE Rewards, and the World Junior Girls Golf Championship presented by Sargent Farms. Interprovincial team competitions played concurrently over the first 36 holes at select national championships will return in 2022.

As the National Sport Federation and governing body of golf in Canada, Golf Canada conducts the country’s premier amateur and professional golf championships  to support the development of the nation’s top talent through world-class competition.

“Golf Canada is incredibly proud to return to a full championship schedule in 2022 and welcome more than 3,000 talented Canadian and international athletes to our national championships,” said Golf Canada’s CEO, Laurence Applebaum. “Together with our host clubs, corporate partners, and volunteers that help drive the success of our events, there is incredible momentum in our sport as we look ahead to the 2022 season.”

Golf Canada’s championship season kicks off on May 13 in Nanaimo, B.C. with the NextGen Pacific Championship, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards at Nanaimo Golf Club, and concludes in October with the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

To view Golf Canada’s 2022 championship schedule, including all host venues, registration requirements and volunteer opportunities, please click here.

Championship Season at a Glance…

The 18th playing of the Canadian University/College Championship, presented by BDO will be held June 1-4 at Golf Château Bromont. The championship includes both a team and individual component featuring Canada’s top university and college talent.

The 108th Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO takes place July 19-22 at Westmount Golf & Country Club in Kitchener, Ont. with the champion earning an exemption into the 2022 CP Women’s Open, as well as an exemption into the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. The winner also receives exemptions into the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior, 2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championships, if applicable.

The 67th Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO will be contested July 26-29 at The Marshes Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont. where the winner will earn an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.

The 117th playing of the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship, presented by BDO will be contested August 1-4 at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, B.C and Seymour Golf & Country Club in North Vancouver, B.C. A maximum field of 264 players will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 36 holes, with the final two rounds contested at Point Grey. The champion will receive an exemption into the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, as well as an invitation to the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship. The winner will also receive an exemption from local qualifying for the 2023 U.S. Open, and if applicable, will earn an exemption into the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur or 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur Championships.

The 83rd playing of the Canadian Junior Boys Championship, presented by BDO will be contested August 7-10 at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, B.C. with the winner earning an exemption into the 2023 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship and 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

The Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, presented by BDO will be held August 23-26 at The Thornhill Club in Thornhill, Ont., while the club is  celebrating its 100^th anniversary this season.

The Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur and Senior Championship, presented by BDO will be held August 30 – September 1, at Breezy Bend Country Club in Headingley, M.B. with the Senior champion earning an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship and 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

As part its centennial anniversary, Red Deer Golf & Country Club in Red Deer, Alta. will host the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship, presented by BDO from September 6-9, with the champion earning an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship.

The second playing of the Canadian All Abilities Championship, presented by BDO, a national championship for players with neurological, intellectual, sensory, and physical impairments, will be held September 13-14 at Essex Golf & Country Club in Windsor, Ont.

The NextGen Championships, fueled by JOURNIE Rewards is a high-performance junior golf series which totals eight competitions. From May to July, six championships will take place across Canada where the region’s best junior golfers will compete to earn exemptions into their respective 2022 national championships. NextGen Championships provide junior players an opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at the highest level of tournament golf.  The 2022 NextGen Championship host clubs include Nanaimo Golf Club (Nanaimo, B.C.), Oak Bay Golf Club (Port Severn, Ont.), Pine Hills Golf Club (Rocky Mountain House, Alta.), Quarry Oaks (Steinbach, MB), Club de Golf Hemmingford (Hemmingford, Qué.), and Antigonish Golf & Country Club (Antigonish, NS). An additional two Fall Series championships will take place in September and October, where players will compete for exemptions into their respective 2023 national junior championships. 

An accomplished field of international competitors will take to Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont., from October 10-15, for the seventh annual World Junior Girls Golf Championship, presented by Sargent Farms. The event will welcome 25 countries playing as 3-member squads competing for both a team and individual title.

Golf Canada has also confirmed that it will not be continuing with the National Orders of Merit, beginning in 2022. Previously used to track golfer performance, the rankings will be replaced by a comprehensive talent identification system that supports the new Canadian golf high-performance strategy.

Golf Canada and BDO Canada LLP (BDO) have announced an integrated multi-year partnership that will see BDO become the Official Business and Professional Services Partner of Golf Canada and its two signature events – the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open.

As the presenting sponsor for all nine Canadian Amateur Golf Championships conducted by Golf Canada, BDO has made a significant commitment to the growth of golf in communities across Canada. BDO will also partner with Golf Canada to develop and further enhance technologies that support the Canadian golfer experience.

In addition to BDO’s support for golf at the professional and amateur levels, Golf Canada will access BDO’s trusted expertise providing accounting, assurance, tax, and advisory services for the National Sport Federation.

“Golf Canada has had an exceptional relationship with BDO as our auditor and professional services firm since 2019 and the work and growth that we have experienced together has brought us to this enhanced next level,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.

“We are extremely excited about the opportunities for BDO in golf and in working with our team and connected stakeholders. BDO is a world class organization, and we are thrilled to be working with them extensively to expand our use of their services across all of their areas of expertise.”

For BDO Canada, partnering with the National Sport Organization to engage with Canada’s considerable golf audience reflects a firm-wide commitment through sport to give back to communities served across the country.

“We are excited to partner with Golf Canada and become the presenting sponsor for Canadian Amateur Golf Championships,” said Pat Kramer, CEO of BDO Canada.

“This is the next step in our commitment to connecting and engaging with Canadians, through sport. Working alongside Golf Canada, we look forward to supporting Canadian athletes at both the amateur and professional levels.”

Golf Canada and Matt & Steve’s have announced a multi-year integrated partnership that will see Matt & Steve’s become the Official Caesar Partner of Canada’s National Open Golf Championships—the CP Women’s Open and the RBC Canadian Open.

Through the partnership, Matt & Steve’s will offer a selection of their popular ready to drink Caesars, Extreme Beans, and pickled garnish products at Golf Canada’s two signature championships beginning in 2022. Spectators at the RBC Canadian Open will also enjoy Matt & Steve’s Canadian Caesar Deck as an exciting addition to the Recipe Unlimited Fare Way food and beverage experience.

“We are thrilled to partner with Matt & Steve’s to deliver their innovative portfolio of Caesar products to the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open,” said John Sibley, Chief Commercial Officer of Golf Canada. “We look forward to building out a summertime atmosphere and integrating Matt & Steve’s premium Canadian blend of flavorful products into the social and hospitality experience of our two flagship properties.”

Founded in 2000, Matt & Steve’s is a fast-growing and leading-edge food and beverage company based in Mississauga, Ont. First established with only two employees and one product, the Extreme Bean, Matt & Steve’s has grown to support thousands of clients and numerous products within the retail, foodservice and beverage alcohol sectors throughout North America.

“We are very proud to be partnering with Golf Canada in the support of Canadian golf, the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open,” said Steve McVicker, Partner and Co-founder of Matt & Steve’s. “At Matt & Steve’s we believe in creating products that celebrate the social and fun parts of life, and we are extremely excited to share our brand experience with Canadian golfers both on and off the course.

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ont., with the CP Women’s Open being contested August 22-28 at Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.

Golfers aiming to earn a coveted place in The 150^th Open at St Andrews will have opportunities at 16 professional events in 11 countries that make up The Open Qualifying Series in 2022.

Three players have already booked their places through the Joburg Open, the first event in the Series which was played in South Africa last month. The SMBC Singapore Open will be the next chance for golfers to qualify for the milestone championship at the home of golf when it is played at Sentosa from 20-23 January.

A minimum of 46 places in The Open are available through the Series, which provides golfers with opportunities to qualify at events around the world on the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Asian Tour, Korean Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “We have worked closely with our colleagues at the leading professional tours to agree an exciting schedule of events through which golfers can qualify for The 150^th Open at St Andrews. There is a real desire among players to be part of this historic occasion at the home of golf and this will undoubtedly spur them on to secure a sought-after place in the Championship next year.”

For the first time, the New Zealand Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia will feature as part of the Series when it is played at Millbrook in Queenstown from 31 March-3 April. Three qualifying places will be offered at New Zealand’s national championship.

On the PGA TOUR, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and John Deere Classic will each have three qualifying places. Two places will be available at the RBC Canadian Open, while the last qualifying place in The 150^th Open will be confirmed at the Barbasol Championship on the eve of the Championship.

The Genesis Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned by the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour for the first time, will carry three qualifying berths. Three places at both the Irish Open and Dutch Open on the DP World Tour will be available.

Four places will be on offer at the Mizuno Open in Japan and two places at the KOLON Korea Open.

Regional Qualifying events will take place at venues throughout Great Britain and Ireland on 20 June.  A minimum of 12 places will then be available at Final Qualifying events taking place at Fairmont St Andrews, Hollinwell, Prince’s and St Annes Old Links on 28 June.

The R&A has also published the list of exemptions that will be used to confirm the field for The 150^th Open at St Andrews. Please visit TheOpen.com for more information.  

Golf Canada and Maestro Dobel® Tequila announced today a multi-year partnership that will see Maestro Dobel featured as the Official Tequila of the RBC Canadian Open.

Maestro Dobel will become Golf Canada’s first-ever exclusive tequila partner for the RBC Canadian Open. As part of the integrated partnership—which begins in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club and runs through 2024— Maestro Dobel will be poured at RBC Canadian Open hospitality and concession locations with sampling opportunities and fan engagement activations planned around Canada’s lone stop on the PGA TOUR.

“We are thrilled to welcome Maestro Dobel as Golf Canada’s first-ever Official Tequila Partner for the RBC Canadian Open,” said John Sibley, chief commercial officer of Golf Canada. “Maestro Dobel’s mastery blend and craftsmanship in their award-winning tequila will deliver a premium product for spectators and hospitality guests to enjoy at the RBC Canadian Open.”

Founded by 11^th generation tequila maker Juan Dobel, Maestro Dobel is known for consistently pushing the category forward, blending tradition and innovation to craft its award-winning tequilas. Since March 2021, Maestro Dobel has served as the official Tequila of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, activating at select tournaments across the United States.

“We are excited to embark on this new journey with Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian Open,” said Peter Hottmann, General Manager at Proximo Spirits Canada. “The RBC Canadian Open has become a premier event on the PGA TOUR and we are proud to be aligning our award-wining tequilas with excellence in Canadian golf.”

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the championship’s practice facility. Click here to purchase tickets.

 The 111th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship is set for June 6-12, 2022 in Toronto. 

TORONTO - (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, is pleased to announce that select tickets for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open are now available.     

The RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility. The stars of the PGA TOUR will return to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host for the first time since 2010. With a new premier June date on the PGA TOUR schedule, the RBC Canadian Open is a summer festival marking the unofficial start of Canada’s golf season. The week-long celebration, which sold out certain days in 2019, offers more than just world class golf… it has something for everybody. The RBC Canadian Open delivers affordable and fun entertainment, with excitement both on the fairway and beyond.   

GENERAL ADMISSION – WEEKLY TICKETS & ANYDAY TICKETS   

Take advantage of miles of front row seating! General admission tickets provide access to the golf course—get an up-close look at your favourite PGA TOUR stars, enjoy fan activations throughout the golf course and experience the thrill of major professional golf.  A fully transferable general admission Weekly Ticket costs $180* and an Anyday Ticket (on sale for a limited time and valid any day of tournament week) costs $90*.  

1904 CLUB PRESENTED BY RBC ISHARES   

The 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares delivers an elevated fan experience in the heart of the golf course. Located between the 1^st and 10^th greens, this premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the PGA TOUR. Enjoy relief and shelter from the elements, take in the broadcast on TV and treat yourself to upgraded food, beverages and hospitality.   

A 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Ticket (valid Thursday to Sunday) costs $315*.   

*plus applicable taxes and fees 

Click HERE  to purchase select 2022 RBC Canadian Open tickets 

______________________________ 

Join us to witness world-class PGA TOUR golf, activities for all ages including The Rink, local food and patio experiences and more. Get your tickets today and be a part of one of Canada’s premier sporting events.

* Youth 13-17 years of age receive a 15% discount, while juniors aged 12-and-under gain FREE grounds admission all week long. Some conditions apply.  

Golf Canada and Ace Beverage Group announced today a multi-year integrated partnership that will see Ace Beverage Group become the official ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage partner for the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open.

Through the partnership, Ace Beverage Group will offer a selection of their RTD beverages, including the highly popular Cottage Springs brand, at Golf Canada’s two National Open Golf Championships beginning in 2022. The Canadian-based Cottage Springs brand will become the new sponsor of the spectator grandstand at the RBC Canadian Open’s famous “Rink Hole”. Spectators at the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open will also enjoy a range of Ace Beverage Group products at the Fare Way food and beverage experience as well as sampling within the fan village.

“We are very proud to partner with Ace Beverage Group to deliver their premium portfolio of ready-to-drink beverages to the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open” said John Sibley, chief commercial officer of Golf Canada. “This partnership across our two flagship properties provides a tremendous opportunity for Golf Canada to align with a leading brand in the RTD category and deliver a premium spectator and hospitality experience.”

Ace Beverage Group is a fast-growing and innovative beverage alcohol company based in Toronto. Ace Beverage Group holds market leadership positions across hard seltzer, craft beer and cider, and has a highly engaged consumer following around its brands. The company’s unique, premium portfolio features numerous popular brands, including Cottage Springs (the #2 hard seltzer brand in Canada), Ace Hill, Liberty Village and Cabana Coast. 

“The RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open are among the most exciting events in all of Canadian sports and we are extremely proud that event fans will have the opportunity to experience and enjoy our products,” said Mike Wagman, CEO of Ace Beverage Group. “We are thrilled to partner with Golf Canada to share our unique portfolio of beverages with spectators, and to continue to grow our brands among golf enthusiasts across the country.”

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, Ont., with the CP Women’s Open being contested August 22-28 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Ottawa, Ont.  

TORONTO – Score Media and Gaming Inc. (TSX: SCR; Nasdaq: SCR) (“theScore” or “the Company”) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Score Digital Sports Ventures (Canada) Inc. (“theScore Bet”), has entered into a multiyear agreement with Golf Canada to become its Official Gaming Partner. The exclusive partnership makes theScore Bet the first ever gaming partner for Golf Canada and its prestigious National Open Golf Championships – the CP Women’s Open and the RBC Canadian Open.  

The partnership, which begins in 2022, provides theScore Bet with access to activate across Golf Canada’s high-profile events and large digital footprint. As an exclusive gaming partner of the RBC Canadian Open and the CP Women’s Open, theScore Bet will be able to engage fans through a variety of on-site activations, including creating members club experiences for theScore Bet users, as well as digital activations through both tournaments and Golf Canada’s channels.

Bill C-218, which legalizes single event sports betting, was proclaimed to come into force on August 27, 2021, with regulated online iGaming and sports betting offerings from private operators expected to commence in Ontario later this year. Both the RBC Canadian Open and CP Women’s Open will be held in Ontario in 2022. The RBC Canadian Open is scheduled to be held in the Greater Toronto Area in 2023 and 2024. 

“We are thrilled to welcome theScore Bet as Golf Canada’s first Official Gaming Partner,” said Golf Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, John Sibley. “theScore brand is already synonymous with sports coverage in Canada and we’re enthusiastic about the opportunity to team up to help build awareness for theScore Bet. Through Golf Canada’s entertainment properties and channels, theScore Bet will have direct access to engage with our large membership of devout Canadian sports fans.”

“We are proud to be Golf Canada’s first ever gaming partner and align theScore Bet with their organization and Canada’s marquee professional men’s and women’s golf events,” said Aubrey Levy, Senior Vice President of Content and Marketing, theScore. “This partnership provides us with highly engaging access points to introduce theScore Bet to a broad and endemic audience of golf fans. With the RBC Canadian Open taking place in Ontario for all three years and the CP Women’s Open in the province for at least the coming year, it provides us an amazing foothold to interact with Canada’s passionate golf community around two of the most popular golf events in the country.” 

The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the championship’s practice facility. The 2022 CP Women’s Open takes place August 22-28 at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club in Ottawa.  

In March 2021, theScore Bet was named Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR across the United States and Canada, pending the enactment of enabling legislation and regulation, and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. 

theScore Bet is an immersive and holistic mobile sports betting platform which includes a wide range of pre-game and in-play betting across all major sports leagues and events, and a comprehensive variety of bet types. When paired with theScore’s flagship mobile app, theScore Bet offers a deeply personalized user experience and uniquely integrated media and betting ecosystem.

When Oakdale Golf and Country Club was announced last month as the venue for the 2023 and 2026 RBC Canadian Opens, there were two very disparate reactions among Canadian golfers.

From the few who knew of Oakdale or were fortunate enough to have played it, the reaction likely was: “What a great choice!”

From the vast majority of the others, the response might have been: “Where? Why?”

For the edification of the latter group, here’s why the first group was ecstatic.

Oakdale Golf and Country Club is located near the centre of the Greater Toronto Area and will celebrate its centennial in 2026, the year it plays host to its second Open. The club was formed by members of Toronto’s Jewish community and the original nine-hole course was designed by Stanley Thompson. An additional nine holes were built soon after and a third nine designed by Thompson’s protégé Robbie Robinson, also a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, opened in 1957.

Although it has never hosted an RBC Canadian Open or a CP Women’s Open, it has welcomed the Ontario Men’s Better Ball just about every year since 1959. It will also serve as the site for the final qualifier for next year’s RBC Canadian Open, scheduled for Toronto’s St. George’s Golf and Country Club.

“In addition to spectator access and admissions, we have to consider so many more components: the TV broadcast, media, catering, parking, hospitality, volunteers, accommodations … all that infrastructure.

“As host sites go, Oakdale is somewhat of a unicorn. It’s unique, the best of all worlds.”

Oakdale General Manager John Caven says while the members were “cautiously optimistic” about inviting the Open to Oakdale, that changed to excitement after a couple of meetings with Golf Canada where the pros, and cons, of our country’s only PGA TOUR event were discussed. The club first “raised its hand,” as Caven phrases it, in 2019 to be considered as a venue for its centennial year.

But, he emphasizes, there were many elements to the decision.

“It’s giving back in many ways. We see it as a privilege to host a Canadian Open. Of course, there is the factor of what it could do for our club but there is so much more it could do for our area, for Canadian golf. For that week, we are the focal point of golf around the world, really.”

When the club reached out to Golf Canada in 2019, it was in the midst of a multi-million-dollar restoration/renovation project under the guidance of Canadian course architect Ian Andrew. (For architecture buffs, the Thompson lineage continues with Andrew. He worked with Doug Carrick who started his career with Robinson. Carrick had done some work at Oakdale more than a decade before.)

Players and spectators will see a traditional tree-lined course that incorporates holes from all three nines to create a 7,460-yard layout for the Open. Visually, it will be reminiscent of recent Open venues such as Hamilton Golf and Country Club and St. George’s (also a Thompson design).

Andrew virtually toured the course, using drone flyovers, with representatives of Golf Canada and the PGA TOUR and will be tweaking some bunkers and tees to address the abilities of the world’s best players. During his project, his goal was to make the original 18 true to Thompson’s design and to rework the other holes to feel like a third Thompson nine.

His assessment of what will happen during the RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale?

“I believe the players will just try to hang on for the front nine where the greens are smaller and the fairways are tighter and then go low on the back which is shorter with bigger greens. In that way, it will be like the Masters used to play where it gets really exciting when they’re coming in on Sunday.”

He sees the closing hole creating some excitement with its risk-reward design.

“The final hole has some similarities with Hamilton’s finisher with a creek crossing the landing area and the approach played up to an elevated green. The biggest difference is the creek meanders, which most players can potentially try to shorten by playing up ‘Knudson’s Alley.’ The final green is the most contoured on the property and being in the wrong quadrant will be a tough two-putt. A big swing is a very distinct possibility on the last hole.”

Andrew’s mention of the late George Knudson reminds us that Knudson, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner, was a former club professional at Oakdale. Wilf Homeniuk, like Knudson a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, enjoyed a 30-year teaching tenure as an Oakdale pro. Not coincidentally, the three nines at Oakdale are named Thompson, Knudson and Homeniuk.

With all its Hall of Fame lustre, an impressive course and an outstanding facility in a perfect location, Oakdale Golf and Country Club is positioned to host two memorable editions of the RBC Canadian Open. And maybe more in the future?