It was a nice press conference as far as press conferences go. But we already knew, quite frankly, what Golf Canada was announcing.
We already knew Hamilton Golf and Country Club was going to be hosting the RBC Canadian Open in 2019, and then again in 2023. Members of the golf club approved it in February, and the word’s been out for some time. So the fact Golf Canada boss Laurence Applebaum and others called a presser to announce that on Wednesday, well, thanks. A bit of a non-event, however.
The big question, the one that really matters, remains unanswered. The Hamilton track is a much-admired golf course, but on its own it can’t change the fact that the Canadian Open has slipped from a second-tier PGA event to arguably a fourth-tier event over the past 20 years. One that really doesn’t matter.
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Hidden from sight one week after the British Open, the Canadian Open has suffered terribly, particularly from mediocre fields. Only the fact RBC sponsors top golfers like Dustin Johnson has kept the field from becoming even weaker. It’s just too hard to attract players in that calendar position, too difficult to convince the best of the best to jet home from Europe and be ready to tee off the following Thursday.
The purse has been competitive. But the timing is awful, and Glen Abbey, which has hosted four of the past five tournaments, isn’t a major attraction for PGA professionals on its own.
So something has to change, and that something is clearly the date. That’s the critical variable here. If Applebaum knows the new date, however, once again he wasn’t prepared to say on Wednesday, perhaps mindful of minding the proper etiquette so as not to jeopardize Golf Canada’s chances of getting an improved date on the PGA calendar.
"The PGA Tour is currently working towards announcing its schedule," said Applebaum. "At this time not commenting on any potential dates."
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The jousting for position on the PGA schedule between Canada and other tournament hopefuls has been fascinating to watch. The PGA tournament, traditionally the fourth major, is being moved to May, which has caused a ripple effect throughout the schedule.
Houston doesn’t have a new sponsor and may move to October. Washington may be out. The FedEx St. Jude Classic is going this weekend, but next year won’t be occupying the same slot. Canada would love that position, but so would Detroit and Minnesota, two cities angling to host PGA events starting next year.
So until we learn the date when the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will be played, it’s impossible to get excited or predict a better future for the tournament. RBC hosts two PGA events, and if that isn’t enough to sway PGA decision makers to give Canada a better deal, then the Canadian Open might be doomed to a future as an afterthought on the tour.
Being played the week before the U.S. Open could change everything for the Canadian Open. Given that the U.S. Open has its dates and locations set as far ahead as 2024, Canada could try to put its tournament in geographical locations that would make it easy for golfers to play the Canadian Open then go to the U.S. Open. When the U.S. Open goes to Torrey Pines near San Diego in 2021, for example, that might be the year the Canadian Open could consider being in British Columbia.
Golf Canada could even try to select courses that were similar to those hosting the U.S. Open in a given year, giving players an opportunity to hone their games before the third major of the golf season.
But that’s all idle speculation until the PGA makes up its mind. When it does, we’re going to find out how much it values RBC as a corporate partner, and how much it values Canada as one of the few non-U.S. sites on the tour.
Moving to Hamilton next year after what may be the last Canadian Open ever to be held at Glen Abbey next month is certainly interesting. But the date next year will determine the future of this historic golf tournament. Until we know the date, we don’t know much.
