PGA Tour Canada returns with Victoria Open after lengthy pandemic hiatus

It’s not really a sigh of relief, but Blair Bursey is pretty delighted to have the PGA Tour Canada back again.

Bursey, from Gander, N.L., is a single of 37 Canadians in the field at this week’s Royal Seaside Victoria Open up, the initially PGA Tour Canada celebration considering that 2019. Then recognized as the Mackenzie Tour, the third-tier men’s specialist golf circuit experienced two choose two seasons off due to journey constraints stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I consider persons are overall pretty grateful to have matters it’s possible settling again to the way they had been right before,” explained Bursey, who received the Victoria Open up final year at Uplands Golfing Club in B.C.’s money. “Naturally, everybody’s absent as a result of the very last couple of a long time in a different way and coped with it in different ways and experienced distinct encounters.

“But I consider that all round, it really is pleasant to see a thing that was in place just before variety of get back closer to the place it was.”

The Mackenzie Tour experienced to cancel its 2020 time for the reason that of the pandemic but however held the Canada Daily life Series in August and September of that year to give Canadian-dependent golfers some enjoying options. As vacation limitations continued into 2021, the Forme Tour — based in the United States — was developed for non-Canadian PGA Tour Canada customers to contend in.

Renamed the PGA Tour Canada, the circuit launched a new sponsor and details format on April 14 ahead of the 2022 year.

The Fortinet Cup will mirror the competitive framework of the factors-dependent competitions on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Fortinet has sponsored a new $100,000 player reward pool, with $25,000 to the winner of period-very long details competition.

“The persons that operate PGA Tour Canada did a an astounding job of getting gatherings in area over the system of the previous two many years,” claimed Bursey. “To have it be elevated back again to the stature it was beforehand I think is actually great.

“I consider persons are grateful to get again heading and all the guys are pretty targeted on enjoying properly and making an attempt to get advancement on to the following better amount.”

The Fortinet Cup winner will get paid membership on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour, with the No. 1-rated participant at the end of the period eligible to engage in in each open up Korn Ferry Tour event the adhering to season. An exemption into the 2023 RBC Canadian Open is also at stake for the Fortinet Cup winner.

Nos. 2-50 in the Fortinet Cup standings will get paid Korn Ferry Tour membership.

Bursey, who turned expert in 2018, reported he figured out a great deal immediately after successful past year’s Victoria Open up, and hopes to capitalize on that knowledge.

“You do not will need to be perfect to have a excellent opportunity to get,” explained Bursey, who gained with a 10-underneath par 270 very last calendar year. “So clearly excellent reminiscences listed here and it was great to enjoy very well right here past 12 months.

“But I count on it to be a very various winning score, a pretty different industry this 7 days as the stage of competitiveness is elevated considerably.”

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LPGA Tour

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., will make her return at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open up, the second key of 2022. The No. 11 women’s participant in the globe skipped the slice at the L.A. Open up on April 21 and the Palos Verdes Championship on April 28 prior to using a break from participate in. She’ll be joined by Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., and novice Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

PGA Tour

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., heads into the Memorial Event this week rated 37th in the FedExCup standings. He’ll be joined by Mackenzie Hughes (40) of Dundas, Ont., Adam Hadwin (58) of Abbotsford, B.C., and Adam Svensson (125) of Surrey, B.C., at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio,

Korn Ferry Tour

Toronto’s Albin Choi and Vancouver’s Stuart Macdonald are the only Canadians in the area at the REX Healthcare facility Open up this week at The CC at Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, N.C. Choi is 93rd in the next-tier tour’s standings and Macdonald is 111th.

Champions Tour

Calgary’s Stephen Ames completed second on Sunday at the Senior PGA Championship, moving him up to fourth in the Charles Schwab Cup dollars record. He’s back again in motion on Friday at the Principal Charity Basic at Wakonda Club in Des Moines, Iowa. David Morland IV of North Bay, Ont., is also in the field.

LatinoAmerica Tour

Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., tied for third at very last week’s Jalisco Open up, sending him up to 28th in the TotalPlay Cup rankings. He’ll be back in the field at this week’s Volvo Golfing Championship at Club El Rincon de Cajica. Noah Steele (68) of Kingston, Ont., Henry Lee (104) of Coquitlam, B.C., and Ziggy Nathu (T139) of Richmond, B.C., are also enjoying at the occasion in Bogota, Colombia.

Golf Canada coaching sponsor

The Stollery Family haa donated $2 million to the Golf Canada Basis and the Canadian Olympic Basis to help fund Team Canada’s women’s head mentor placement above a 30-calendar year expression.