Cape Breton Open, Bell Bay get high marks from tour president
It wasn’t that long ago Jeff Monday couldn’t find Cape Breton on a map.
Not anymore. The island is an annual stop for the president of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada since 2013, the first year the PGA Tour operated the Canadian golf circuit.
Monday, who had spent 24 years based out of Florida in various capacities with the PGA Tour before taking the reins of the Canadian tour in 2012, said the Cape Breton Open — and its predecessor, Cape Breton Celtic Classic — has become a popular event on the Mackenzie Tour schedule for both players and tour officials.
“When it was first announced that the PGA Tour was going to be involved up there, I remember succinctly somebody asking, ‘where are you going to try and play?’” Monday recalled in a recent interview.
“I told them, ‘I would like to play across Canada.’ They said we had to make sure to have a tournament in Cape Breton. I was like, ‘OK.’
“But being from Florida and not spending a whole heck of a lot of time in Canada, I had to look that one up. I knew of Highlands (Links in Ingonish) but that was the extent of it. But after a little research and meeting people from out there, we were very fortunate to get an event there in year one and it’s been fantastic ever since.
“The players absolutely love going out there,” Monday said of the lone Atlantic Canadian stop on the Mackenzie Tour. “The golf is excellent and the community is tremendous. Combine that with what we’ve been able to do in a charitable perspective and the impact the tournament has had, we couldn’t be any happier.”
The Mackenzie Tour, the
feeder circuit for the Web. com Tour, announced its 2018 schedule last week and Bell Bay Golf Club will again host the Cape Breton Open at the end of August.
The week-long event, which culminates with a four-round tournament, will mark its third year at the Baddeck track.
The Celtic Classic was held at The Lakes Golf Club in Ben Eoin for three years before moving to Bell Bay in 2016.
Monday has been pleased with the 7,037-yard Bell Bay, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year, as a host course on the Mackenzie Tour.
“It’s been an excellent layout,”
said Monday, a native of Camarillo, Calif. “The players like it, it tests all aspects of your game. You have to drive it well off the tee but it’s a second-shot golf course. The greens are pretty challenging as well.
“It has produced two incredible winners, Dan McCarthy (in 2016) and Patrick Newcomb (last year), who have springboarded onto the Web.com Tour. What Bell Bay has shown is that the cream will rise to the top and the champions will go on to even better success as they pursue to get to the PGA Tour.”
When the Mackenzie Tour left The Lakes for Bell Bay, a tour official said it was to provide the
tour a chance to move the event around Cape Breton and give others a chance to experience the event.
With a few championship courses scattered across the island, including the worldrenowned Cabot Links, Cabot Cliffs and Highlands Links, could the tour pull up stakes and move the tournament elsewhere?
Not so fast, says Monday. “We love Bell Bay,” Monday said. “We know there’s a number of good golf courses around Cape Breton but it has to work from both a golf course perspective but also the ability to get volunteers and sponsorship and all of the elements that go into hosting a tournament.
“But if they ever wanted to rotate it and showcase the entire island, we certainly would be receptive in doing so.”
The 2018 Mackenzie tour begins May 31 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open in Vancouver. It is one of 13 tournaments this season.
The Cape Breton Open will be held Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.
Each tournament will see its purse increase by $25,000 to $200,000. The season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship, Sept. 13 in London, Ont., will have a purse of $225,000.