DISAPPOINTING DAY FOR CANADIAN GOLF
Decision to cancel RBC Open ‘crushing’ but there are glimmers of hope on horizon
On a day of great disappointment for the organizers of Canada’s national golf open, the boss saw the tiniest of silver linings after the cancellation of the 2020 RBC Canadian Open was made official.
“Today’s a gutting day,” Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum told Postmedia by phone. “But I sincerely believe that golf is going to play a role in the recovery, so that’s something I’m looking forward to.”
On Thursday, the PGA Tour formally announced its plans to restart the season in just under two months, but without a stop north of the border. The tour is targeting June 11-14 (formerly the date of the Canadian Open) to get the world’s best golfers back on the course at the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. The RBC Canadian Open plans to return in 2021 with the venue unchanged at St. George’s Golf and Country Club, 20 minutes west of downtown Toronto.
Applebaum said rescheduling the 2020 event didn’t make sense.
“The PGA Tour came to us and talked about every conceivable option, but we know the short window we have here for a golf event and the other restrictions that the tour has for a playoff schedule and the rescheduling of the majors,” Applebaum said. “There really wasn’t a possible slot where we could have some certainty that we wouldn’t be facing the same situation as we had with the original date.”
With North America still in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, a mid-June restart for the PGA Tour is quite optimistic, and a mid-June restart in Canada with the border currently closed to non-essential travel and most provinces in a state of emergency was impossible. The city of Toronto has already restricted public events and prohibited municipal permits through the end of June.
“We’ve been in really close conversation with PGA Tour and RBC for weeks and months now, actually, as it was developing, and it was a variety of things that have been challenges,” Applebaum said. “The combination of travel and government restrictions were really the things that proved to be untenable. We don’t know when government restrictions will end.”
If the PGA Tour actually gets its mid-June restart off the ground, it plans to do so without fans in attendance for at least the first four tournaments. Fan interaction has never been a bigger part of the RBC Canadian Open, as organizers have worked hard to bring a summer festival atmosphere to the event. The Chain Smokers were scheduled to headline a concert as part of this year’s tournament. Even without fans or concerts, Applebaum doesn’t feel the Canadian Open would be possible at this time.
“Our normal volunteer base is about 2,000. Even with a bare bones volunteer organization to put the event on, we’re probably at 500 to 600, and we know that many of our volunteers are at a higher risk demographic,” he said.
Golf Canada relies heavily on the revenue generated from its flagship tournament to support yearlong initiatives and events.
“It’s crushing for us, and we recognize that we’re not the only ones hurting ...,” Applebaum said. “We have an incredible title sponsor in RBC, we have great long-term partners who have been part of the RBC Canada Open, and we’re working with all of them to pivot to 2021 and working with all of them on the recovery of golf in this country this summer.”
The recovery of golf this summer is something that has been top of mind for every golfer in Canada. Applebaum has been adamant about the necessity to respect the home isolation rules and have everyone, including golfers, do their part to flatten the curve of coronavirus. That said, Golf Canada has been in contact with governing bodies in other parts of the world such as Australia and the U.K. discussing what comes next.
“There is some light, some glimmers of hope,” Applebaum said. “We’re going to see how things evolve and when we can get back to recreational normalcy but we’re doing everything within our control.”
Applebaum and Golf Canada have been in contact with leaders in the federal government, and Golf Canada’s provincial partners have been in contact with their provincial governments.
He said golf courses and clubs are getting protocols in place for when it’s safe for golf to return and directed golfers to the Golf Canada website where there is a COVID-19 resource page.
“We’re starting to look ahead toward recovery,” he said.
In recent months, though, we’ve not only learned how big sports is in our lives, but also how small it is, an idea not lost on Applebaum.
“This is a disappointing day for golf fans in our country who love our event, but we also are thinking of all those people who are dealing with real health and life concerns.” jmccarthy@postmedia.com