Canadian Open gets better spot on PGA schedule, bigger purse

OAKVILLE, Ont. — The RBC Canadian Open is making moves to try to become one of the can’t-miss events on the PGA Tour.

The Canadian Open will be played in early June starting in 2019, moving the event out of the shadow of the British Open. Golf Canada also announced on Tuesday that it’s increasing the overall purse to US$7.6 million for 2019, up from $6.4 million.

Historically, the Canadian Open was held in September, but starting in 2007 it was played in late July, the prime golf season. Unfortunately, it also was the week after the British Open, causing many of the PGA Tour’s top players to miss the tournament as they recovered from the challenging major.

“It’ll make it a lot easier to attract all the great players that I know want to come up and play but maybe just haven’t been able to fit it into their schedule before,” said Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, the highest-ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour.

“This will elevate this tournament back to the stature that it has had,” he added.

Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., will host the event from July 26-29 this year.

Next year’s event is June 6-9 at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club — a week before the U.S. Open.

“This is an extremely exciting day for golf in Canada,” said Hadwin.

The PGA Tour’s full 2019 schedule will be released on July 10.