Mackenzie Tour a breeding ground for PGA TOUR stars
The chance to see the next Adam Hadwin or Nick Taylor, though? That comes around three times every year, with the province’s three tournament stops on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, known collectively as the B.C. Golf Swing. And with players competing for a promotion on the path towards the PGA TOUR, the chances are better than ever that the players at these events are the next generation of golf’s stars.
The Mackenzie Tour is where players begin their quest to reach the PGA TOUR, with the top five players on the seasonending Order of Merit earning a direct promotion to the Web.com Tour, one step from the game’s highest level. And since 2013, the Tour has been giving players from all over the world a reason to come compete in Canada.
Mackenzie Hughes, J.J. Spaun and C.T Pan, all of whom played in Canada two years ago, are also among the growing list of alumni making a name for themselves.
With three tournaments in British Columbia the time has never been better to see tomorrow’s stars up close.
“It’s the PGA TOUR on a smaller scale. They do everything the same and you really feel like you’re at a good professional event,” says Hadwin, who had a breakthrough win this year on the PGA TOUR at the Valspar Championship.
The action gets started with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf and Country Club, with the Mackenzie Tour’s season-opening event taking place May 29-June 4 in Vancouver. Its past champions include Joel Dahmen, another current PGA TOUR member, and Dan McCarthy, who made the event one of his four wins last season on the way to Player of the Year honours.
Up next, the Tour moves to the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist from June 5-11, the longest-running continuous stop on the Mackenzie Tour whose past winners include Steve Stricker and David Hearn. Last season, British Columbia’s own Adam Cornelson produced a feel-good win and went on to earn a promotion to the Web.com Tour, getting one step closer to the PGA TOUR.
The three-week B.C. Golf Swing concludes June 12-18 with the Golf BC Championship, which saw its inaugural playing in 2016. McCarthy went on to re-write the Mackenzie Tour record book that week, shooting 25-under par to win just ahead of Vancouver’s Ryan Williams.
For Canadian golf fans, coming out to watch a Mackenzie Tour event is the best way to get up close to the action.