McKenzie tour cancels 2020 season

CANCELLATION MEANS NO 2020 LETHBRIDGE PARADISE CANYON OPEN

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada announced on Friday that the 2020 season has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.

The Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open, which was originally scheduled for June 25-28, is among the cancellations.

“Working closely with the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada we fully support the decision to cancel the 2020 season,” said Lethbridge Paradise Canyon Open tournament director Doug McLaughlin in a news release. “Our primary responsibility is the safety of our community and we feel like this is the right decision for everybody involved.”

“With growing uncertainty surrounding the border and quarantine regulations, among other factors, we have been in consistent communication with all of our events and believe this decision ensures the safety of the community,” said Mackenzie Tour executive director Scott Pritchard. “We are going to use this time to work alongside all of our events to come back stronger in 2021.”

The 2020 season was set to be the Mackenzie Tour’s eighth season, with the 13 scheduled events being the most in the Tour’s history.

“We have a strong commitment to the City of Lethbridge and will work hard to continue to be involved in the community despite the cancellation,” said McLaughlin.

Players had already been informed of how a potential cancellation would affect them for the 2021 season. Status for prior members will be based on Order of Merit results from the 2019 season, with the top-60 players exempt.

Meanwhile, players who earned status at the three completed 2020 qualifying tournaments will retain status for the 2021 season, and qualifying tournament entrants yet to compete will be guaranteed spots at a 2021 qualifying site.

The Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada is a series of tournaments played across Canada and the United States each summer, where tomorrow’s stars begin the path to the PGA Tour. The leading 10 point-earners at the end of each season earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the following year. The Tour’s alumni include 41 PGA Tour players and 232 Korn Ferry Tour players since 2013.