PGA Canada Tour will play here in 2013
“WHAT WE’LL FIND OUT IS THERE ARE GOING TO BE STRONGER AND STRONGER PLAYERS PARTICIPATING HERE. JEFF MONDAY
Saskatoon has made the cut for the PGA Canada Tour in 2013.
The city, together with the Dakota Dunes Golf Links on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, will be one of eight stops on the tour in 2013.
The official announcement was made Wednesday morning in Saskatoon, where PGA Tour senior vice-president Jeff Monday was on hand.
The DDCO, formerly on the Canadian Tour, will be played July 4-7 at the Dakota Golf Links.
“Santa Claus has arrived a little early for Saskatoon,” quipped Hugh Vassos, DDCO tournament director.
“That’s great news for us. It really puts us in the big league.”
The PGA Tour — the biggest and most recognizable brand name in professional golf — took over operational control of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour Nov. 1.
The brand-new PGA Tour Canada will provide direct access to the Web.com Tour for its leading money-winners based on the final order of merit. The top five players will receive spots on the Web. com Tour, while the next five will be exempt into the finals of the Web.com qualifying school. They will gain some sort of status on the Web.com Tour and a chance to move on directly to the PGA Tour.
The same goes for PGA’s Latin America tour, which runs in the fall.
“If you ask players, that means everything,” said Monday. “Now it’s based on your season-long performance rather than six weeks at Q-school. You can get to that next level and that’s what they’re all trying to do.”
The ultimate goal for pro golfers is to play on the PGA Tour.
“That’s the echelon. That’s the benchmark. That’s the goal,” said Monday.
“You want to be out there competing with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and all those guys. Now you have a defined path to get there and PGA Tour Canada has a role in that.”
Monday liked what he saw of the DDCO during an evaluation process in 2012.
The tournament and city, he says, have “potential.”
“You can be a big fish in a medium-sized pond,” said Monday, who sees the DDCO as a marquee event on the community’s social calendar.
Monday promised the calibre of play at Dakota to be better than ever.
“We do know, based on the heels of the (PGA Tour takeover) announcement, that the interest is greater to play here,” he said. “What we’ll find out is there are going to be stronger and stronger players participating here. So, what the fans will see, when the tournament comes, is the calibre of play will go up and the whole excitement and atmosphere of the tournament will be enhanced.”
A number of former Dakota Dunes Casino Open and Saskatchewan Open players have already graduated to golf’s top level.
Graham DeLaet, who played in the 2008 Saskatchewan Open, is currently playing on the PGA Tour and ranks among the top 125 players.
Andres Gonzales, who won the Dakota tournament in 2009, will be returning to the PGA Tour for the second time in 2013 after cracking the top 25 on the Web.com Tour.
South Africa’s George Coetzee, who finished fourth at Dakota in 2009, is an up-andcomer on the PGA’s European Tour.
“There are just so many great resumes out there when you look at the (DDCO) players,” noted Dakota Dunes GM McLaren Taylor.
Whitecap Dakota First Nation chief Darcy Bear stressed the importance of Dakota Dunes Golf Links, and the golf tournament, in terms of breaking down barriers and providing employment.
“We realize, as a First Nation, that we can’t isolate ourselves,” Bear said.
Saskatoon proved to be one of the favourite stops for CanTour players, based on a survey conducted this past year.
Now the tournament will have even a higher profile.
“PGA is one of the strongest sports brands on the planet,” noted Todd Brandt of Saskatoon Tourism.