Amateur event moved back
Island golfers waiting to see if tournament play is permitted in Phase 4
Prince Edward Island’s top golf tournament has been pushed back in an attempt to get the approval in time from health officials to hold the annual competition.
The Cooke Insurance P.E.I. Amateur Golf Championship was set to take place July 3-5 at Anderson’s Creek Golf Club in
Stanley Bridge. It will now be held July 17-19, pending approval from the Chief Public Health Office (CPHO).
“The CPHO’s guidelines for golf don’t include tournaments at this time,” said Prince Edward Island Golf Association (PEIGA) president Melissa Castle. “So, we’re kind of waiting on Phase 4 guidelines to see if we’ll be able to hold it.”
Phase 4 is set to begin on Friday.
The amateur is the biggest tournament on the Island’s competitive golf tour, and it moves to different member clubs each year. The trophy presented annually to the winner has names of champions dating back to 1933.
The Countryview Open was going to be the first stop on the tour this year. It was set to take place June 5 and 6 but had to be cancelled late as tournament play did not get the green light from health officials.
“We’re just working on shifting some of the June tournaments into July. Hopefully we’ll move into Phase 4 and some of those restrictions will be lifted a bit, and we’ll be able to have a somewhat regular competitive season," Castle said.
A decision to cancel the amateur, if necessary, would be made by July 3. Registration for the event ends July 2. If the tournament is cancelled, 100 per cent of the entry fee will be refunded.
The association has reserved the right to cancel the event if there is an insufficient number of people registered.
The association hasn’t discussed the possibility of pushing the event back to a future date.
Players gain points during the tour that are used to crown provincial champions at the end of the season and select the Island representatives for national and regional championships.
Golf Canada recently cancelled all of its amateur championships for 2020. The Atlantic championship is set for midSeptember at Mill River Golf Course in Woodstock.