Canadian Open returning this summer

If there was any lingering doubt about this year’s RBC Canadian Open being on the PGA Tour’s schedule this summer, commissioner Jay Monahan has put that to rest.

“It’s coming back,” Monahan told the Star on Wednesday.

“You take something away for two years and your appreciation for it grows and, for (the PGA Tour), our excitement for being at the RBC Canadian Open is as high as it’s ever been.”

The Canadian Open was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament was the only PGA Tour event to go two years without being contested.

But with recent announcements from the City of Toronto on the return of festivals and a reduction in COVID-19 restrictions coming from other levels of government, the 2022 edition, set for St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Etobicoke, should be good to go.

“We love that environment, our players love that environment, and when you have a rich history like the game of golf has in Canada, it just recreates a really special atmosphere,” Monahan said.

Golf Canada this week announced its 2022 championship schedule, 20 professional and amateur events that represent its first full schedule since 2019.

“We left 2019 on this incredible high,” Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum said. “I know (Monahan) and his leadership team have been so supportive of everything we’ve done with the tournament and we’re looking forward to bringing it back in every dimension we’ve got going.“The feeling and the energy from golfers, clubs, and the media … it’s just off the charts.”

Rory McIlroy won the last Canadian Open by seven shots at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2019.

The CP Women’s Open is also set to return after a two-year absence on the LPGA Tour. It is scheduled for Aug. 25-28 at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.