Another Honour For “Mr. Canadian Open”

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Dick Grimm has received yet another honour, with his induction last week into the Oakville Sports Hall of Fame in Oakville, Ont.

Grimm, known as “Mr Canadian Open,” for his work on the national championship from 1965 to 1993, attended the ceremony in Oakville with his son Richard and two grandchildren.

As part of the induction, Grimm was presented with a silver plate by former LPGA Tour player and Oakville native Sandra Post, another member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. In typical Grimm fashion, he credited tournament volunteers for their work during his days at the helm of the Canadian Open.

Grimm serves as Open chairman in 1965 at the Missisaugua Golf and Country Club and would later serve as chairman in 1970, ’75, ’77, ’78 and ’79, while serving as president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association in 1974.

After serving as an RCGA governor from 1969-74, Grimm became an honorary life governor in 1975 before serving as the RCGA’s director of professional tournaments from 1983-93. He went on to become Canadian Tour commissioner from 1993-97.

Questions Surround Montreal Event

The Montreal stop on the Canadian Tour schedule now has an uncertain future after Synchro Sports announced officially on Thursday that it will host and promote a Champions Tour event that city.  Synchro Sports also organized the Canadian Tour stop in Montreal.

“Our intention in all of our discussions with the commissioner of the Canadian Tour was to make our best effort possible to be able to continue to do both events,” said David Skitt, vice president of Synchro Sports and tournament director for the new Champions Tour event.

“We have a sponsor that stepped up, saying that they’re interested in being able to pursue a relationship on the Canadian Tour and it was a good fit for their product,” added Skitt, who would not reveal the identity of that potential sponsor.

“We can certainly do it where we put on a good event, maybe a little smaller than the way we’ve done the Canadian Tour event,” he said.

Canadian Tour commissioner Rick Janes said in an e-mail on Thursday that discussions will continue. “We still have work to do before I can say anything, but I think the announcement today is exciting for the City of Montreal,” wrote Janes.

Tour Events Get Raises

The Canadian Tour has added significant purse increases to its two major championships, with the Players Cup in Winnipeg rising from $200,000 last year to $300,000 in 2010 and the Canadian Tour Championship going from $250,000 to $325,000.

The winner of the Players Cup will receive $48,000 and an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open, while the Canadian Tour Championship winner at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club in Ontario this year will get $52,000.

“The Players Cup and Canadian Tour Championship are two of the biggest golf events in Canada and they create an opportunity for golf fans to see not only the top PGA Tour prospects in Canada, but many of the top young prospects from more than a dozen countries around the world,” said Canadian Tour commissioner Richard Janes.

Janes Is “Hip” To 2010 Canadian Tour Season

Somebody should really tip off the United States Golf Association/Royal Canadian Golf Association about the technology that Rick Janes is planning to use in competition this year.

The Canadian Tour commissioner was feeling good last week, almost a month after hip replacement surgery in early December. He was working from home, but Janes planned to be in for three meetings this week before starting back full-time next week.

“I walked out of the hospital and I walked up the stairs at our house the day I got home, obviously with some difficulty,” recalled Janes. “It’s pretty amazing how quickly this stuff goes. Now, it’s just getting proper balance back and strength.

“I had (the hip) spring-loaded because I’m looking for an extra couple of yards on the golf course this summer,” he added. “My goal is to finish well in our club championship, so it’s all part of a grand plan.” Read more

More Canucks Up To Bat; Even More On Deck

Canada has twice as much to cheer about when the PGA and LPGA Tours get rolling in 2010 compared to this year when Mike Weir and Stephen Ames were the only homies on the men’s tour and Alena Sharp and Lorie Kane were the only Canucks on the women’s circuit.

Add Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., to the list of Canadians on the PGA Tour after Baryla got his ticket through the Nationwide Tour money list and DeLaet turned in a magnificent performance all year before earning his full-time card at Q-school.

DeLaet, in particular, seemed destined for the big leagues after two wins on the Canadian Tour and one in South Africa among other impressive finishes, including a trip to China after winning a World Cup qualifier with teammate Stuart Anderson of Victoria in Estonia.

Prior to doing the expected, DeLaet was a little more realistic about 2010. He surely would have been disappointed had he not made it to the PGA Tour, but he said playing on the Nationwide Tour would have represented at least a step in the right direction in his career.

Had it happened that way, would Canadians have been paying as much attention to DeLaet on the development circuit the way they will be now that he’s on the PGA Tour? Should we just wait for them to show up in the big leagues and complain when they don’t? Read more

Canadian Tour Takes Steps To Enhance Its Image As A Development Circuit

The Canadian Tour has visions of being, if not on par with the Nationwide Tour, then a reasonable facsimile of the main development circuit of the PGA Tour.

As reported on GNN last week, the tour made official that it is enhancing its image in the chain of development tours on Monday with the first draft of its 2010 schedule, which will see at least five Canadian events with purses of at least $250,000.

The Players Cup in Winnipeg will have a $300,000 purse and the Canadian Tour Championship is coming in at $350,000. For more information, see the News Now story on the GNN home page, while a complete schedule is at www.cantour.com.

“I was doing some math today and it’s probably the most money that we’ve played for in Canada,” said commissioner Rick Janes Monday evening. Read more

Canadian Tour Announces Record Purse Increases

As reported on GNN a week ago, the Canadian Tour officially announced on Monday some record purse increases for its 2010 schedule.

Events in Victoria, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, home of the Players Cup, will see purse increases and the Canadian Tour Championship will be played for $325,000, nearly double what it was in 2006.

“The highlight of the 2010 schedule is purse increases at major events in Canada. These are the most significant increases that the Tour has seen in its history,” said commissioner Richard Janes.

“There are still a number of gaps in the schedule that are yet to be filled, but we can confirm that at least five of our major events in Canada will be announcing purses of at least $250,000,” said Janes.

“The Players Cup in Winnipeg will have a purse of $300,000 and the Canadian Tour Championship will reach $325,000,” he said, adding there was a merger of Alberta events with Telus moving away from what was the Edmonton Open and joining with the ATB Financial Classic, which was held last year in Calgary.

This year, the ATB Financial Classic presented by Telus will be played in late June at the Edmonton Country Club. As part of the four-year agreement, the event is expect to alternate between Calgary and Edmonton,

Two new Canadian events are also tentatively scheduled for Fort McMurray, Alta., and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia in 2010.

The 2010 season will begin with a series of tournaments in Mexico starting with the Mexican PGA Championship in Mazatlan the week of April 12.

Yet to be finalized are events in partnership with the European Challenge Tour and Tour de Las Americas in Columbia, Chile and Costa Rica in late February and early March.

“Canada is the cornerstone of the Canadian Tour and this is where we are applying most of our attention. At the same time, Latin America and Mexico provide us with opportunities to extend our season into those months when we cannot play in Canada,” said Janes.

“These events also provide our players with valuable international experience and expose top players to the Canadian Tour.”

For the entire first draft of the tour schedule, see the website, www.cantour.com under Tournaments.

Tour Schedule Will Be “Unprecedented”: Commissioner

The finishing touches are still being applied, but the 2010 Canadian Tour schedule could be “unprecedented” in terms of prize money, according to commissioner Rick Janes, who says the raise in overall purse on the season could be as much as $650,000.

“The real highlight of (the 2010) schedule and what we’re working on right now is prize money increases that are really going to be quite unprecedented,” said Janes.

Increases are expected at existing events such as Times Colonist Open in Victoria, the Players Cup in Winnipeg and the Canadian Tour Championship. An announcement about an event in Alberta is expected later this week, but Janes wouldn’t elaborate.

Another announcement coming soon is expected to outline a rebranding of the tour’s Montreal event.

“I think people are going to be quite surprised at what this looks like, particularly in a tough economy, and it will only get better,” said Janes.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s probably the best schedule in terms of prize money – and that’s the operative, in terms of prize money – that the Canadian Tour’s ever had. There’s a bit of risk in this, risk in the sense that we still have a lot of work to do in terms of sponsorship,” he added.

“My board is supporting what we’re doing here. It is a bold effort,” said Janes, adding that as many as 17 Canadian events could take place in 2010, but will more likely be around the 13 mark compared to 10 in 2009.

New markets being considered include Fort McMurray, Alta., the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Thunder Bay, Ont., and possibly Vancouver.

Janes went on to say that rumours of the demise of the tour’s swing through Latin America have been greatly exaggerated in recent media reports. Last year at this time, the tour was making stops in Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica, tournaments that were part of the 2009 schedule despite being played in ’08.

Janes stresses, however, that the tour has not severed ties with Latin America.

“I really don’t know where that came from. No, we’re not giving up on Latin America at all,” he said. “The fact of the matter is that they couldn’t create a schedule of consecutive events. We really wanted that on the circuit, but they just couldn’t put it into the rotation of events.

“What we’re doing is looking now towards a series of events in the spring right now in Argentina and Colombia,” said Janes, adding that those events, played towards the end of March, would be co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour and Tour de las Americas.

Even though the swing through South American is still developing, Janes believes there is a strong upside to continuing.

“The reason why we’re in South America and the reason why we’re in Mexico is that we can’t play in Canada at that time of year and I’m very happy with the results of South America,” he said.

“One of the byproducts of it was that we attracted players like Hugo Leon (Chile), who joined us in South America,” said Janes, also pointing to players such as Mauricio Molina and Rafael Gomez, both from Argentina and both two-time winners over the past season.

Janes adds that his isn’t the only tour eyeing South America these days.

“What you’re going to see is PGA Tour expansion into South America, no doubt about it,” said Janes. “You will see, in all probability, on the Nationwide schedule another South American event, most likely in Colombia, in the coming year.

“The reason we’re in South America is to, first and foremost, give our players these international opportunities, to expose some of the top young players from South America to our tour and to bring them to Canada to play.”

Next Stop China for Graham DeLaet

Graham DeLaet got his first order of business done on Saturday when he qualified for the final stage of PGA Tour qualifying school by tying for 13th at his second stage qualifier last week at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.

That was first priority in a busy itinerary over the next couple of weeks for DeLaet, who says the second stage has been his downfall in the past.

“I hit the ball really, really well all week. I didn’t putt very well the first three days. (In the final round), I made some good putts,” said DeLaet, who earned at least a Nationwide Tour card for next year with his performance last week.

“I got off to a bit of a shaky start in the first round. I made a quad on my fourth hole to go three-over, but I kind of held it together and brought it back in at even par for the round,” he said.

“Even though I was way back, I knew that I was playing well and that I could make up those strokes, so I just kind of kept plugging away,” said DeLaet, who can take something away from his climb into contention in Georgia last week.

“Every time you do that, it just lets you know deep down that you have the ability to fight back and it’s just one more thing in your repertoire, so to speak,” said DeLaet, who will need all weapons in his arsenal blazing over the next couple of weeks.

He left Atlanta yesterday for Newark, N.J., where he boarded a flight to Hong Kong. From there, he had a couple of hours by land to Mission Hills in China, where he was to join teammate Stuart Anderson of Victoria for this week’s World Cup.

He will have a similar arduous journey back for the final stage of Q-School, which takes place Dec. 2-7 in West Palm Beach, Fla., with a PGA Tour card on the line.

“Obviously, your sleeping patterns are definitely off and your eating patterns. I figure it’s the World Cup and it’s final stage of Q-School and if I can’t get excited to play those two events, what can I get excited for, so I’ll be ready to go,” said DeLaet, who won the Canadian Tour’s Order of Merit this year.

DeLaet will not be joined at the final stage of Q-School by Anderson, who withdrew from the final round of his second stage qualifier in Beaumont, Calif, Still, DeLaet believes his partner will be ready in China after the pair qualified at a World Cup qualifier in Estonia last month.

“You ask any Canadian who has played Canadian Tour with Stuart and they’ll tell you he’s got a lot of game. I’ve got total confidence in him,” said DeLaet.

Tour Announces Q-School Locations

The Canadian Tour’s Florida Q-School will be held at the Southern Hills Plantation Club and Hernando Oaks Golf and Country Club, March 9-12.

That will be followed closely by the tour’s California Q-school that will take place just out of San Diego at Carlton Oaks Golf Club from March 30 to April 2.

DeLaet Keeps Answering The Bell

Graham DeLaet hardly sounded at the top of his game on Monday evening as he spoke from Chicago about the day before, when he definitely was at the top of his game in winning the Sunshine Tour’s BMG Classic in South Africa.

“I went straight to the airport and flew to London, had a four-hour layover there and then, flew to Chicago and now, I’ve got a four-hour layover here,” said a groggy-sounding DeLaet, before leaving on the final leg of his journey home to Boise, Id.

“I don’t know what the flight is – two-and-a-half, three hours to Boise. I’ll be home finally before midnight (Boise time),” he said. “The good thing is I travel so much, I can come up into the lounge, so it’s better than just sitting downstairs.”

DeLaet could have sweet dreams not only of his victory in South Africa, but also about the World Cup qualifier he won with fellow Canadian Tour player Stuart Anderson of Vancouver, but even if he did fall asleep, there was little chance he would miss the plane to Boise. Read more

Hahn Makes It Two This Year

American James Hahn fired a four-under-par 68 to capture the Riviera Nayarit Classic in Nayarit, Mexico, by three strokes over Eduardo Herrera.

Hahn finished at 19-under 269, earning $20,000 U.S. and his second victory of the season.

Herrera’s 69 left him alone in second at 272, two ahead of third place Jose Trauwitz and Darren Griff, who both shot 69.

“This is a huge win and a real confidence booster going into Q-School,” said Hahn. “I came down here without a practice round because I was in a Nationwide (Tour) qualifier that ran into Tuesday.

“I was the last guy eliminated in the playoff and as soon as it was done I was off to the airport,” he said.

Unlike Saturday when he made four consecutive birdies to start the third round, Hahn started with a shaky par. “I missed the green short side and ended up in the bunker on the first,” he said.

“Eduardo (Herrera) was on the green with an eight-footer for birdie. He missed his putt and I was able to get up and down. If he had made it and I had missed, it would have been devastating.”

The final group all birdied the second hole, but a Herrera birdie at No. 5 cut the lead to one.

Unfazed, Hahn birdied the seventh to reclaim his two-shot lead and maintained it when both he and Herrera birdied the ninth.

With the contenders down to two, Hahn began to pull away on the back nine. After a birdie at 10 and a bogey at 11, Hahn birdied both 13 and 15. while Herrera managed six straight pars through that stretch.

“When I birdied 13, I had a three-shot lead and I knew they would have to catch me,” said Hahn. “There was no way I was going backwards.”

With both players bogeying No. 16 and Herrera getting a birdie on 17, the only difference it made was the margin of victory.

“Even though Eduardo made a nice 30-footer at 17, I knew that all I had to do was hit it in the fairway at 18 and that would be it,” added Hahn.

In repeat performance of Saturday, Hahn birdied every par five in his round and was 18-under on the par fives this week, making 16 birdies and an eagle.

“The par fives were definitely the key,” Hahn concluded. “The fairways are wide and you can hit it off the tee as hard as you can.

“The tees were up all week so I treated them as if they were par fours.”

Gomez Hangs On In Mexico

Rafael Gomez stumbled home with a four-over-par 76, but hung on to win the Canadian Tour’s $100,000 (U.S) Iberostar Riviera Maya Open by one stroke over Antonio Maldonado who closed with a 71 at Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Gomez, who started the day with a six-shot lead, double bogeyed the final hole to finish the tournament at 12-under-par 276.

Scott Gibson fired a two under par 70 to grab solo third at eight-under 280, one ahead of American John Douma who had a 69.

“This is a big win for me and a real confidence booster going into Q-school,” said Gomez, who took home $16,000 and his second Canadian Tour title of the season. “It was difficult to start with such a big lead. I have had big leads to start last rounds before, but not this big.”

Gomez staggered out of the gate with back-to-back bogeys, but with Maldonado bogeying the second, the lead was still five. Gomez birdied four and five, but stumbled again with bogeys at eight and nine, cutting the lead to four at the turn.

Maldonado then sliced the lead to three with a birdie at ten but it jumped to five with a Gomez birdie and Maldonado bogey at No. 13.

“I played conservatively all day and even though Antonio was getting a bit closer in the middle of the round, I wasn’t too worried,” said Gomez. “He was the one who had to get aggressive, not me.”

Having bogeyed No. 15, Gomez arrived at the 18th tee with a four-stroke lead and what appeared certain victory. However, he and Maldonado had to endure a lengthy delay on the tee with two groups ahead of them.

“I just wanted to hurry up and finish and I got anxious,” said Gomez. “I lost my concentration and pushed my tee shot way right into the mulch. I had to take a penalty drop from there, but I wasn’t worried because I still had a big lead.”

Gomez advanced the ball back onto the fairway and then hit what he called an incredible shot to 15 feet from the pin.

Although Maldonado birdied to put some pressure on Gomez, he would not be denied, calmly two-putting for the victory.

“I’ve been playing very good golf all year and to do this right before qualifying school is very important,” he concluded.

Canada Wins World Cup Qualifier

The Canadian team of Graham DeLaet from Weyburn, Sask., and Victoria’s Stuart Anderson managed an even par 72 in Sunday foursomes, but it was enough to capture the Omega Mission Hills World Cup qualifier by two strokes over Wales.

The duo finished at 19-under-par 269 in Estonia to book a spot in the main event in China from Nov. 26–29.

Scotland fired a final round 66 to grab the third qualifying spot, three ahead of fourth place Portugal.

This is the second consecutive trip to the World Cup for DeLaet, who partnered with Calgary’s Wes Heffernan in a tie for 13th last year.

Anderson’s previous trip was in 2004 when he and Darren Griff represented Canada in Seville, Spain.

Buoyed by their victory in the qualifier, Canada were feeling confident about their chances when they tee it up at Mission Hills Golf Club in the World Cup final in November.

“When Graham and I are both on form, we can definitely contend. We played pretty well today. We had got ourselves far enough in front that we could cruise along today. It is great that we won, but our first goal was to qualify this week,” said Anderson.

DeLaet agreed. “We came here to get the job done and finish in the top three and we did it,” he said. “We are very excited to have the chance to play in China and we have a great chance to really compete when we get there.”

“It’s always exciting to put your country’s flag on your bag and stride down the fairway.

“Growing up as a kid in Canada you dream of representing your country at ice hockey. Golf is the only sport that I will have the chance to fulfill that dream with and I am really proud.”

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ROUND THREE

The Canadian duo of Graham DeLaet and Stuart Anderson fired a nine-under-par 63 in Saturday fourball to grab a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup qualifier in Estonia.

Canada is at 19-under-par 197, three ahead of Wales and five up on Portugal.

“Stu played awesome today”, said DeLaet. “He carried us today. I was able to contribute, but he shot eight of our birdies today”.

Canada’s only blemish on an otherwise perfect score card came with a bogey at the par four 14th.

“I spun my ball of the green from 100 yards and Stuart hit the green in regulation but three putted,” said DeLaet. “It always hurts to make bogey in this format, but we recovered well and made a couple more birdies.”

Although Anderson was responsible for most of the birdies, he was quick to point out how important DeLaet’s par-making had been for the team.

“Graham made the pars today and that freed me up to fire it at the flags and to be aggressive. We worked as a team and his pars were crucial. They made my birdie putts look easier,” said Anderson.

DeLaet added that it’s important for the Canadians not to get too far ahead of themselves heading into Sunday’s foursomes.

“We will have the same team order tomorrow as we did on Friday, but we might play a little more passively as we have a bit of a cushion. We aren’t thinking too much about China yet. We will take care of business tomorrow then we can be excited about the World Cup.”

The top three finishers qualify for the World Cup in China in November.

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FRIDAY FOURSOMES

Wales shot a bogey-free 66 in second round Foursomes to take a two-stroke lead over Canada at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier in Estonia.

We both played really well today,” said Canadian Tour player Graham DeLaet, who is representing Canada along with Victoria’s Stuart Anderson.

“We hit every green in regulation which is something you strive to do in the alternate shot format. We only missed two fairways today and even then, we were in the second cut. Our only bogey came from a three putt when I missed a two-footer for par on 14.”

Anderson reflected on the unique nature of Foursomes. “It’s an added pressure to perform with the Foursomes format. It’s a very different animal.

“It’s fun to play. You get involved in reading each other’s putts and figuring out the yardages together, so you feel much more like a team.”

The top three finishers from this event, which concludes on Sunday, qualify for the World Cup in China in November

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THURSDAY FOURBALL

The Canadian duo of Graham DeLaet and Stuart Anderson shot 65 to establish a one-stroke lead after round one of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier in Estonia.

The Canadians are one ahead of Welsh pairing of Stephen Dodd and Jamie Donaldson, who shot a 66 in Thursday’s opening fourball round at the Estonian Golf and Country Club.

With the top three finishers qualifying for the World Cup in China in November, DeLaet and Anderson, both regulars on the Canadian Tour, started strongly.

“We got off to a really good start, birdieing four of the first five holes. Six and seven slowed us down a bit with a three-putt par followed by a bogey, but Stuart birdied the 10th and we had birdie chances on every hole after that. We had a lull in the middle of the round, but we finished strong,” said DeLaet.

It was clear the duo had given some thought to the more challenging foursomes format that will be in play on Friday.

“We have had three days to look at the course and after the pro-am (Wednesday), we decided that Graham would tee off on the odd holes and I would take the even ones. We have a similar game, but Graham probably hits it further off the tee than I do,” said Anderson.

“We feel confident in each other and that’s huge. We trust one another and we played well so we will just have to stay aggressive and do our best.”

• images courtesy of the Canadian Tour

It’s All In The Family at Players Cup

Former Canadian Amateur champion Rob McMillan will become executive chairman of the Canadian Tour’s Players Cup in Winnipeg, while his wife Nicole McMillan moves in as the event’s executive director as of October 1.

Nicole McMillan has been involved with event management for 12 years, while Rob won the 1996 Canadian Amateur in Winnipeg, the same year he won the tour’s Manitoba Open as an amateur. He won two other tour titles and played on the Nationwide Tour in 2001 and 2003.

“This is an opportunity that Nicole and I really wanted. Nicole is an excellent event manager and I look forward to working with all of the sponsors. It is a good marriage in more ways than one,” said Rob McMillan, a past member of the tour’s board of directors.

The Players Cup is the only Canadian Tour event that offers an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open, as well as a $200,000 purse.

“Manitoba has a long history of hosting major sporting events and this is an event that has always been well managed,” said Canadian Tour commissioner Richard Janes.

“Rob and Nicole share a vision and have the passion to make The Players Cup one of the most significant golf tournaments in Canada,” he added.

The moves came with Mitch Zalnasky stepping down as tournament director.

Tour Seeks Stronger Ties With RCGA

The story of the year in Canadian golf did not take place on the PGA Tour, which is seemingly the only place, in some people’s minds, that produces news stories of any consequence.

From a Canadian perspective, the story is not about what’s happening now on the PGA Tour, or the LPGA Tour for that matter, but more about what could be happening five years from now on both circuits.

It’s all about the future, not the present, with the fireworks set off in 2009 by Nick Taylor, Matt Hill, Jennifer Kirby, Samantha Richdale and Graham DeLaet, all of which could very well be familiar faces, among other Canadians, on the respective tours in the next decade.

That last name helps illustrate a point for Rick Janes, commissioner of the Canadian Tour, who watched DeLaet win two events and register four top-three finishes to lead the circuit’s money list. DeLaet is in Estonia right now with fellow tour player Stuart Anderson to represent Canada in a World Cup qualifier. Read more

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