FOR RELEASE: May 29, 2020

2020 Ontario Open postponed

Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada cancels 2020 season

(Tottenham, ON) – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that the 2020 season has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.

The Ontario Open, which was originally scheduled for August 27-30, is postponed until 2021.

“Working closely with the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada we fully support the decision to cancel the 2020 season,” said Ontario Open Tournament Director Craig Loughry. “Our primary responsibility is the safety of the local community, and we feel like this is the best decision for everybody.”

“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 the Ontario Open to make the 2021 event as strong as possible.”

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.

“Our commitment to the community and the Ontario Open is unwavering and we are going to work hard towards putting on another strong community-based event in 2021,” said Loughry.

“While we are disappointed that we won’t be playing host to future PGA TOUR players this year, we fully support the decision to postpone the Ontario Open,” said Woodington Lake Golf Club General Manager John Chetti. “We will take advantage of this time to complete our course renovations and look forward to working alongside Golf Ontario and the Mackenzie Tour to make the 2021 tournament a can’t-miss event.”

About the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada
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. The Mackenzie’s Tour mission is to provide a high-quality platform to produce alumni that move to the next level and eventually the PGA TOUR, while making a positive impact in the communities where tournaments are played.

Contact:
Brendan Stasiewich, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada,
403-512-4625
brendanstasiewich@pgatourintl.ca

Every year Golf Ontario gives recognition to the volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to the game of golf and shows appreciation to all who have been an essential part of our organization.

This week is National Volunteer Week, and we want to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication. This year’s theme is “It’s time to applaud this country’s volunteers”.

2019 Volunteer Recognition Award Recipients

From left to right: Chris Osborne, Ian Murray, (Michael Purcell on behalf of) Gilles Hurtubise, Kathy Pilkey, Joyce McCrae, Margaret Grieve, Howard Atkinson (President)

2019 Volunteer of the Year – Joyce McCrae
Distinguished Service Award – Margaret Grieve and Gilles Hurtubise
Honorary Life Director Award – Kathy Pilkey, Ian Murray and Chris Osborne

We Applaud our Volunteers

We have many longstanding volunteers who have been with us for 5, 10, 15 years! We are so thankful for the people who support Golf Ontario on a daily basis – you are truly talented, giving, selfless and caring. The relationships you create with staff, volunteers, and players make the game that much more special.

Thank you volunteers for all that you do at Golf Ontario.

A Special Recognition – Judith and Wayne Weaver

Husband and wife team, Judith and Wayne Weaver, are retiring this year from Golf Ontario. Judith and Wayne have been a huge part of Golf Ontario over the years, and have provided their services for 10+ years as Tournament Officials.

Judith joined the provincial volunteer team in 2004, as a District Coordinator for the former Owen Sound District. Wayne followed in 2006, first as a course rater and then joined the tournament officials’ team.

Judith was a regular in the scoring tent, and Wayne excelled as a starter at numerous championships over the years.

You will both be missed by all volunteers, staff and golfers. Your hard work and dedication have greatly benefited our organization both personally and professionally and we wish you all the very best in the years to come!

Toronto – Golf Ontario announced today that they have added 2 new partners to help bring more value to the Association and its’ members. Modern Golf joins as the ‘Official Club Fitting and Repair’  partner of Golf Ontario, and Dormie Workshop joins as the ‘’Official Custom Headcover Provider’ of Golf Ontario. These exciting new partnerships have been designed to add value to Golf Ontario members through the addition of unique offers and opportunities to take advantage of the premium products that these brands offer.

Mike Kelly, Executive Director of Golf Ontario is ecstatic to be welcoming both of these great brands to the Golf Ontario list of partners. “One of the core pillars of our Strategic Plan is providing Leadership in the form of growing our membership base. One key way of doing this is to add more value to the membership equation for our members, and we believe that Modern Golf and Dormie Workshop are a perfect fit for this opportunity”, said Kelly.

Modern Golf currently has locations in both Toronto and Vaughan and offers premium fitting and repair services across a variety of brands, including TaylorMade, another Golf Ontario partner. This partnership deal will allow Golf Ontario to offer up unique fitting experiences to our members and key stakeholders at any of Modern’s first-class facilities.

“Golf Ontario is extremely excited to welcome Modern Golf as a key partner for our organization.” said Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario Executive Director. “The Modern Golf facilities are able to create an amazing fitting, building, and repair experience that we look forward to sharing with our members. We also look forward to having our Team Ontario members utilize this facility to further their training efforts”

“Modern Golf is also thrilled to partner with Golf Ontario”, said Paul Fisher, Managing Director, Modern Golf.  “Golf Ontario is known as a change agent in the golf world, and we look forward to creating opportunities for Golf Ontario members to utilize our facilities”

Dormie Workshop is a high-end provider of premium leather handcrafted golf headcovers, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Recently featured in Golf Digest as one of their seven emerging golf brands that caught their eye at the 2020 PGA MerchandiseShow. Dormie was created by brothers and PGA Canada professionals Jeff and Todd Bishop, who wanted to bring fellow golfers really cool covers. The basis of the sponsorship will see Dormie provide custom headcovers to all of the winners of Golf Ontario’s amateur championships as well as to the winners of the Junior Golf Drive.

“I have long admired the quality and craftmanship of Dormie Headcovers from afar” said Mike Kelly, Executive Director of Golf Ontario. “Now, with Dormie joining us in partnership, I can admire these amazing products as we present them to the winners of our key Championships throughout the year”, said Kelly.

“Dormie Workshop is very excited to be partnering with Golf Ontario as they run some of the most prestigious championships in the country. We think our custom Dormie Headcovers will provide a perfect addition to the prizing that will be presented to the winners of each of these Championships”, added Todd Bishop, Co-Founder, Dormie Workshop.

About Golf Ontario

Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 450 member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the largest golf associations in the world.  From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact, to growing the game at the grassroots level and getting the game of golf into our school systems, to keeping the Ontario golf community aware of all relevant issues and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to making golf better for everyone in Ontario. We share a love and passion for golf, while preserving its past, fostering its future, and championing golf’s best interests for everyone who enjoys the sport.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

About Modern Golf

With multiple locations across Canada, Modern Golf performance centers offer golfers of all abilities club fitting, instruction, and practice options. Modern Golf offers top technology from Trackman, a PGA Tour level build shop and retail partnerships with all major golf brands giving customers 30,000+ different club fitting options. Modern Golf’s team is composed of PGA of Canada and elite golf industry professionals.

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @moderngolfca

About Dormie Workshop

Dormie Workshop is an innovative leather accessory business, specializing in hand-made golf products. Brothers, and PGA Professionals, Jeff and Todd Bishop created Dormie Workshop in the Fall of 2014 based upon three principles: innovative design, highest quality craftsmanship and industry leading customer service. Allowing golfers to express themselves through customization and fresh original design while fostering Junior golf initiatives has established Dormie Workshop as a grassroots golf innovator in a global marketplace.

Instagram/Facebook/Twitter-@dormieworkshop

www.dormieworkshop.com

Zhu and Rank take home Player of the Year Honours

TORONTO — Golf Ontario celebrated and recognized the 2019 Golf Ontario Order of Merit player winners for 2019 with an awards ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of these players. This prestigious awards ceremony occurred during lunch at the shared Golf Ontario / Golf Canada annual meeting at the Hilton Airport Hotel and Suites in Toronto.

Golf Ontario maintains an Order of Merit Rankings system that allocates points for performance in Golf Ontario, Golf Canada, USGA and many other sanctioned events throughout Ontario, Canada and internationally to determine the top-ranked athletes in the province of Ontario each year. This awards ceremony recognizes and celebrates the top performing players in all of the various Order of Merit categories.

Golf Ontario Players of the Year

The Golf Ontario Female Player of the Year, and the Golf Ontario Male Player of the Year. Nominees for PLAYER OF THE YEAR awards are voted on from the leaders in the Golf Ontario Order of Merit categories for 2019.

Female Player of the year:  Emily Zhu

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native had a strong 2019 campaign highlighted by wins at the Canadian Junior Girls Championship and the AJGA Natural Resource Partners Bluegrass Junior. Zhu also notched two runner-up finishes at the 2019 Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2019 Duke of York Young Champions Trophy and a runner-up finish in the Canada Junior Girls’ division. She has also represented Canada at the past three World Junior Girls Championships.

Zhu said her highlights of the year were winning the Canadian Jr Girls Championship and finishing 2nd at the Ontario Women’s Am. “It was one of my goals this year to win the Canadian Jr. Girls Championships and I did it. It was a surprise for me to finish so well at the Ontario Women’s Am and I hope I can go on to win it next year”. She also added, “my chance to participate in the CP Women’s Open was incredible as it was my first official LPGA event so I’m very thankful and honoured to have had the opportunity to play.”

Male Player of the year:  Garrett Rank

Rank, the 31-year old NHL referee from Westmount Golf & Country Club, has been the Men’s Amateur leader in Order of Merit ranking for the past 4 seasons, and since becoming eligible for the Mid-Amateur category in 2013 has held on to the coveted top spot in that category as well.

Along with finishing 2^nd in the Canadian Men’s Mid Amateur Championships, Rank’s other highlight of the year was winning the 117th Western Amateur Golf Tournament. Rank was the first Canadian to win the event since Vancouver’s Jim Nelford in 1977, and the first non-US born victor since New Zealand’s Danny Lee in 2008. He credits the momentum and confidence he took from the final round of the Porter Cup as the push he needed going into the Western Am.

Looking at the year ahead Rank said. “I’m looking forward to the Korn Ferry Tour start (an exemption from winning Western Am) and hopefully testing myself at the highest levels.”

Other 2019 Golf Ontario Order of Merit Winners

Volunteer Award Winners

Volunteers are a critical piece of the Golf Ontario organization, and Golf Ontario annually recognizes the hard work and dedication of our volunteer team.  Each year we celebrate our award winners during volunteers day, and we would like to once again congratulate the following winners:

2019 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Joyce McCrae

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD WINNERS
Margaret Grieve
Gilles Hurtubise

HONORARY LIFE DIRECTOR AWARD
Kathy Pilkey
Ian Murray
Chris Osborne

Mike Kelly, Executive Director of Golf Ontario, expressed his pride in the winners across both the Order of Merit and our Volunteer Award Winners. “This ceremony was a great chance for Golf Ontario to recognize some truly great accomplishments in golf in 2019. Between volunteer award winners, and some amazing Championship performances, we were honoured to be recognizing some of the best and brightest in Ontario golf with our 2019 awards. With Lindsay Hamilton as host, and a distinguished list of nominees and winners, this was a great event for attendees and winners alike”, said Kelly

UXBRIDGE — With great excitement, Golf Ontario is proud to announce the 2020 Ontario Golf Hall of Fame’s newest acclaimed member, Danny Mijovic. Mijovic will be honoured at the official induction ceremony on May 6, 2020 at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge. Tim O’Connor will be receiving the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award, presented annually to accredited members of the Ontario media for “major contributions to golf.”

2020 Ontario Golf Hall of Fame Inductees

Danny Mijovic

Maple resident Danny Mijovic, 59, enters the prestigious Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in the Professional Golfer category after 35 plus years as a golf professional.

Growing up, he played much of his golf at York Downs Golf and Country Club.  It was here Mijovic would grow his passion for the game and develop his skill level to reach the professional stage.

The list of accolades began in his collegiate years, where he attended Texas Wesleyan University on a golf scholarship. He was an individual medalist at nine collegiate tournaments, and is the only player at any collegiate level to win an individual national championship in all four years.

During his time at Texas Wesleyan, the Rams scored four consecutive national runner-up finishes and won twenty-four collegiate tournaments. He also won the 1983 Mid-Atlantic Amateur and the 1983 Canadian Amateur tournaments. In that same year Mijovic, was the Number 1 ranked amateur in Canada. In 1984 he would be Canadian Amateur Championship Runner up and again be ranked the #1 Amateur in Canada and also #5 in the US.

After graduating with a degree in business administration he represented Canada on the World Amateur Team (Eisenhower Trophy) in 1984 before turning professional.

The four-time All-American went on to win the 1983 Canadian Amateur Championship and his very first professional tournament, the Mexican Open, in 1984. Other notable wins include the 1984 Porter Cup, becoming only the second Canadian to do so, (the other being Gary Cowan) and also in his first professional Canadian tournament, would win the 1985 Labatt’s Blue-Light Championship on the Canadian Tour beating out Canadian greats like Dave Barr, Jerry Anderson and Jim Rutledge.

Mijovic has played in two U.S. Opens and made the cut in each of his three appearances at the British Open. Closer to home he was the 1987 Ontario PGA Champion and more recently, Mijovic won the 2012 Senior PGA of Ontario Championship.

After playing professionally for 35+ years and competing in an incredible 50 countries, he still holds numerous course records. His career saw him eventually play on the Canadian Tour, Asian Tour, Australian Tour, European Tour, South American Tour, Great Lakes Tour (Ontario) and US Mini Tours.

A testament to his incredible skill was his ability to have shot 61 an astounding four times in tournaments including setting a course record with that number while winning the 2005 Osprey Valley Classic Championship on the Great Lakes Tour. With numbers like that it is obvious why in 2011 he was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame and the Texas Wesleyan University Hall of Fame.

With his combination of knowledge and passion for teaching and coaching, Mijovic continues giving back to the game that has been so good to him. He is currently ClubLink’s Director of Instruction at King’s Riding Golf Club and King Valley Golf Club where he provides a memorable, informative, and entertaining experience.

Tim O’Connor

This year’s recipient of the Lorne Rubenstein Media Award is Tim O’Connor, a very worthy and distinguished recipient given his incredibly vast contributions to the game in Ontario.

A London, ON native, O’Connor was a junior member of Sunningdale Golf and Country Club. He was an avid junior golfer, but found himself a far better caddy even though he dutifully took lessons and practised as much as he could.

At Western University, he wrote album and concert reviews for the Gazette, the student newspaper, and became Entertainment Editor in his fourth year and then eventually elected as Editor-in-chief.

Various positions afterwards including a stint with United Press Canada and then with CP where he became its National Music Writer, reporting and commenting on popular music where he interviewed music icons such as David Bowie, Robert Plant, Lou Reed and many more.

While at CP, O’Connor re-connected with the game of golf. When former CP staffer John Gordon became editor-in-chief of SCOREGolf Magazine, O’Connor was invited to write for the magazine. He would then go on to twice win the writing contest of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America based on stories published in SCOREGolf.

Bolstered by his awards, opportunities to write freelance, and encouraged by none other than Lorne Rubenstein, he quit Canadian Press in 1992 to write about golf full-time as a freelance. He would go onto to write for a wide variety of golf publications across North America, The Financial Post, Golf Digest, GOLF, Golf World, LINKS, Golfweek, Golf Canada and Ontario Golf Magazine.

He’s also been a freelance golf reporter for CBC Radio, and covered the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, duMaurier Classic and the Canadian Open. Additionally, he produced golf documentaries for the CBC Radio program The Inside Track, launched The Golf Show, for Telemedia Radio Network and the Golf Show on AM-Talk640.

With two young boys having come along quickly, he switched gears and became Director of Communications for ClubLink Corporation. In early 2000, his engagement changed to a consultant, and he formed O’Connor Golf Communications.

O’Connor kept writing while working as a consultant including books: The Feeling of Greatness: The Moe Norman Story, The Ladies’ 1924-1999: A History of the Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto, Devil’s Pulpit: The First Decade, and The Single Plane Golf Swing: Play Better Golf the Moe Norman Way. In 2007, he edited The Final Missing Piece of Ben Hogan’s Secret Puzzle, an instruction book based on Hogan’s swing.

O’Connor also transitioned to coaching golfers on the mental side of the game, becoming the Mental Performance Coach of the ClubLink Academy at Glen Abbey. He continues to deliver keynote speeches and conduct his Walk Your Talk workshops on leadership for the golf and business organizations, and his Getting Unstuck golf mental performance workshops.

In 2015, he returned to his media roots, launching the Swing Thoughts podcast with co-host Howard Glassman (aka Humble Howard).  He’s also just completed his third year as Head Coach of the University of Guelph men’s and women’s varsity golf teams.

He now resides in Guelph with his wife Sandy Halloran, and two sons, Corey and Sean.

ABOUT THE ONTARIO GOLF HALL OF FAME

The Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of extraordinary contributions and accomplishments in the game of golf in Ontario. Founded in 2000 by the Ontario Golf Association and the Ontario Ladies’ Golf Association, the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame is housed at Wooden Sticks Golf Club in Uxbridge.

For more information, please contact:

Mallory Dayman
Manager, Sport
mdayman@gao.ca

Peter MacKellar
Manager, Marketing Communications
pmackellar@gao.ca

Tour teams with Golf Ontario for August event
at Woodington Lake Golf Club

TORONTO, ONT – The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and Golf Ontario have reached a six-year agreement in partnership with Woodington Lake Golf Club to host and conduct the Ontario Open. The first tournament, an official tournament on the Tour’s 2020 schedule is set for Tottenham, Ontario, on August 24-30.

Debuting in 1923, the Ontario Open’s past champions include Sam Snead, along with Canadian golf legends Moe Norman, George Knudson and seven-time champion Nick Weslock. Following a 23-year hiatus, the event returned for its 63rd edition in 2019, an event won by Greg Eason, who five years earlier finished fifth on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit. Eason has 31 career Tour starts.

“The Ontario Open has a rich history in Canada, and the Mackenzie Tour is thrilled at the opportunity to be involved with such a storied event,” said Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Vice President Scott Pritchard. “We’re looking forward to working alongside Golf Ontario and the team at Woodington Lake to deliver a world-class tournament.”

Mike Kelly, Golf Ontario’s Executive Director since 2015, played a large part in revitalizing the Ontario Open and says he is looking forward to adding to the legacy of the event with the Mackenzie Tour’s involvement.

“The Ontario Open is steeped in tradition and history and has a long list of distinguished winners,” said Kelly. “We were thrilled to bring back the Ontario Open in 2019 to Woodington Lake Golf Club and equally thrilled with the success of the event.

“To now join forces and take the event to the next level with The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is an exciting time for Golf Ontario, and we believe this will be one of the marquee events on Tour this year,” continued Kelly.

Hosting the 156-player tournament is the Legend Course at Woodington Lakes Golf Club, a 36-hole facility north of Toronto. Measuring more than 7,000 yards, the Legend Course opened in 1995 and covers 200 acres of rolling terrain.

“Woodington Lake is truly a special piece of property, and the Ontario Open was a huge success in 2019,” said John Chetti, General Manager of Woodington Lake. “Our Legend course is a great test of golf, having some of the best golfers in the world tackle it is special for all of us at Woodington Lake and we look forward to hosting an extraordinary event.”

Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario’s Director of Golf Services, will serve as Tournament Director of the event. In addition to his experience with Golf Ontario, Loughry was also Golf Canada’s Director of Handicap and Course Rating and was the International Association of Golf Administrators President in 2017.

“We’re very excited about this announcement and the future of the Ontario Open, as well as our partnership with Woodington Lake Golf Club and the Mackenzie Tour,” said Loughry “We are already well down the road to planning some special activities around the event and look forward to unveiling some of those over the next few months.”

The tournament also announced today that the Golf Canada Foundation (GCF) will be the Ontario Open’s official charity recipient.

“The Golf Canada Foundation’s contributions to the game of golf and young golfers fit right in line with Golf Ontario’s mission to shape lives by leading, creating and promoting positive golf experiences,” said Loughry. “We’re delighted to partner and financially support the GCF and its mandate.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Golf Ontario and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada as the official charity of the Ontario Open,” said Martin Barnard, the CEO of the Golf Canada Foundation. “The event will drive tremendous awareness and fund programs critical to getting more kids playing golf in Ontario.”

The full 2020 Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

ABOUT THE MACKENZIE TOUR – PGA TOUR CANADA

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada is a series of tournaments played across Canada each summer, where tomorrow’s stars begin the path to the PGA TOUR. The leading 10 points-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. The Mackenzie Tour’s mission is to deliver a PGA TOUR experience for its members, fans, volunteers and partners in order to develop the future stars of professional golf and enrich the communities it visits.

Twitter: @PGATOURCanada / @OntarioOpenGolf
Instagram: @PGATOURCanada / @ontarioopengolf

ABOUT GOLF ONTARIO

Golf Ontario is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 450 member clubs, Golf Ontario is one of the largest golf associations in the world.  From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact, to growing the game at the grassroots level and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, Golf Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to shaping lives through Golf.

Twitter: @TheGolfOntario
Instagram: @TheGolfOntario
Facebook: @TheGolfOntario

ABOUT WOODINGTON LAKE GOLF CLUB

Woodington Lake Golf Club is home to 36 holes of picturesque golf in Tottenham, Ontario. Carved around a towering pine forest and nestled near Woodington Lake, this course Is truly legendary. The newest addition to Woodington Lake Golf Club is the Legacy course, a true mix of Links and stadium styles. With very challenging water hazards, along with fast and undulating greens, the Legacy course attracts golfers of every skill level.

ABOUT GOLF CANADA FOUNDATION

Golf Canada Foundation inspires young players to build strong core values and character while living a healthy lifestyle. The Foundation supports initiatives in five key areas: junior golf, collegiate golf, women’s golf, high-performance golf and golf heritage.

CONTACT:

Brendan Stasiewich, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, 403-512-4625
brendanstasiewich@pgatourintl.ca