PGA TOUR Canada Final Event Guarantees Drama
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2019-09-13
From a $40K pay cheque to fully exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour, there is a lot riding at the Canada Life Championship...
The Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada heads to London this week for the Canada Life Championship – the final event of the Mackenzie Tour schedule in 2019.
Five players inside the top 60 on the Order of Merit are not teeing it up this week, including Doc Redman – who is playing on the PGA TOUR in 2019-20 after earning status via his spectacular run this summer.
For the 55 in the field, who have already secured Mackenzie Tour stats for 2020, there is still much to play for... and much to be decided.
It starts with Canadian Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont.
Pendrith, who captured his second title of the year at the Mackenzie Investments Open in Montreal. His 28-under total was the lowest, relative to par, in Mackenzie Tour history and also put the Canadian Player of the Year race out of reach. The award and $25,000 prize, courtesy of Canada Life, will be presented this week at the Canada Life Championship.
This will be Pendrith’s second Canada Life Player of the Year award after claiming the Dan Halldorson Trophy in 2015. That year Pendrith finished third on the Order of Merit and earned Korn Ferry Tour status for the first time.
And it is exempt status that will be the other big story of the week.
There hasn’t been a race this close for top spot on the Order of Merit in Mackenzie Tour history.
With Pendrith’s victory in Montreal, the top four players on the order of merit all have a chance to finish No. 1 and earn full status on the Korn Ferry Tour for 2020 (Paul Barjon who leads, Taylor Pendrit, Jake Knapp, Lorens Chan).
Pendrith has to finish no worse than 11th to pass Barjon. Knapp has to finish no worse than 9th to pass Barjon. Chan has to finish no worse than 3rd to pass Barjon
Despite sitting in the fourth spot on the Order of Merit, Lorens Chan has the lowest scoring average on the Mackenzie Tour in 2019 at 67.61. The 25-year old has eight top 10s in 11 starts.
Three Canadians are in the field in London. Along with Pendrith, James Allenby, currently 17th on the Order of Merit, and Riley Wheeldon currently 45th on the Order of Merit, are in the field
This is also the first time in Mackenzie Tour history that more than two player have finished with more than $100,000 earned for the season (last year was the first time more than one player accomplished the feat when Tyler McCumber and George Cunningham reached the number).
Add in the $40,500 first place money here and there is a lot on the line.
FAST FACTS
Dates: September 12-15
Course: Highland Country Club
Par/Yards: 70/6,584
Field: 58
2018 Champion: Danny Walker
Purse: $225,000/$40,500 winner’s prize
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Website: canadalifechampionship.com
Twitter: @CanadaLifeChamp