Mackenzie Tour Moves B.C. Qualifying Tournament To U.S.
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2021-04-15
TORONTO, Ontario — The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced that its seventh and final 2021 Qualifying Tournament originally scheduled for Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, on May 24-27 will move to the United States. The Home Course in the Tacoma, Washington, suburb of DuPont is the new site, with adjusted dates of June 8-11 for the 72-hole, no-cut tournament.
Players who registered for and expected to play in Canada will now compete in this Qualifying Tournament, which will offer a full membership card to the winner, exemptions for the first half of the season for those finishing in second to sixth places and conditional status for those in seventh through 25th places (and ties).
Since its inaugural year of 2013, the Mackenzie Tour has traditionally begun its seasons at the end of May or early June. The Tour will alter that plan and make an announcement about its regular season schedule later this month.
“We held out hope that we would be able to play our final Qualifying Tournament at Crown Isle Resort, a long-time Tour partner,” said Mackenzie Tour Executive Director Scott Pritchard. “Unfortunately, we just needed to make a plan of certainty due to the current COVID-19 public-health restrictions in Canada. The safety of our players and Tour partners remains a priority, and it was our responsibility to ensure the event could proceed. We are pleased that such an outstanding facility as The Home Course was able to accommodate us, replacing another terrific golf course in Crown Isle Resort. I am confident the players will find The Home Course a challenging venue, with the top players emerging with 2021 membership cards.”
The Mackenzie Tour recently completed its sixth Qualifying Tournament of the year, in Pine Mountain, Georgia, at Callaway Gardens Resort. Patrick Cover earned medalist honors, joining Camilo Aguado, Luis Gagne, Keenan Huskey, Jeffrey Kang and Clay Feagler as players who earned the right to play in every 2021 tournament via the Qualifying Tournaments. An additional 30 players are exempt through the season’s first half and the player reshuffle based on performance, with more than 100 more players securing conditionally exempt status.
“After not conducting a season in 2020, we are looking forward to a summer slate of events that will allow our members to pursue 2021-22 Korn Ferry Tour cards,” Pritchard continued. “We look forward to making an announcement about the season in the near future.”
Dubbed “The Home of Golf in the Northwest,” The Home Course, a Mike Asmundson-designed layout that opened in 2007, will be the site of the upcoming United States Golf Association’s men’s 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. It has previously hosted the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, numerous USGA qualifying tournaments and the prestigious Sahalee Players Championship, one of the nation’s top amateur tournaments. The Mackenzie Tour and The Home Course signed a three-year agreement that will run until 2024, with the course serving as the site of future Qualifying Tournaments.
“The Home Course has seen so many important golf tournaments since its inception, and we are more than happy to welcome these players as they hope to move on to the Mackenzie Tour and the path that leads to the PGA TOUR,” said Justin Gravatt, general manager of the Home Course.
It’s been more than 60 years since the PGA TOUR or one of its affiliated Tours has held an event in the Greater Tacoma area. The PGA TOUR’s 1960 Carling Open was at Tacoma’s Fircrest Golf Club, a tournament won by Ernie Vossler. Fircrest also hosted the PGA TOUR’s Tacoma Open in 1945 and 1948, tournaments won by Jimmy Hines and Ed Oliver, respectively.