Mar 9, 2021
Golfers disappointed at Canadian Open cancellation
For the Canadian golfers on the PGA Tour, the RBC Canadian Open is one of the biggest weeks of the year. It’s the one chance they get to play at home, in front of family and friends, and to try and end that long drought of Canadians winning the national championship. That’s why the news on Tuesday that the Open was being cancelled for the second consecutive year was so hard to accept.
By Bob Weeks
For the Canadian golfers on the PGA Tour, the RBC Canadian Open is one of the biggest weeks of the year.
It’s the one chance they get to play at home, in front of family and friends, and to try and end that long drought of Canadians winning the national championship.
That’s why the news on Tuesday that the Open was being cancelled for the second consecutive year was so hard to accept.
“Obviously really disappointed with the news but was not a surprise,” said Corey Conners, the highest-ranked Canadian on the Official World Golf Ranking. “I was really looking forward to the event this year as it’s always so much fun to play in front of and feel the support of the great Canadian golf fans. Golf Canada works so hard to make it a great event each year, so I really feel for everyone involved with that. Hopefully this is the last one that is cancelled for a long time and we can get back to things as normal.”
“I think it’s really disappointing for all of us and Canadian golf fans for sure,” stated Nick Taylor. “But I know RBC and Golf Canada did everything they could to make it happen. Seems like it was the best decision with the current restrictions in place, even though that doesn’t make it any easier. It’s our fifth major and national open, so I can’t wait to tee it up again.”
All the Canadians playing on the PGA Tour received notice late Monday night from the PGA Tour that the official announcement would be released Tuesday morning. Most had suspected that the plug was about to be pulled on the tournament.
The Tour said it plans to fill the open spot on the schedule with a tournament stop somewhere in the United States.
“It’s a bummer,” said Adam Hadwin, who finished sixth at the 2019 edition of the tournament at Hamilton G&CC. “Something we all saw coming with the border still being closed, but still disappointing.”
“I’m really bummed,” said Mackenzie Hughes, who first played the Open in 2012 as the winner of the Canadian Amateur. “It’s one of the events I most look forward to. Two years in a row is really tough to swallow. Here’s to hoping 2022 is a great year.”
Hughes, Hadwin, Taylor and Conners are at the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra, Fla., this week. It was at that tournament last year when the PGA Tour halted play as the pandemic hit full force. It would end up being a 13-week pause with 11 tournaments being cancelled.
The Canadians weren’t the only golfers to express their disappointment to the news.
“It’s obviously a bummer,” said Dustin Johnson, the world’s top-ranked player and the 2018 winner. “I always look forward to going up there and playing, and I've had a lot of success at the event, so, yeah, hopefully this will be the last time it's cancelled. I know they're bummed about it too. RBC is such a great ambassador for golf and what they do for the game, so I know they're bummed and so am I.”
So far in the 2020-21 season, the RBC Canadian Open is the only event to be cancelled. The tour has made international stops in the Dominican Republic, Bermuda and Mexico, while the World Golf Championship event scheduled for Mexico City was relocated to Florida.
“We’re all incredibly disappointed,” added David Hearn, who has played the Open 17 times. “I think the entire PGA Tour is, not just the Canadians. There were a lot of questions from guys asking about it. I was optimistic we might be able to pull it off, but obviously it was a challenge this year.”
This year’s RBC Canadian Open was to be held at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, a carry-over from last year when the tournament was cancelled. While there is nothing official, it’s expected the event will return there in 2022, before going back to Hamilton, Ont., in 2023.
“I’m gutted for two reasons,” stated Roger Sloan. “It’s our national open and you circle that date on the calendar every year and you try to peak for that week. The other reason is that it’s a really cool tournament for all of us Canadians. It’s a chance to play at home and you only get that one week out of the year.”
“I think I speak for all Canadians when I say it’s disappointing,” said Michael Gligic. “It’s an event we all love, playing in front of the home crowds, but with the restrictions on the border it would make it difficult, so I think it’s the right decision. Hopefully we can be back next year.”