Former B.C. Junior Champ Riley Wheeldon Finished T10 At The Freedom 55 Financial Open Also Taking Low-Canadian Honours And The Bonus Cheque - Image Credit Bryan Outram/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

No one said it was going to be easy and Riley Wheeldon would be the first to tell you it has been anything but. The former B.C. Junior Boys champion from Comox has taken a long and winding road in his journey as a professional golfer. He has hit more than a few speed bumps along the way.

“It has been a roller-coaster,” Wheeldon said after Sunday’s final round of the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. “Obviously, my first couple of years out here were a nice steady incline and then a steady decline and hopefully now we’re back on the up.”

Mission Native Kevin Stinson Has A Spot In The Season-Opening Mackenzie Tour Event At Point Grey, But Is No Longer Chasing The PGA TOUR Dream - Image Credit Mike West/VGT

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Much is made of the considerable success the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada circuit has had in developing players and helping them move on to the Web.com and PGA TOURs.

We hear less about the many others who don’t make it to golf’s promised land. Mission’s Kevin Stinson is one of those and he’s okay with that.

Canadians Gail Graham (L) From Kelowna, BC And PEI's Lorie Kane (R) Will Be On Hand For The Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup presented by Boeing At The White Horse Golf Club In Kingston, WA - Golf Canada Images

For Immediate Release

BOSTON, May 24, 2018 – The Legends Tour has announced its 30-player tournament field for next month’s inaugural event at the Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup presented by Boeing. The event is set for June 8-10, at the White Horse Golf Club in Kingston, WA.

The tournament will feature LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members JoAnne Carner, Pat Bradley, Betsy King and Hollis Stacy, as well as numerous former LPGA tournament winners, including past champions of the former Safeco Classic.

“It was always my favuorite time of the season on the LPGA Tour when we played in the Pacific Northwest,” said Nancy Scranton, winner of the last Legends Tour tournament staged in Washington in 2013, outside Kirkland. “I won my first LPGA tournament in Vancouver, so I have very fond memories of the area.

You can help Mackenzie Tour PGA TOUR Canada and the Freedom 55 Financial Open raise money for the very worthwhile Canucks For Kids Fund.

And if you're a fisherperson you're going to like this opportunity.

Merely bid on a trip for TWO to West Coast Resorts “The Lodge at Hippa Island!! The value of the two trips is $10,390 and is all-inclusive except gratuities, drinks at the bar and massage.

Abbotsford's Nick Taylor Is Shown Here Playing In A Vancouver Golf Tour Event At The University Of The Fraser Valley In His Hometown - Image Courtesy VGT

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Nick Taylor shot four rounds in the 60s at the AT&T Byron Nelson tourney in Dallas and showed some positive signs that he is snapping out of a mid-season funk on the PGA TOUR.

Rounds of 69, 68, 69 and 69 left Taylor at nine-under par and tied for 32nd place. For Taylor, it’s as good as he has felt on the golf course in a long while. The Abbotsford native recently endured six straight missed cuts and admitted in a telephone interview Sunday night that he has been frustrated by his play.

“I was very frustrated and it was hard to stay positive,” Taylor said. “It went on long enough that doubt starts to creep into your mind and you start playing to almost make cuts. It gets in your mind when you get off to a tough start in a round and you’re like, here we go again. So I feel like it is behind me and I feel like this week I took a big step in the right direction.”

Adam Hadwin. People know his name because he’s one of the top players on the PGA TOUR. His TOURJECTORY was the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada. He was launched in 2012.

The Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada is proudly launching the PGA TOUR’s next generation of great players.

You can see the next Adam Hadwin on their BC Golf Swing - May 28 - June 17th in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna. Read on to see how you can enter to win VIP tickets and golf. 

Jimmy Jones, The Son Of Former LPGA Tour Winner Dawn Coe-Jones From Lake Cowichan, BC, Has Received A Sponsor’s Exemption To Play In The Freedom 55 Financial Open At Point Grey GC - Image Courtesy Golf Canada

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Jimmy Jones will begin his professional career later this month at Point Grey Golf & Country Club, the same Vancouver course where 15 years ago his mom, Dawn Coe-Jones, was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Jones attended that ceremony, held the week of the Canadian Women’s Open, but doesn’t remember much about it. He was only seven years old, after all. “I have seen some pictures and I remember one of my mom’s friends was there and he played for the Islanders and had four Stanley Cup rings and I was hockey player at the time, so that got my attention,” Jones recalled during a telephone interview from his Florida home.

West Vancouver's Matt Matheson (L) And Langley's Khan Lee (R) Were Your Top Two Qualfiers At The RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier Held At Ledgeview GC In Abbotsford, BC - Image Credit Brad Ziemer

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

ABBOTSFORD -- Matt Matheson tries to make sure he has fun every time he plays golf. Some days are easier than others. Take Tuesday, for example, when the 24-year-old West Vancouver amateur rolled in a 40-foot putt for eagle on the 18th green to shoot a five-under 65 and top the field at the RBC Canadian Open regional qualifier being held at Ledgeview Golf Course in Abbotsford.

Monday, mind you, wasn’t quite as much fun. Matheson travelled to the Seattle area and played in a U.S. Open local qualifier and shot a six-over 78. So he won’t be teeing it up this summer at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

But thanks to Tuesday’s round, Glen Abbey Golf Club remains a distinct possibility. The top six players and ties from Ledgeview’s 39-man field earned a spot in the Monday qualifier for this summer’s RBC Canadian Open.

Announcement Means Slight 2018 Schedule Adjustment

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA—The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada announced today that its newly created Osprey Valley Open, the first Greater Toronto Area-based tournament in Mackenzie Tour history, will be played July 19-22 at Osprey Valley Golf Course in Caledon, Ontario.

In conjunction with the addition of this tournament to the 2018 schedule, the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval is moving to a previously open date on the schedule, September 6-9, at Elm Ridge Country Club in L'Île-Bizard, Quebec.

Osprey Valley is a 54-hole facility, featuring three courses all designed by renowned Canadian golf course architect Doug Carrick — the Hoot, the Heathlands and the Toot courses. The Osprey Valley Open will be held at the Toot Course, a parkland-style layout that features rolling fairways, large landing areas and undulating greens.

Former B.C. Amateur Champion Jared du Toit Is Competing On The PGA Tour - LatinoAmerica Circuit - Image Courtesy British Columbia Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Playing the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica circuit has been part golf, part adventure for Jared du Toit. The former B.C. Amateur champion from Kimberley acknowledges he hasn’t yet played as well as he’d like, but repeatedly uses the same four-letter word to describe his experiences through the first four events: cool.

“The travel days can be pretty long, but a lot of places we get to go are really cool,” du Toit says in a telephone interview from Montego Bay, the site of this week’s BMW Jamaica Classic. “I probably wouldn’t have the opportunity or desire to go to a lot of these places if I wasn’t playing golf. So it is very cool to just have the opportunity to check out these places and see some new parts of the world. It has definitely been very cool.”

Langley's James Allenby Took The Vancouver Golf Tour's JM Media Group Masters With Consecutive Rounds Of 64 This Past Week - Image Courtesy VGT/Fraser Mulholland

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

James Allenby dominated the Vancouver Golf Tour in 2017 and the Langley pro has sent an early message that 2018 might be more of the same.

Allenby shot back-to-back rounds of eight-under 64 to win the JM Media Group VGT Masters at Morgan Creek Golf Club in Surrey. Allenby’s 36-hole total of 16-under 128 was seven shots better than Riley Wheeldon of Comox.

Allenby earned $3,000 for the win and now leads the VGT’s Order of Merit. Wheeldon, who is competing in this week’s Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada qualifying school at Crown Isle Golf Club in Courtenay, made $1,800 for his runner-up finish. Kevin Stinson of Mission finished third at four-under par and took home $1,200.

2017 B.C. Amateur Winner Jake DuVall Of Victoria Will Be Trying His Hand At The Crown Isle Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Q-School This Week - Images Courtesy Golf Canada/BC Golf

By Brad Ziemer, British Columbia Golf

Class will be in session once again at Crown Isle Golf Resort in Courtenay, where the last of five Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada spring qualifying schools is being held May 1-4.

It’s the last chance for players to earn a ticket to this year’s 13-stop Mackenzie Tour, which begins its season May 31-June 3 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. Victoria’s Jake DuVall, last year’s B.C. Amateur champion, and 2014 B.C. Amateur runner-up Mike Belle of Burnaby are among the field of 132 players who will compete in the 72-hole competition at Crown Isle.

CALLING ALL CADDIES
Carry a bag for a future PGA TOUR Professional!

WHAT – 1st stop of the Mackenzie tour PGA TOUR Canada – FREEDOM 55 FINANCIAL OPEN
WHERE – POINT GREY GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB, VANCOUVER
WHEN – MAY 30 – JUNE 3RD
WHO – Anyone that can carry a bag for 18 holes (training provided)

(Golfers from approximately 14 different countries compete. Over 20 past players currently have PGA TOUR cards including Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau, and Nick Taylor)

To sign up or get more information:
www.freedom55financialopen.com/caddie.html

_______________________________________________________________________________________
BE A VOLUNTEER!!
AMAZING GOLF -- AMAZING VENUE

Mackenzie Tour- PGA TOUR Canada’s first stop across Canada is here in Vancouver with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at Point Grey.

May 28 – June 3rd
Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver

The Volunteer package includes the following:

• Official Tournament golf shirt as part of the volunteer uniform
• All meals and snacks included during volunteer shifts
• Volunteer appreciation party
• Free parking and transportation to and from course from designated parking lots
• Two tickets to a Vancouver Canucks regular season home game
• Short shuttle to parking; easy access by public transportation

(Golfers from approximately 14 different countries compete. Over 20 past players currently have PGA TOUR cards including Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau, and Nick Taylor)

sign up or get more information at :
www.freedom55financialopen.com

Canada's Brooke Henderson Picked Up LPGA Career Win Number 6 In Hawaii Over The Weekend - Image Credit Jurgen Kaminski (JKam Photos)/British Columbia Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – For the final two days of the Lotte Championship, it was pretty clear that the only player who could beat Brooke Henderson was Brooke Henderson.

She wasn’t about to let it happen Saturday at windy Ko Olina Golf Club, where she won by four shots. The Smiths Falls, Ont., native was too talented, and she had some very important people to play for, dedicating her victory to the people involved in the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash in Saskatchewan.

David Rose and Jamie Sadlowski

By Jeff Sutherland / Press Release

BC's David Rose and Alberta's Jamie Sadlowski have secured early season playing status for the Mackenzie PGA Tour Canada campaign.

At the 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada West #2 qualifier held at the Wigwam Resort’s Gold Course, West Vancouver's David Rose finished 4th (68-71-71-72 – 282 (-6)) and will be exempt for first eight events and subject to second re-shuffle.

Jamie Sadlowski (St. Paul, AB), the two-time World Long Drive champion, finished T9 and will be exempt for the Tour's first four stops. His Q-School experience was a bit of a roller coaster. He opened with a 3-over-par 75, followed with a 5-under-par 67 and then posted another 3-over-par 75. However, he closed out the event with another 5-under-par 67 on Friday under sunny and very warm temps with highs in the low-90s and light winds.

With the conclusion of the third of five Mackenzie Tour Q-Schools, two more remain on the schedule. The fourth will be staged at The Club at Eaglebrooke in Lakeland, FL from April 24-27 followed by the fifth at Crown Isle Resort Golf & Country Club in Vancouver, BC from May 1-4. The season kicks off May 31-June 3 with the Freedom 55 Financial Open at the Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.

FOR MORE, CLICK HERE ...

One Of The Great 'Fun' Traditions Of The Masters Is When The Players Take A Crack At Skipping The Ball Across The Water That Fronts The 16th Hole. Many Actually Put It Very Close - Image Credit Jeff Sutherland

Inside Golf Publisher Jeff Sutherland captured the unique sights at Augusta National in an entrancing pictorial from this year's 'Monday at the Masters'.

Experience the 'Heaven on Earth' piece of property that is the Augusta National Golf Club as it prepares to host the 82nd edition of golf's first major of the year, the Masters. 

Enjoy.

LPGA Legends Including BC's Gail Graham (Inset) And PEI's Lorie Kane Will Be In The Field For The Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup - Images Courtesy The Legends Tour

Attention Female Amateur Golfers: Tee it up in the White Horse Women's Team Scramble on June 6, 2018 and if your group posts the lowest gross or net team score YOUR TWO-WOMAN TEAM will tee it up with an LPGA Legend in the Legends Cup Pro-Am on Friday, June 8.

The Suquamish Clearwater Legends Cup is a two-day Legends Tour event featuring 30 Legends of the LPGA to be played at White Horse Golf Club in Kingston, WA on Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, 2018.

The 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Schedule Kicks Off With The Freedom 55 Financial Open At Point Grey G&CC Where Last Year Richmond, BC's Chris Crisologo With Caddy Alisha Lau Finished As The Low Canadian For The Event - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

Coast-to-coast schedule features 13 events and increased prize money

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – The 2018 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada schedule was announced on Tuesday, featuring 13 official tournaments from May to September and a $25,000 increase for all tournament purses as players compete to make the next step on the path to the PGA TOUR.

The season will begin with the Freedom 55 Financial Open (May 28-June 3) at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia, with purses of $200,000 (CA$) for all regular events and a $225,000 (CA$) purse for the season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship (Sept. 10-16) at Highland Country Club in London.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada Is Set To Kick Off Its Season at Point Grey Golf & Country Club In Vancouver - Image Credit Bryan Outram/British Columbia Golf

Tournament announces the opening of Volunteer and Caddie registration and the 2nd annual Canucks for Kids Fund Charity Ball Hockey Classic

(February 19, 2018 – Vancouver, B.C.) – The Freedom 55 Financial Open is set to open the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season May 31 – June 3rd at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver.

The 72-hole tournament kicks off the Mackenzie Tour’s sixth season, where up-and-coming players from over 15 different countries will aim to make the next step Ion the path to the PGA TOUR and earn Web.com Tour status.

In addition to showcasing top up-and-coming players, Mackenzie Tour tournaments aim to make a positive impact in the communities where they play, raising more than $1-million for charity in each of the past two years.

For the third year in a row, the Canucks for Kids Fund will be the Freedom 55 Financial Open’s official charity, and the tournament will once again be incorporating a Canucks for Kids Ball Hockey Classic event to raise both awareness and donations for the charity.

Merritt, BC's Roger Sloan, Seen Here Getting Set To Tee Off At Bear Mountain GC In Victoria, Finished 4th In The Web.com Tour's Panama Championship - Image Credit Alfie Lau/British Columbia Golf

Courtesy Golf Canada

PANAMA CITY, Panama – The Canadian trio of Roger Sloan, Ryan Yip and Adam Svensson all finished inside the top 10 on Sunday at Web.com Tour’s Panama Championship.

Sloan, from Merritt B.C., paced the Canadians with a final-round 66 to climb into sole possession of 4th place at 4-under par for the tournament. The finish marks his first top-10 finish early into the 2018 season (he collected four in 2017).