Canada Life to Assume Title Sponsorship of Two Mackenzie Tour Events Including Point Grey's F55 Open
Toronto, ON – Following the announcement that Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life are coming together under one brand in the Canadian market – Canada Life – two Mackenzie Tour events will have new names for the 2019 season.
Formerly the Freedom 55 Financial Open, the newly named Canada Life Open will be played in Vancouver, B.C., from May 20-26th at Point Grey G&CC, while the formerly named Freedom 55 Financial Championship will now be known as the Canada Life Championship and played in London, Ont., from September 10-16.
“Canada Life has been so important to the Tour’s success, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership in two great markets,” said Mackenzie Tour Vice President Scott Pritchard.
“We look forward to working with the team at Canada Life in its efforts to better serve Canadians. We are excited to continue our partnership with the Mackenzie Tour under the new Canada Life name,” said Jeff Macoun, President, and Chief Operating Officer, Canada, Canada Life.
“Our company is committed to the well-being of Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast and is proud to support the next generation of Canadian athletes.”
Since 2014, the Canada Life Open has served as the opening event on the Mackenzie Tour season, hosted each year at Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver. The Canada Life Open has helped raise more than $120,000 for Canucks For Kids, the tournament’s official charity.
Joel Dahmen, the tournament’s first winner, went on to win Mackenzie Tour Player of the Year honours and has competed on the PGA TOUR since 2017. Since 2013, the Canada Life Championship has been the flagship event on the Mackenzie Tour each September, with Highland Country Club the host course.
The Canada Life Championship has raised more than $172,000 for various charities in the London area, with Childcan becoming the official charity in 2018. The final event of the season is well known for its closing ceremony, where players who earn membership to the following year’s Web.com Tour are introduced.
Since the Mackenzie Tour’s inception, 190 alumni have earned Web.com Tour membership, with 31 earning PGA TOUR status, including 24 with status this season.
Canada Life also supports Canadian professional golfers who are pursuing their dreams throughout the Mackenzie Tour season in the form of the Canada Life Canadian Player of the Week award and the Canada Life Canadian Player of the Year award.
Canada Life gives a $2,500 bonus to the top Canadian performer at each event, and the high Canadian finisher on the final Order of Merit receives a $25,000 bonus at season’s end.
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 five money winners at the end of each season earn status on the Web.com Tour for the following year. The Tour’s alumni include 31 PGA TOUR players and more than 190 Web.com 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.