PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade Golf Canada and adidas Golf Returns to Edmonton's Royal Mayfair Golf Club
The championship returns to Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta.., July 6-10 for the fourth time in the event’s 99-year history. The last time it was there: “The King” Arnold Palmer took home the title.
“Royal Mayfair Golf Club’s rich heritage and pristine conditions make it the perfect venue for our association’s most prestigious championship,” said PGA of Canada President Mark Patterson. “We are delighted to see our top professionals return to such an iconic facility and thank Director of Golf Matthew Johnson and the entire membership for sharing their club with us.”
Established in 1922, Royal Mayfair Golf Club remains one of the longest-standing private clubs in Edmonton. An impressive list of golfers have graced the fairways there, from LPGA TOUR players Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko (both CN Women’s Open champions) to golf legend Arnold Palmer, who won the PGA Championship of Canada in 1980—known then as the Labatt’s International Golf Classic.
Palmer, who was 50 years old at the time, squeezed out Japan’s Isao Aoki with a 20-foot putt on the 18th to claim his first victory in five years.
Over 40,000 people flocked to Royal Mayfair to watch Palmer and other international superstars like South Africa’s Gary Player and New Zealand’s Bob Charles in action.
“Our club is honoured to welcome back the PGA Championship of Canada presented by TaylorMade Golf Canada and adidas Golf,” said Johnson. “It’s pretty special to host this event on the 40th anniversary of Palmer winning at Royal Mayfair."
The championship provides a platform for exhilarating golf. It begins with 36-holes of stroke play competition before seeing the top-16 players advance and battle it out in match play for the coveted P.D. Ross trophy.
Last year’s winner Dustin Risdon from Calgary, Alta., bested Vancouver’s Oliver Tubb 3&1 to claim his second national PGA title. “This is one trophy in Canadian golf that I really wanted to win,” said Risdon. “If you look at the names on the trophy it’s amazing and now my name will be on there too for the rest of time.”
Risdon looks to defend his title against a highly competitive field. The top-64 players in the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC gain exemption into the championship, in addition to last year’s Zone Championship winners.
“We are proud to root for Mayfair's own Mike Belbin and fellow Albertans like defending champion Dustin Risdon and course record holder Wes Heffernan,” said Johnson. “We anticipate a fantastic week of competition for all players.”