2019

2019 RBC Canadian Open – Exemptions at a Glance

2018 RBC Canadian Open
18 th hole PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, GOLF CANADA OAKVILLE, ONTARIO: RBC CANADIAN OPEN GLEN ABBEY GOLF COURSE FINAL ROUND 4 -SUNDAY JULY 29th, 2018

The RBC Canadian Open will be providing exemptions to a wide range of competitors for the 2019 championship, being conducted June 3-9 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Exemptions have long been an important and unique facet in bringing together a field of competitors for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

Exemptions for 2019 will be formalized over the coming weeks leading into the event, with the final four spots awarded on the Monday of tournament week following the Monday Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links.

The 2019 RBC Canadian Open champion earns the $1,368,000 winner’s share of the US$7.6 million total prize purse along with 500 FedExCup points, two-year exempt status on the PGA TOUR, exemptions into the 2019 Open Championship and 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions, and an invitation to the 2020 Masters Tournament and Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The 2019 RBC Canadian Open is also part of the Open Championship Qualifying Series. The top-3 finishes (not otherwise exempt) earn a spot in the field of The Open Championship in July at Royal Portrush.

For RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford, the new June date of the RBC Canadian Open as well as strong performances by Canadian professional and amateur competitors on the global stage has made decisions related to RBC Canadian Open exemptions more difficult than ever.

“What we’re seeing in 2019, especially with our new date on the PGA TOUR schedule, is tremendous interest from European Tour players looking for the opportunity to compete in the RBC Canadian Open,” said Crawford. “Similarly, it’s exciting to have such a deep roster of talented Canadians performing well on tours around the globe as it’s important to provide playing opportunities for our Canadian players. All are positive considerations, and while it makes for tougher decisions against certain categories, the end result is a talented and deserving field of competitors challenging for Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.”

The 2019 RBC Canadian Open field is limited to 156 participants with both professionals and amateurs eligible to participate, and a total of 24 exemptions are available into the RBC Canadian Open in various categories.

Following the conclusion of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, Golf Canada will review and evaluate the full slate of exemption categories.

EXEMPTION CATEGORIES

Category A – 2018 Canadian Men’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Champions [2 positions]: 

Both 2018 champions receive playing positions in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, provided they remain amateur. Two-time reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur champion Zachary Bauchou of Forest, VA will be joined by 2018 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Joseph Deraney of Belden, MS.

Category B – Regional & Final Qualifying [7 positions]:

Three (3) Regional Qualifying competitions will be conducted May 6 at Kings Lakes by the Sea in Delta, British Columbia, May 16 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North) in Caledon, Ontario and May 27 at Elm Ridge Country Club (North) in L’Ile Bizard, Quebec. The low qualifier at each regional competition receives an exemption directly into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, provided a minimum of 100 competitors participate at each regional site, and up to the next 15% of the field will be eligible to compete in Final Qualifying. Amateurs must have a handicap not exceeding 0.

Final Qualifying – conducted Monday June 3 at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ontario — will be available to those exempt or who have qualified through regional qualifying, non-exempt PGA TOUR members and others, with four (4) spots directly into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open. Qualifying is open to all professionals and amateurs. Amateurs must have a handicap not exceeding 2.0.

Category C – PGA TOUR Member [2 positions]:

Two spots into the field of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open are allocated to members of the PGA TOUR who are not otherwise exempt into the field.  

Category D – Web.com Graduate [2 positions]:

Two 2018 Web.com Tour graduates who earned their PGA TOUR cards for the 2018-2019 season, and who are not otherwise exempt. 

Category E – PGA of Canada [1 position]:

One spot into the field of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open is awarded to the PGA of Canada’s Order of Merit leader as of June 1, 2019.

Category F – Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada [3 positions]:

One spot will be awarded to the highest ranked Mackenzie Tour alumni on the 2019 Web.com Tour Money List through the Evans Scholar Invitational, as of May 26, 2019, and that played a minimum of six (6) Mackenzie Tour events in 2018.

One spot will be awarded to each of the winners of the first two tournaments on the 2019 Mackenzie Tour schedule—the Canada Life Open (May 23-26 at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia) and the Bayview Place DC Bank Open (May 30 to June 2 at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia). 

Category H – At Large [7 positions]:

These exemptions will be allocated to players at the discretion of Golf Canada based on performances from Tours worldwide. Players can be Canadian or foreign, amateur or professional to be considered.   

Professionals finishing in the top-10 at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, and not otherwise exempt, can enter into the next regular-field event on the PGA TOUR schedule (Travelers Championship).

If an amateur wins:

The player would not receive the champion’s prize money or the 500 FedEx Cup points, but they would earn the invitations to the other tournaments.

2019

RBC CANADIAN OPEN AND TOURISM HAMILTON PARTNER TO LAUNCH THE HAMILTON FARE WAY

HAMILTON (Golf Canada) – The RBC Canadian Open has partnered with Tourism Hamilton and several of the city’s pre-eminent restaurants to deliver a unique culinary experience to fans attending one of Canada’s premier sporting events this June.

The Hamilton Fare Way is a new on-site food initiative taking place at this year’s RBC Canadian Open, being held June 3-9, 2019 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. The gastro-experience will highlight the city’s vibrant culinary scene through an exciting partnership with Tourism Hamilton.

“World class golf, food and music is what the new RBC Canadian Open is all about,” said Bryan Crawford, RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director. “Our championship has always been synonymous with terrific golf. Earlier this year, we announced the addition of the RBCxMusic Concert Series onsite featuring Florida Georgia Line and the Glorious Sons on Friday and Saturday of tournament week. Now we’re thrilled to bring together talented chefs from Hamilton’s exploding food scene as a dynamic addition to the RBC Canadian Open.”

Eight restaurants will be featured June 6th to 9th of tournament week as part of The Hamilton Fare Way, which will be located between holes 17 and 18 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

“Having these wonderful restaurants featured at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open is an absolutely terrific opportunity for the City of Hamilton,” says Sharon Murphy, Manager Tourism & Events at the City of Hamilton. “There is so much momentum behind the dining and arts scenes in our city and this is an exciting opportunity for golf and music fans to experience what our city has to offer.”

The Hamilton Fare Way will celebrate some of the arts & culture that make Hamilton so unique, and will include musical performances, interactive installations and more programming from some of the city’s dynamic artists.

One of the most storied events on the PGA TOUR schedule, the 2019 RBC Canadian Open returns to Hamilton Golf and Country Club for the first time since 2012.

The field includes RBC ambassadors like world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, major champion Webb Simpson, and Canadian PGA TOUR winners Adam Hadwin and Corey Conners. Multi-time major champion and world No. 4 Rory McIlroy will also make his RBC Canadian Open debut this June.

More information about the 2019 RBC Canadian Open including tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer information is available at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

Restaurants participating the The Hamilton Fare Way at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open include:

Berkley North (31 King William St.)
Featuring a young and passionate culinary team with a changing menu that reflects seasonal, responsibly sourced ingredients.

Bread Bar (258 Locke St. South)
Offering handcrafted food made with the finest ingredients and an ‘earth to table’ philosophy for people who want a better quality meal.

The Brux House (137 Locke St. South)
Inspired by the European beer belt, it uses quality, local ingredients that cater to those looking for refined but approachable dishes.

Hambrgr (207 Ottawa St. North)
A simple approach: make the best damn burger its customers have ever eaten.

Mezcal (150 James St. South)
A Mexican-inspired eatery, mixing ingredients from Mexico, Latin America, and locally in Hamilton for its chefs to cook “with a conscience.”

Nique (30 Vine St.)
Food that is inherently Canadian, with a cultural mosaic of a menu.

Radius (151 James St. South)
A local-first eatery with a menu chalk full of items, where possible, from the produce and fine meats of its very own farmers, and from its own farm in Carlisle.

Rousseau House (375 Wilson St. East)
Our restaurant is a local casual upscale experience with a great patio. Under Construction to transform into a state of the art Micro Brewery.

2019

RBC CANADIAN OPEN ANNOUNCES MULTI-YEAR YOUTH INITIATIVE

Hamilton, Ont. (April 18, 2019) – A generation of Hamilton youth will soon experience the lasting impact of the RBC Canadian Open’s proud return to the Hamilton Golf Country Club.

Golf Canada, in partnership with RBC, the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation, along with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board and Hamilton Catholic District School Board, announced today a number of youth initiatives that will make the 2019 RBC Canadian Open more junior-accessible than ever before, while creating a meaningful golf legacy in the Hamilton Wentworth region.

Beginning with the 2019 event, which runs from June 3-9, the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative will span a five-year period through to the Open’s return to Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2023.

One element of the new Youth Initiative will see golf programming introduced into schools across the Hamilton Wentworth region, with a goal to deliver programming to nearly 100 schools over the next five years. The Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation will lead the school fundraising efforts in 2019, working closely with Golf Canada Foundation, the official charity of the RBC Canadian Open.

For the first time ever, RBC Canadian Open School Days will take place during early week practice rounds on Monday and Wednesday of tournament week. Participating schools from the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board will visit on Monday, June 3 while Hamilton Catholic District School Board schools will visit on Wednesday, June 5.

With free admission for participating students and teachers, the School Days experience is credited to the RBC Canadian Open’s new June date on the PGA TOUR schedule. In addition to watching world-class golf, students will get a behind the scenes tour of Canada’s National Open Championship, including visits to The Rink, a tour of the CBS TV broadcast operation, pictures with the iconic RBC Canadian Open trophy, autograph sessions and a variety of junior golf activities.

Golf Canada will also work collaboratively with the City of Hamilton’s three 18-hole municipal golf courses (King’s Forest Golf Course along with the 36-hole Chedoke Golf Club – Beddoe Course and Martin Course) as well as the Hamilton Fore Golf program to engage youth golfers at the RBC Canadian Open. Each of the three courses will have juniors participate in Golf Canada’s Walk with a Pro event during the Wednesday Pro-Am.

“When we announced that Hamilton Golf and Country Club would host a pair of RBC Canadian Opens, we worked with officials from the City of Hamilton and the Club to develop a robust youth initiative that could have a lasting impact in the community,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bryan Crawford. “Introducing more youth to the game through the school system, connecting with the city’s municipal courses and bringing juniors out to the golf course to watch the world’s best players compete will be really special for kids across the region.”

Golf Canada will work with various stakeholders to secure funding for the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative. The Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation will be the main source of funding in year one with other community partnerships to be explored in the years when the tournament is not hosted in the Hamilton area.

“Creating a community legacy was an important element to our Foundation getting behind the RBC Canadian Open Youth Initiative in 2019 and 2023,” said Al Scott, Vice President of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation. “Our goal with Golf Canada was to create a junior golf legacy around the RBC Canadian Open’s return to the Hamilton Wentworth region and give back to the community where we live, work and play.”

Golf Canada also offers a Student Volunteer Program to encourage juniors to earn their community volunteer hours as part of the RBC Canadian Open (or CP Women’s Open). Juniors looking to participate will pay a reduced fee of $40 which includes a uniform and weeklong volunteer badge.

The RBC Canadian Open is also pleased to offer FREE admission to children aged 12-and-under. Juniors aged 13 to 17 can also take advantage of a reduced priced Youth Ticket.