The RBC Canadian Open isn’t happening—at least not this year.
The tournament, scheduled to be held at St. George’s Golf and Country Club on June 11 to 14, was the precursor to the U.S. Open, which was on the schedule for June 18 to 21 at Winged Foot in Westchester, NY. But questions involving international travel—which will likely hinder the proposed schedule as well—and uncertainty about whether Canada’s borders will even be open at that point, appear to have scuttled the event.
Toronto Mayor John Tory was also limiting events in the city through the month of June, though that order did not apply to sporting events. It is the seventh time in the history of the Canadian Open that it has not been played. The last time the Canadian Open was canceled was in 1944 due to the second world war.
Laurence Applebaum, CEO of Golf Canada, which runs the RBC Canadian Open, said the hope is to return to St. George’s, one of the country’s most venerated venues, in 2021. “It is now our full intention to push forward together with RBC, the PGA TOUR, the City of Toronto and our host clubs with the goal to bring the 2021 RBC Canadian Open to St. George’s Golf and Country Club with Islington Golf Club as the official practice facility,” Applebaum said.
The proposed schedule is for 14 more tournaments, in addition to 22 that have already been played.
“Today’s announcement is another positive step for our fans and players as we look toward the future, but as we’ve stressed on several occasions, we will resume competition only when – working closely with our tournaments, partners and communities – it is considered safe to do so under the guidance of the leading public health authorities.”
The Mackenzie Tour/PGA Tour Canada, the developmental tour that is played across Canada, has also postponed its first six tournaments (half of its schedule). The tour was scheduled to start in Vancouver in May, but all events through the middle of July are now on hold. Changes to the schedule are expected in coming weeks.
The PGA Tour had hoped to return mid-May, but given developments throughout the U.S., that appeared less likely. The tour now plans to restart on June 8 with the Charles Schwab Challenge and run events through to Labour Day, completing the schedule with the Tour Championship. The first four events would be run without spectators, the tour said, and it will review the healthcare situation at that time to see if fans can return to watch golf in the summer.
Changes to the PGA Tour schedule:
- RBC Canadian Open, originally scheduled for the week of June 8-14, has been canceled;
- Charles Schwab Challenge, originally scheduled for May 18-24, rescheduled to June 8-14 (former RBC Canadian Open dates);
- RBC Heritage, originally scheduled for April 13-19, rescheduled to June 15-21 (former U.S. Open dates);
- Rocket Mortgage Classic, originally scheduled for May 25-31, rescheduled to July 2-5 (former World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Barracuda Championship dates);
- the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, originally scheduled for June 1-7, rescheduled to July 13-19 (former The Open Championship/Barbasol Championship dates);
- World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and Barracuda Championship, originally scheduled for June 29-July 5, rescheduled to July 27-August 2 (former Olympic Games men’s golf competition dates);
- Barbasol Championship, originally scheduled for July 13-19 opposite The Open Championship, has been canceled;
- Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, originally scheduled for March 23-29 and postponed on March 12, has been rescheduled as part of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Regular Season schedule, September 21-27 (opposite the Ryder Cup);
- The April 6 golf industry announcement outlined changes to the four major championships as well as the Wyndham Championship and the three FedExCup Playoffs events.
Revised 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season schedule:
- June 8-14: Charles Schwab Challenge, Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
- June 15-21: RBC Heritage, Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina
- June 22-28: Travelers Championship, TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
- July 2-July 5: Rocket Mortgage Classic, Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan
- July 6-12: John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois
- July 13-19: the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
- July 20-26: 3M Open, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
- July 27-August 2: World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
- July 27-August 2: Barracuda Championship, Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood), Truckee, California
- August 3-9: PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California
- August 10-16: Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
- August 17-23: THE NORTHERN TRUST, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
- August 24-30: BMW Championship, Olympia Fields Country Club (North), Olympia Fields, Illinois
- August 31-September 7: TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia