Uxbridge – Along with tens of thousands of passionate golf fans from across the Province of Ontario that will visit the RBC Canadian Open over the next four days, our team at Golf Ontario will be onsite today to follow as many of the Ontario natives in the 156 player field as possible, as play kicked off earlier this morning at Oakdale Golf & Country Club.
Current members of Team Ontario will surely be paying close attention to a number of these talented players, especially knowing a number of them count themselves as proud alumni from the Team Ontario program. What an inspiration for the next generation of players coming through the Junior Performance Pathway.
Media have been offering opinions leading up to the tournament on what kind of player will perform best at Oakdale, a relative secret and jewel in the crown of Ontario member facilities – but unlikely to have been played by very many in the field. Not the case for a handful of those who grew up playing in Ontario, as the venerable club has been a longtime host of Golf Ontario’s Men’s Better-Ball Championship. It was in 2010 that Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith teamed up to contest the championship here at Oakdale. While there have been some changes to the course in those years, let’s hope that experience bodes well for them!
With a mix of well-known household names and perhaps somewhat lesser known players grinding on the PGA TOUR Canada and Latin America, the field includes; David Hearn (Brantford G&CC), Mike Weir (Huron Oaks), Conners (Listowel GC), Pendrith (Richmond Hill CC), Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas Valley G&CC) Michael Glicic (Whistle Bear), Ben Silverman (previously Mandarin GC), Daniel Kim (Oshawa G&CC), Sebastian Szirmak (Emerald Hills GC), Johnny Travale (Hamilton G&CC) and Drew Nesbitt (Horseshoe Valley).
Golf Canada is reporting another record year is expected in terms of fans attendance. If your plans over the next four days include a visit to Oakdale to take in the action, plan your day, check the weather and familiarize yourself with the logistics of parking and facility access. We hope our community across Ontario will be out in support of all the Ontario competitors and this marquis event right here in our home province!
