Non-Exempt Registration Now Open

$125,000* VANCOUVER OPEN
Presented by Johnston Meier Insurance & CNA Canada

Meadow Gardens Golf Club / Swan-E-Set Bay Resort & Country Club
Pitt Meadows, BC
June 12-14th

“NOW ACCEPTING NON-EXEMPT REGISTRATIONS FOR 2014 VANCOUVER OPEN”

With the deadline of May 15th at 6pm passing for all exempt players to confirm their registration, the VANCOUVER OPEN is now accepting Non-Exempt PROFESSIONAL and AMATEUR golfers (0-18.0) looking to play for $125,000* in CASH & PRIZES and the title of VANCOUVER OPEN CHAMPION!

After five years of operating the Vancouver Open at the three Vancouver park board courses the Vancouver Golf Tour’s flagship event is ready set sail at two of BC’s Premier Championship courses, Meadow Gardens Golf Club and Swan-e-set Bay Resort Course in Pitt Meadows.

This year’s event has capacity for over 300 players and is open to both Professionals and amateur with a Golf Canada Handicap of 18.0 or under.  The Championship will offer each competitor a minimum of two rounds (one round at Meadow Gardens and one at Swan-e-set Bay Resort Course) over the first two days), with the final round being competed back at Swan-E-Set Bay’s Resort course.  Players will compete to make the cut in their own Division (Pro or Amateur) and handicap Flight with a total of 120 players +ties will make the cut to play in the final round at the storied Swan-E-Set Resort layout.

“We are very excited to have secured 2 of BC’s Premier Golf facilities to host this year’s Vancouver Open” stated VGT Commissioner Fraser Mulholland.  “Both Meadow Gardens Golf Club and Swan-e-set Bay’s Resort Course are Championship layouts and have hosted numerous elite events.  Both will be a great test for the expected 300+ competitors in the field”.

“We are excited to partner with the VGT for the first time” stated Michael O’Brian, Managing Director of Meadow Gardens Golf Club.  “It gives us a great opportunity to showcase our course on two occasions, with the Vancouver Open in June (with VGT) and with the BC Junior Championship in July.  We felt hosting these high profile events was fitting given it is the 20th year anniversary since the golf course was re-designed by renowned golf course designer Les Furber”.

“Swan-E-Set Bay Resort & Country Club is proud to host yet another Championship event on its grounds” stated West Coast Golf Group General Manager Troy Peverley.  “We have a legacy of hosting some pretty significant Professional and Amateur Championships including the BC Amateur and multiple times with the PGA TOUR Canada.  We are proud to put Swan-E-Set’s Resort Course on display for the top Professionals and Amateurs on the VGT as well as the international field expected to play in the event”.

*With full fields in both Professional and Amateur Divisions, the event will offer a $100,000 Pro purse and total pro + amateur prize purse of $125,000.  The SAPUTO Charity Pro-am will be open to the public to play on Tuesday, June 10th with some of BC’s top rising Pro golfers as well as some International guest Pros expected in the field.

“The Charity Pro-Am will offer up some spectacular tee-gifts and prizing and we can count on at least a handful of guest celebrities to be in the field” stated Mulholland.  “Meadow Gardens will be a fabulous venue for the Pro-am (scheduled for Tuesday, June 10th ) not only for its beautiful conditioning and championship (Les Furber) layout, but for its exceptional banquet facilities for players to be welcomed after the round.  We are proud to make a donation to charity through the event this year as part proceeds from the Pro-am will benefit the FIRST TEE Program of Greater Vancouver for the 3rd straight year!  And every player in the Pro-AM will have the opportunity to qualify for the exciting $1Million Dollar Hole-in-one Shoot-out sponsored by Johnston Meier Insurance!

All pertinent information relating to the 2014 Vancouver Open including a look at last year’s event in pictures are available on the Official Vancouver Open website (http://VancouverOpen.ca).  The 2013 Vancouver Open picture gallery can be found on the VGT Facebook page now: https://www.facebook.com/vancouvergolftour/photos_albums

“The event is a true Open event where players of all skill levels can register and play in the event” states Vancouver Golf Tour Commissioner Fraser Mulholland.  “On one side of the event we will flight Amateur Golfers into 3 Divisions (Championship, Flight A and B) and golfers will compete against players of similar skill and handicap for some beautiful hardware and prizing!  Anyone with a registered GOLF CANADA handicap factor of 18.0 or under are entitled to register and play in the event, so it truly is an OPEN event for all golfers!

The really great part of this event is that some of the most talented Professionals now playing on the WEB.COM have come through and played the Vancouver Open, most notably our 2010 and 2011 Champion Adam Hadwin who had his maiden win on the WEB.COM just 3 weeks ago!  But more compelling is the stat that 10 players who competed in the 2013 Vancouver Open are now playing with some status on the WEB.COM, including our 2013 Champion Chris Epperson of South Carolina and runner’s-up Nick Taylor of Abbotsford and Riley Wheeldon of Comox.

With no PGA Tour Canada or Web.com Tour events scheduled that week, VGT commissioner Fraser Mulholland is hoping to draw a strong field of PGA TOUR Canada Professionals for the tournament.  One of those just happens to be Vancouver’s Ryan Williams, coming off his latest win on the VGT at Pitt Meadows Golf Club.  Williams was set-back with an injury for part of his 2013 PGA TOUR Canada season, but with some re-hab, he came on strong finishing 2nd at the Cape Bretton Classic and not only went onto win the VGT Tour Championship, but another 4 VGT Winter Tour events.  He’ll be one to watch at this year’s Vancouver Open for sure!

Other notables to commit to the field include 2012 Vancouver Open Champion Eugene Wong, who won 3 straight Professional events that year and closed his season out in 2013 by earning Conditional status on the WEB.COM Tour.  Wong has just started gearing up for his PGA TOUR Canada season on the VGT Majors Series with a 3rd place finish at the Pitt Meadows’ Major.  A host of other strong local contingents (including 2009 Champion Bryn Parry, Mission’s Kevin Stinson and Langley’s Darren Wallace and James Allenby) will be looking to hold off many of the “Non-BC” Pros expected in the field.

Tickets for the tournament are available online at https://vancouveropen.ca with part proceeds going to the FIRST TEE of Greater Vancouver YMCA.  Daily passes are selling for $10 and weekly passes are being sold for $20.  Kids 16 and under are FREE!

The tournament is still looking for quite a few volunteers to help execute the event, which is just under a month away!  Volunteers can contact the committee chair by email at [email protected] or fill a form out directly from the website at https://vancouveropen.ca.

Come and watch the excitement up close and personal before these players hit the big leagues!  It will be one of the best golf experiences you’ll ever get for the value!

Best regards,

Fraser Mulholland
Commissioner, VGT
Chairman, 2014 Vancouver Open

 

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