The Canadian Tour announces that McDonald's Restaurants of Canada is the new sponsor of the Canadian Tour Order of Merit and the newly created McDonald's Order of Merit Challenge for the next three years.
The McDonald's Order of Merit, which tracks tournament winnings, is the most important measure of success for Canadian Tour players. It determines a player's ranking on the Canadian Tour and which players qualify for season-ending awards and exemptions into Canada's two PGA Tour events - the Greater Vancouver Open and the Bell Canadian Open.
"Some of the finest golfers in the world compete on the Canadian Tour," says George Mencke, Executive vice-president, McDonald's Restaurants of Canada. "We are happy to expand our support of professional golf in Canada and hope our sponsorship of the Canadian Tour Order of Merit and McDonald's Order of Merit Challenge can enhance the tour experience for both players and spectators."
McDonald's will continue to sponsor the McDonald's Spring and Fall Qualifying Schools - which attracted a combined total of 387 players from 16 countries in 1997.
"It's truly appropriate that McDonald's, which has helped to welcome new players to the tour through the qualifying schools, should now be the one to help our top players advance towards the next level," says Jacques Burelle, commissioner of the Canadian Tour.
Burelle also announced that Ronald McDonald Children's Charities of Canada (RMCC) will continue to be the official charity of the Canadian Tour. Over the last number of years the tour and many of the tour professionals have contributed to RMCC through fundraising and awareness building initiatives.
As the 1998 Canadian Tour season draws to a conclusion in late summer, the top three players and the highest-ranked Canadian on the McDonald's Order of Merit will gather in Prince Edward Island for the McDonald's Order of Merit Challenge. The four participants in this challenge will compete at Belvedere Golf Club in Charlottetown on September 3 in an 18-hole skins game for a purse of $50,000.
Four of the last five winners of the Order of Merit - Mike Weir, Trevor Dodds, Chris DiMarco, and Guy Boros - are now members of the PGA Tour.
Belvedere, one of the oldest clubs in Canada, underwent a $1.4-million renovation in 1997. Under the guidance of renowned Canadian course architect Graham Cooke, many aspects of the classic design were enhanced, including rebuilt greens on every hole.
"We are delighted to have the privilege of hosting the top players on the Canadian Tour," said Elaine Noonan, president of Belvedere Golf Club. "Belvedere has a long and proud tradition and we look forward to the opportunity of sharing our hospitality and our golf course."
The Canadian Tour is the showcase of men's professional golf in Canada. Since the Tour was reorganized by Canada's touring professionals in the mid-1980s, almost to 90 players have graduated to the world's major tours, including more than 20 PGA Tour winners.