Golf Canada will tee it up in 2021 to conduct national amateur championships and is working with public health authorities in host communities to finalize operational protocols so that the competitions may proceed safely.
Following a 2020 season that saw the cancellation of all Golf Canada competitions due to the pandemic, the 2021 schedule will feature nine National Amateur Championships, eight NextGen Championships for junior-aged golfers, and several USGA qualifiers which will be hosted at member clubs across Canada.
“We are taking a measured but optimistic approach to conducting our 2021 championship season and we are excited to welcome the athletes back to our competitions,” said Golf Canada Chief Sport Officer Kevin Blue. “Golf Canada will continue to prioritize the safety of players, volunteers, host club and tournament staff, and host communities and will work with regional health authorities and our host clubs to get our national amateur competitions back on the tee. We also want to thank our roster of host clubs and volunteer committees for giving back to the game and joining us in this journey.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE GOLF CANADA’S 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Operational protocols for each competition will align with local and provincial health and safety guidelines that have allowed golf courses to open for regular play. Should public health guidelines or interprovincial travel restrictions warrant, Golf Canada will make modifications to the competition schedule including a change to the size and composition of tournament fields or an outright event cancellation should circumstances dictate.
National Amateur Championship registration will open on Wednesday, April 7 at 12:00pm EDT while registration for all NextGen Championships will open on Monday, March 29 at 12:00pm EDT.
Applications will be open to any Golf Canada members who meet the eligibility criteria. Given the current federal travel restrictions in place, Golf Canada will not be accepting registration from foreign residents for our championships at this time. More information on the application procedure will be available on each championship information page.
Please visit www.golfcanada.ca/competitions-calendar/ to register for Golf Canada competitions.
Golf Canada will also resume calculation of the NextGen National Junior Order of Merit to identify and give recognition to top-performing junior girls and boys across Canada who have achieved success during the 2021 season. The 2021 NextGen National Junior Order of Merit schedule can be viewed here and consists of Canadian events from the period January 1 to August 15, 2021 with a maximum of five (5) counting events for a player’s ranking.
With continued COVID-19 limitations and international travel restrictions, Golf Canada will not track a National Amateur Order of Merit in 2021. Golf Canada is carefully following the impact of the pandemic on international travel and competition and how those factors might impact the Team Canada Selection criteria for 2021/22, which are currently under review and can be accessed here once published.