2021 ATB Financial Classic Tournament returns to help support mental health initiatives
The ATB Financial Classic is back in 2021 with a distinctly Canadian look.
Wednesday, less than a week away from the return of the golf tournament, media and sponsors were invited to learn more about the Mackenzie Tour and this year's charities.
PGA Tour Canada announced Wednesday that it has secured a three year agreement with returning key sponsor ATB Financial. This year's tournament will take place at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary from Sept. 13-19.
ATB Financials Classic tournament director Colin Lavender said that thanks to the pandemic, the field for the 2021 tourney will be a little different than past tournaments, but that fans should still expect a high level of play.
“The big difference this year is that it's primarily a Canadian field," Lavender said. "Most years, it's about 80 per cent American and this year, it's about 90 per cent Canadian just due to the COVID restrictions on travel.”
The pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 tournament.
“It was very frustrating last year not being able to have it," Lavender said. "It's great for the players to have somewhere to play and a place for them to progress to try to attain their dream of getting onto the PGA Tour.”
PGA Tour Canada announced Wednesday that it has secured a three year agreement with returning key sponsor ATB Financial. This year's tournament will take place at Country Hills Golf Club in Calgary from Sept. 13-19.
CHARITY COMPONENT
The competition is just one aspect of what the tournament brings, with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) chosen as the primary charity for this years ATB Financial Classic.
Karen Gallagher-Burt is with the CMHA and said the funds raised are needed now more than ever. “When we get events like this, it's such a boost in multiple ways," she said. "Number one is always the awareness. It's the fact that people are seeing us in the media, they're paying attention to what's going on.”
“The other part is the awareness of the funding needs," she said. And for us, particularly, this kind of money comes in at a time when we need that gap funding, we need to fill in some of the cracks and programs that are escalating due to COVID.”
Gallagher-Burt added that the number of Canadians in need of mental health support is growing rapidly, “What we have seen is that generally speaking in any organization or large corporations, particularly when you look at their claims for ability or disability number one is always been musculoskeletal; so you injure your body somewhere, but reality is that for many companies, that's gone to number two, and mental health has come to (be) number one. So what they're seeing is this significant increase in all staff."
Organizers of the tournament said that charitable donations are a key component of all PGA Tour events, including on the Mackenzie Tour and are hopeful that they can raise $50,000 to $100,000 for the CMHA.
For more information or to purchase tickets visit (https://www.atbfinancialclassic.com/)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.