SOUTHWOOD SET TO HOST PLAYERS CUP
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Organizers excited about what new venue has to offer
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By Todd Lewys
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Kramer Hickox earned his first Mackenzie Tour victory at last year’s Players Cup. This year’s event will be held at Southwood Golf & Country Club in August.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 25 minutes north of Winnipeg on highway 7
More than 25 years after the Players Cup was last played in the city’s south end, it’s coming back to Southwood Golf & Country Club.
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This time, however, the event will have a much different look and feel. First, it will run by the Mackenzie Tour, an arm of the PGA Tour; when the tournament was last held at Southwood in 1990, it was a Canadian Tour event known as the Xerox Manitoba Open. Second, the event will he held further south in St. Norbert, Southwood’s new home, a muscular links-style design by renowned Canadian golf course architect Thomas McBroom. Instead of a traditional 6,200-yard layout, the new course will be well over 7,000 yards in length, requiring players to use their imagination and every club in their bag to successfully navigate brisk breezes and Southwood’s trademark fescue rough. Finally, because the Mackenzie Tour is a feeder tour for the Web.com Tour – and, hence, PGA Tour – golf’s future stars are going to be on display on a golf course that will bring out the best in their games. Needless to say, tournament organizers can’t wait for the event to get underway. “We’re extremely excited,” says Players Cup executive director Adam Boge, noting the event will be held Aug. 13 to 16. “First of all, because it’s located in the city’s south end, the golf course is in a fantastic location. It’s very accessible, and there’ll be lots of parking for spectators. And because it’s a links-style course, its layout will make
for good viewing for spectators.” He adds that the mid-August date should also make for better attendance – and an immaculate golf course. “In previous years, the tournament was held on the July weekend, which made it challenging to get spectators to come out. The other benefit of holding the tournament later in the summer is that the course will be in great condition. It will be fast and pristine, just what the players are looking for.” Southwood’s general manager, Jeff Scott, says that everyone associated with the club is ready to stage a first- class event. “We’re all very excited about hosting the Players Cup,” he says. “Because we’ve hosted three national events over the past five years, we’ve gained valuable experience in running tournaments, and have developed a solid volunteer base. All that experience is going to help us put on a great event.” Then there’s the course itself, which was designed to host elite-level tournaments. “First of all, we have a word-class practice facility that I think the pros are really going to enjoy. There will be plenty of room for everyone to warm up (the double-ended range is 500 yards long with ultra-wide hitting areas at each end), and they’ll always be hitting off grass,” Scott says. “It’s a real plus.” Once players hit the course, they’ll need to be loose, as the golf course
figures to be well over 7,000 yards long. “There’s the capability to go past 7,400 yards with the golf course. While it might not be quite that long, you can rest assured it will be set up to challenge the players. And if the wind blows (as it almost always does at Southwood), the players will really be tested.” That said, the players will have the skill to cope with the stiff test that Southwood is bound to present, Boge says. “These guys are the real deal – many of the players that will be playing here in August are future PGA Tour players. Last year’s Players Cup champion, Kramer Hickox, played some events on the PGA Tour last year, and finished Top 25. PGA Tour players such as Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau and Corey Conners (who contended in Mexico on the PGA Tour earlier this year) have also played here. The fans are going to see some great golf.” Hopefully, many of those fans will be young ones, Boge adds. “This event represents a great chance for juniors to come out and watch some world-class golf. This year, proceeds from the tournament will go to the Junior Golf Mentorship Foundation. Our goal at the beginning of next year is to use the money raised from the tournament to get kids out to learn the game at no charge. Hopefully, we can get more kids playing golf and who knows, maybe we can develop some future PGA Tour players along the way.”
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