WINNIPEG – SPORTS – PGA TOUR Canada announced Tuesday that CentrePort Canada Rail Park is the new title sponsor of the historic Manitoba Open, scheduled this year on August 15-21 at the Southwood Golf & Country Club.
All net proceeds from the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open will benefit the True North Youth Foundation. Focus Equities Inc., led by Ken Mariash, Sr., is owner of the development company constructing CentrePort Canada Rail Park.
“Our players love going to Manitoba, and we’re pleased to continue to have such a historic tournament a part of our 2022 Fortinet Cup schedule,” said Scott Pritchard, PGA TOUR Canada Executive Director. “Everybody associated with the tournament is delighted to partner with CentrePort Canada Rail Park, and we look forward to delivering a first-class event with Southwood Golf & Country Club and Focus Equities.”
CentrePort Canada Rail Park, located in the Winnipeg metro area, will have access to three Class 1 railways. Focus Equities is no stranger to PGA TOUR Canada, having served as title sponsor of the Victoria, British Columbia, stop for years.
“We will have a terrific field at this year’s tournament, and as a company we’re beyond excited to put CentrePort Canada Rail Park on the name of one of Winnipeg’s great sporting events,” said Mariash. “Just as our developments transform properties into profitable, commercial, industrial and residential ventures, we know the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open will also transform the lives of so many in the community, including supporting underserved youth in our community.”
Net proceeds from the CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open will benefit the True North Youth Foundation’s Project 11 and Camp Manitou, programs that empower underserved youth to achieve their potential through consistent health, wellness and activity programming. Winnipeg Jets alternate captain Mark Scheifele will serve as the tournament’s Honorary Chair, and Scheifele will play in the tournament as a sponsor’s exemption. Scheifele previously played in the tournament in 2018.
“We couldn’t be more excited than to have CentrePort Canada Rail Park partner with the Manitoba Open,” said Neil Taylor, Tournament Chair. “Focus Equities’ generous golf and community history complements the wide support that we have received from the local corporate and volunteer communities and allows us to deliver a jam-packed week of events and golf in support of the True North Youth Foundation. We are also pleased to report that Southwood wintered extremely well and is in magnificent condition, so I know it will offer a demanding but fair test.”
The CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open is part of PGA TOUR Canada’s season-long Fortinet Cup. The Manitoba Open played continuously from 1919 to 2019 until the global pandemic left the tournament idle in both 2020 and 2021. It has been a part of the PGA TOUR Canada schedule since the Tour’s inception, previously played as The Players Cup (2013-19). Southwood has hosted the tournament since 2018.
Prior to PGA TOUR Canada’s creation, numerous Canadian legends of the game also won the Manitoba Open. They include four-time champion Dan Halldorson (1977-78, 1983-84) and three-time champions George Knudson (1958-60) and Moe Norman (1965-67). Other notable winners include Wilf Homenuik (1961 and 1972), Mike Reasor (1970), Trevor Dodds (1995), Graham DeLaet (2009) and Tom Hoge (2011).
Southwood Golf & Country Club opened in 1894 as Norwood Golf Club, one of Canada’s first golf courses. It relocated to its current location in 2011, offering a new championship 18-hole course designed by Thomas McBroom. The par-72 course can play as long as 7,311 yards. It was the site of Derek Barron’s one-shot win over Kyler Dunkle and Ryan Snouffer in August 2019, PGA TOUR Canada’s last tournament here. Previous champions of the Manitoba Open as a PGA TOUR Canada tournament include current PGA TOUR players C.T. Pan (2015), Kramer Hickok (2017) and Tyler McCumber (2018).
About PGA TOUR Canada
PGA TOUR Canada is a series of tournaments played primarily in Canada each summer, where tomorrow’s stars begin the path to the PGA TOUR. The leading points earners at the end of each season earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the following season. PGA TOUR Canada’s mission is to deliver a PGA TOUR experience for our members, fans, volunteers and its partners in order to develop the future stars of professional golf and enrich the communities the Tour visits.
About CentrePort Canada Rail Park
The CentrePort Canada Rail Park development, led by Focus Equities Inc., is a 665-acre, rail-served industrial space with logistics infrastructure at CentrePort Canada—North America’s largest trimodal inland port and Foreign Trade Zone. The Rail Park will offer global, national and local companies with large-volume shipping requirements the ability to efficiently and cost-effectively access, transfer and transport goods between road and rail. Focus Equities Inc., owned by Kenneth Mariash, is a company of 50 years with build-to-suit experience with Fortune 500 companies and major North American and global-industrial companies. The CentrePort Canada Rail Park is located in the Rural Municipality of Rosser, Manitoba, in the Winnipeg Metro Region.
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