Thunder Bay New PGA Tour Canada Stop

THUNDER BAY – Sports – Thunder Bay has a growing case of golf fever. It is not dangerous however, but the cure is still six months off. The cure will be the tee off of the first annual Thunder Bay Golf Classic.

The Thunder Bay Golf Classic is still six months away but local community support for the PGA TOUR Canada event has already started to heat up.

The Valhalla Inn and the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce have both come on board as tournament partners, it was announced Thursday at a media conference at the hotel.

Located close to Thunder Bay’s south core, the Valhalla Inn has joined as the official hotel for the first year of a multi-year agreement that will see the PGA TOUR Canada come to Thunder Bay for at least the next three years.

“We’re pleased to have had our hotel chosen as the official Hotel partner of the upcoming Thunder Bay Golf Classic this coming July,” said Mary McLellen, General Manager of the Valhalla Inn. “We look forward to providing world class accommodations to the participants, officials and their supporters. In partnering with the event we hope to contribute to its success so that the Thunder Bay Golf Classic will remain a regular stop on PGA TOUR Canada.”

The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, an outspoken advocate of community-building initiatives, has pledged $12,000 and more in kind in support of the event.

“Events of this kind help to bring life to communities. We’re proud to be a part of this high profile sports competition,” said Charla Robinson, President of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce. “PGA TOUR Canada is a great fit for our City and ties in very closely with our goal of promoting and strengthening business and community development through effective partnerships.”

As host to the 1995 World Nordic Games, 2010 World Junior Baseball Championships and 2011 Special Olympics, Thunder Bay is a city with a long history of support for professional and community-based sports events

“With an experienced host city like Thunder Bay, a passionate fan base, and a tremendous golf course at Whitewater, we have all the right pieces in place for an outstanding inaugural tournament,” said Scott Pritchard, Director, Tournament Business Affairs with PGA TOUR Canada.

The PGA TOUR Canada season will tee off May 26th to June 1st at the PC Financial Open in Vancouver, BC and conclude at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom Financial, September 8th to 15th, at Sunningdale Golf and Country Club in London, Ontario. The Thunder Bay Golf Classic, a new event on PGA TOUR Canada, is set to run from July 14th to 20th, 2014 when the top three players on the PGA TOUR Canada Order of Merit will earn exemptions into the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR.