Dave Obee is editor and publisher of the Times Colonist
Our annual taste of the PGA Tour Americas has returned, with the Digital Commerce Group Open taking over the Uplands Golf Club this week.
The tournament has a new name because there is a new major sponsor — the Digital Commerce Bank, also known as DCBank. It’s a Canadian company that offers digital payment solutions for corporate online banking.
The Times Colonist and Andrew Sheret Limited are back again as proud sponsors of the tournament. Island Eyecare and Helix Medspa round out the list of the top sponsors.
The GAIN Group — the people behind several auto dealerships in Victoria and Nanaimo — is sponsoring the pro-am on Wednesday.
Why do I mention the sponsors so prominently? Because without local companies stepping up to support the tournament, it would not happen.
Think local, as we say. Businesses active in Greater Victoria do what they can to make this a better place, so they work hard to ensure that events such as the PGA Tour Americas survive and thrive.
Our tournament is the longest-running professional golf tour event in Canada. This year marks the 43rd time the PGA Tour Americas event has been here.
The tournament’s name has changed a few times over the years, and the name of the tour has changed a few times as well.
What hasn’t changed is the calibre of play. This is your chance to see some of the finest young golfers in the world on a course in your back yard.
There are two more tournaments in the PGA Tour Americas, so the golfers are in the final push for points.
The top 10 players on the final season-long points list will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership, the next step on the path to the PGA Tour, for the 2027 season.
Two Canadians, Étienne Papineau and Joey Savoie, are in the top 10 as the tour arrives in Victoria. Other players in the top 10 are all Americans: Thomas Ponder, Corey Pereira, Patrick Flavin, Jack Lundin, Justin Biwer, Drew Doyle, Patrick Sheehan and Dawson Armstrong.
It’s the 24th time that Uplands has been the host of the Open. It was at Uplands for the first time in 1984, and after moving from course to course, the event has been at Uplands since 2008.
This has been one of the major sports events on the Island since it was started, and as I mentioned, its success was made possible because of community support.
So when you are at Uplands over the next few days, pay attention to the names of the sponsors — about four dozen have contributed money to the event. Without them, the tournament could not happen, so be sure to support them in return, if you can.
And thank the volunteers as well. There are about 250 of them doing a wide variety of jobs. They are doing all they can to ensure that you enjoy yourself.
The Digital Commerce Group Open raises money for Easter Seals British Columbia/Yukon, which runs Camp Shawnigan.
Easter Seals has been serving children with disabilities on Vancouver Island for close to 50 years, helping children and youth gain valuable life skills, self-confidence and independence at the camp.
Camp Shawnigan is being rebuilt to be more inclusive, accessible and serve a larger portion of the disability community on Vancouver Island.
Programs at the camp are structured to ensure safety and enjoyment, with sensitivity to each child’s social and learning style. The camp also offers valuable respite care for families and caregivers.
Thanks to everyone for your help and support. We are committed to making the Digital Commerce Group Open a great event.
