Future bleak for Tour’s return to South Surrey
The return of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour to Surrey is looking increasing unlikely for 2009.
The third edition of the CanTour's Greater Vancouver Charity Classic tees off this week at Hazelmere in South Surrey but barring a radical infusion of private money, the Tour will likely skip the Lower Mainland of Vancouver all together next year.
Rick Janes, CEO and commissioner of Canadian Professional Golf Tour, said his organization has sunk large sums of money into the GVCC with little to show in return for the investment. The CanTour pays for the $100,000 purse at the GVCC, one of the few tourneys without a title sponsor.
"We haven't really established any traction here in Vancouver in terms of commercial sponsorship to keep the event here," Janes said. "In the last three years we've put $350,000 into the event and before that, we put in almost half a million dollars. We're now at over $800,000 invested to keep the tournament here (in the Lower Mainland) and that's a significant commitment. The fact is we're not going to continue propping up what is a $100,000 tournament.
