By: Brendan Stasiewich, PGA of Canada
Quick Facts:
First-Place Overall: $5,000
First-Place Club Pro: $2,200
First-Place Non-Club Pro: $1,300
Field Size: 65 players
Course Details: Mission Inn Resort + Club – El Campeon course
Par 72/6,667 yards (m), 5,415 yards (w)
Dates: December 9-12, 7:16 AM ET first tee time, 10:25 AM ET final tee time
Defending Champion: James Skrypec
Format: 54-hole individual stroke play
Schedule of events, pairings and results
We have travelled to sunny Florida for the final championship of the 2024 PGA of Canada season; the Head Professional Championship of Canada presented by Callaway Golf.
Last year’s event featured an exciting final round, with James Skrypec claiming his first national title after Eddie Maunder narrowly missed a 10-footer that would have sent the tournament to a playoff. Meanwhile, Sam Kirkness came away with low club pro honours.
Once again, the event features an InterZone championship contested between the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Ottawa, Alberta and Manitoba Zones.
With a narrow golf course ahead at Mission Inn, the winner will likely be the one that takes care of business off the tee, managing their game and sticking to their plan – similar to how Golf Away Tours always gets the little details right when they plan exceptional golf getaways – let’s take a deep dive into what players are in store for this week.
Event features separate purse for Club Pros vs. Teaching Pros
Based on feedback from prior years, tournament organizers elected to separate the purses into club pro and non-club pro sections. The event features 40 club pros and 25 non-club pros.
The trophy and first-place prize will still go to the low player across the tournament, while separate purses are available in addition to the overall title.
The Field
For the first time, Kevin Stinson will have the opportunity to win his third-different PGA of Canada National Championship. With an Assistants’ and PGA Championship under his belt, he travels to Florida to compete in the Head Pro Championship presented by Callaway Golf for the first time.
Other names to watch this week are Danny King and Gord Burns, who each competed in the final stage of PGA TOUR Champions Q-School last week. While both missed out on full status, Burns shot 3-under in the final round to finish T40. King managed a T53 finish.
The full field can be found here.
Winner to Receive Invite to Four Nations Cup Team
In 2023, the PGA of Canada won the Four Nations Cup in South Africa – and now it is our turn to host in 2025, with venue TBD.
The winner of this week’s event will receive an invite to the 2025 event alongside the winner of the 2024 Assistants’ Championship and next year’s PGA Champion of Canada. They will be joined by the top player on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by ECCO Golf.
The ‘TJ Rule(s)’ of the Week
With support from Golf Away Tours founder (and great player in his own right) TJ Rule, here are a few of the local ‘rules’ and things to watch for from a competitions standpoint.
- This golf course is challenging! A previous host of PGA of Americas Q-School, the El Campeon course is known for tight fairways and undulating greens. The player that stays away from trouble and keeps the ball on the right side of the hole will likely be the one who comes out on top of Thursday.
- Watch out for the gators! The course is hard enough as is – a 16-foot legend loves hanging around the pond adjacent to the 18th hole. Stay away from the big guy for best results.
- The 12th hole is a crazy-difficult par-3 tipping out at 212 yards. The scoring difference on this hole will likely vary greatly from when tournament organizers play it at that yardage vs. when they elect to move it to 164 yards.
- Players won’t want to miss out on the welcome reception Monday evening, where Golf Away Tours is giving away a golf trip of a lifetime to Ireland.
- A huge thank you to Toronto Blue Jays legend Joe Carter, who, after ‘touching all 18 holes’, welcomed players with a Q and A prior to Monday’s practice round.
- Keep your eyes on the PGA of Canada’s Instagram account, where we will keep you apprised of all the action.
What Else is Going On?
Thanks to our tournament partners, we are excited to elevate the experience this week for both players and fans alike.
PGA officials will deem one hole the ‘E-Z-GO ‘It’s Good to Go’ hole of the week. All players who make eagle on hole throughout the week will be put into a draw for a $250 cash prize.
The leaderboard will be available throughout the week here.