RBC Canadian Open Named Toronto’s Top Sporting Event

RBC Canadian Open earns highest honour from leading event planning trade magazine
Oakville, Ont. (RCGA) - The RBC Canadian Open was recently named Toronto’s top sporting event by BizBash magazine.

The yearly list compiled by BizBash - one of the leading trade media outlets for the event industry - names the top 100; sporting, entertainment, arts and fashion events, as well as festivals, parades, walks and holiday events. The list was published in the spring 2009 edition of the magazine.

“We’re delighted to have been selected as the number one sporting event in the Greater Toronto Area,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director, Bill Paul. “Our goal was to make the 2008 RBC Canadian Open a memorable event and we are excited about making this year’s event, the 100th playing of the event, even more memorable.”

Founded in 2000, BizBash publishes magazines and e-newsletters, hosts Web sites, and produces trade shows and award shows for corporate event and meeting professionals, event marketers, and sales, public relations, fund-raising, and human resource executives.
In addition to its publication in Toronto, BizBash serves the following markets: New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Florida and Chicago.

EXPERIENCE GOLF’S WORLD STAGE… Since its inception in 1904, the RBC Canadian Open has played host to the world's best golfers competing for Canada’s national Open championship.
Fans across the country and around the world have been entertained by legends including former champions Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Curtis Strange, Nick Price, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods. The list of legends also includes Sam Snead and Lee Trevino, who each won the event three times. Jack Nicklaus, considered by many to be the greatest golfer ever, was runner-up seven times.

Conducted by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) and proudly sponsored by RBC, the RBC Canadian Open is the second oldest stop on the PGA Tour and the third oldest national golf championship in the world. Its rich history gives it a cachet and tradition that makes it much more than a regular golf championship.

Today, the RBC Canadian Open remains a premier event both on the PGA Tour and around the world, joining the US and British Opens as one of golf’s prestigious Open championships. The trio constitutes the Triple Crown of national championships with only Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods to have accomplished the feat of winning all three championships in a season.
2009 will mark the historic 100th Playing of Canada’s national Open championship. The championship returns to the venerable Glen Abbey Golf Club as the storied Oakville, Ont. layout is set to host the event for a record 25th time.

For more information about the 2009 RBC Canadian Open, please visit us online at www.rbccanadianopen.ca.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATIONThe Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.

For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.