Issue link: http://pgaofcanada.uberflip.com/i/330998
A History of the PGA Championship of Canada T wo of the best indicators of a quality golf championship are longevity and the cali- ber of champion it produces. e PGA Championship of Canada has scored high in both categories. Like many of the great championships of today, the PGA Championship of Canada (for- merly the CPGA Championship) had a humble beginning. e inaugural event took place in 1912, just one year aer a small group of professionals, led by George Cumming, founded the Professional Golfers' Association of Canada at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. Royal Montreal Head Professional C.R. Murray captured the very first PGA Championship of Canada at the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club, just outside of Toronto. Year aer year, Canada's premier golfers continued to add their names to the list of cham- pions. Al Balding won the event four times from 1955 to 1970. Moe Norman collected a pair of PGA Championship crowns in 1966 and 1974, both at the Willow Park Golf & Country Club in Calgary. e last golfer to dominate the PGA Championship was voted the PGA of Canada Golfer of the Century by his peers-George Knudson won this tournament five times from 1964 to 1977. e last 20 years have produced a variety of champions including top Canadians like Jon Mills, Richard Zokol, Jim Rutledge, Dave Barr, Dan Halldorson, Rick Gibson and Ashley Chinner. e PGA Championship of Canada has also crowned many international stars as well, including the likes of Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd and Steve Stricker. e PGA Championship of Canada has carried a number of identities over the years but none of them so focused and determined to provide the greatest showcase of Canadian golf talent & industry partners while also providing the most intimate experience that the Cana- dian golf fan has ever seen. In 2011, aer five years of being inactive, the PGA Championship of Canada was resur- rected as a match play championship for the top 64 competitors on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings. is highly competitive format has produced a lot of drama over the past twoyears and continues to produce exceptional champions.