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Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship Returns to Victoria, BC

Posted on December 13, 2016

Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship Returns to Victoria, BC

Limited time pre-sale tickets available for the PGA TOUR Champions event hosted at Bear Mountain

VICTORIA, B.C. (December 13, 2016) – PGA TOUR Champions and Pacific Links International announced today that the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will return to Victoria, British Columbia in 2017. The event will once again be played at The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa the week of Monday, September 11th – Sunday, September 17th, 2017.

The 2016 event was a great success, with 81 of the top PGA TOUR Champions players competing for one of the season’s highest purses of US $2.5 million. The tournament saw more than 27,000 spectators come out to watch the largest event held on Vancouver Island, as well as the support from over 600 volunteers from the community that made the event possible. All three competitive rounds of tournament play were broadcast live by the Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries around the world. 

World Golf Hall of Famer Colin Montgomerie (nicknamed “Monty” by fans) was victorious at the inaugural event after beating Scott McCarron in a three-hole playoff. Montgomerie closed the day at 4-under 67 to hold off McCarron; both players were at 15-under for the tournament going into the playoff. On the third sudden-death hole, the Scotsman made a 15-foot birdie putt to win the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship as well as his 50th career victory in front of crowds chanting “Monty, Monty”.

“I am delighted that the Pacific Links Championship is returning to Bear Mountain in September next year,” Montgomerie remarked. “I was thrilled to win the tournament this year, it was my first 54 hole victory on the Champions Tour and my 50th professional tournament win. The setting is superb, a fantastic course and the people of Victoria made us all so welcome. I am very much looking forward to returning to defend my title in 2017.”

Rudy Anderson, President of Pacific Links International commented: “Pacific Links is pleased to be returning to the incredible Bear Mountain Golf Resort and looks forward to watching Colin Montgomerie defend his title amongst a world class field. Western Canada is a prime travel destination and we proudly showcase Bear Mountain Resort and spectacular British Columbia by bringing this special event once again to Vancouver Island.”

Further highlights from the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship include PGA TOUR Champions player Miguel Angel Jimenez exciting crowds at the event with his unique personality and by shooting the course record with a 61 to tie for third overall at 13-under. 

Top PGA TOUR Champions talent at the event included Montgomerie, who finished 2nd on the 2016 Charles Schwab Cup standings, behind fellow Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship competitor, Bernhard Langer, who finished T7 for the week and recently took home his second consecutive Charles Schwab Cup trophy. The field also comprised of Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Mark O’Meara, Lee Janzen, Vijay Singh, Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Goydos, Craig Stadler and many more amazing golfers.

Not only was the event an opportunity to watch legends of PGA TOUR Champions compete, but it also acted as a platform to raise funds for the event’s official charity partner, bring golf fans together from across Canada, and provide an opportunity for youth in the community to be introduced to the sport. 

“Securing the 2017 PGA Tour Champions event at Bear Mountain with Pacific Links was very important to the principals of Ecoasis and our entire team,” stated Dan Matthews, President and CEO of Ecoasis. “The accolades received from the players and spectators this past September are truly a credit to be shared with the entire Bear Mountain community.  We are excited to have the opportunity once again to showcase Victoria and our region to both a local and global audience and we will do everything we can to make next year’s event one of the highlights of the tour for both players and fans.”

The 2017 tournament week will commence with Official Pro-Am’s on Wednesday and Thursday, where participating teams will play alongside a PGA TOUR Champions professional over 18 holes of premiere golf. Competitive action will follow with 54 holes of championship play from Friday to Sunday, with no cut. 

Tickets will be available for a limited pre-sale period from December 13 to 31, 2016 that includes a 15% discount with the code: TEESTHESEASON 

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.selectyourtickets.com/promo , where fans can choose from the following options (prices shown below are before discount):

  • Weekly Pass – Wednesday through Sunday: $99 (includes free parking & Official Program)
  • Daily Pass – Friday, Saturday or Sunday: $40
  • Pro-Am Daily Pass – Wednesday or Thursday: $25
  • Champions Club Pass – Wednesday through Sunday: $200 (includes free parking & Official Program)

2017 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship Event Schedule

Monday, Sept 11th
Charity Classic
PGA TOUR Champions Player Practice Rounds

Tuesday, Sept 12th
PGA TOUR Champions Player Practice Rounds
Pro-Am Draw Party at The Westin Bear Mountain Resort

Wednesday, Sept 13th
Official Pro-Am #1

Thursday, Sept 14th
Official Pro-Am #2

Friday, Sept 15th
Championship Round 1

Saturday, Sept 16th
Championship Round 2
Junior Clinic 

Sunday, Sept 17th
Championship Round 3
Trophy Presentation
Volunteer Appreciation Party

For information on corporate hospitality or group packages for the 2017 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship, please contact McKenzie Clarke at mclarke@sportboxgroup.com or (647) 468-3500.

About Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship

The Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship is an official event on PGA Champions TOUR featuring the world’s premier golfers aged 50 and older competing for a US$ 2.5 million purse. Tournament play at the Pacific Links Championship will be held on the Jack and Steve Nicklaus Co-Design Mountain Course at Bear Mountain Golf Resort, Victoria, British Columbia, from September 19-25, 2016. All three competitive rounds will be broadcast live by Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. For more information on the Pacific Links Championship or PGA TOUR Champions, please visit www.PGATOUR.com/Champions

Website: PacificLinksChampionship.com 

Twitter: @PacificLinksVIC

Instagram:@pacificlinksvic  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pacificlinkschampionship/ 

About Pacific Links International
Pacific Links was founded in 2009 to provide members with a premium golf experience through an innovative international membership structure focused on the Chinese golfer. Pacific Links offers them access to the finest collection of high quality golf clubs in the world. Since 2012, the Pacific Links Network of Affiliated and Reciprocal clubs now stands at over 500 properties located in 20+ countries around the world. With a strong membership base continuing to grow in China, the planned expansion into other parts of Asia and the aggregated population of members from all the participating clubs, Pacific Links is now expanding the brand platform to encompass more than just golf. We are positioning Pacific Links International to be the preeminent Lifestyle portal for China’s HNW customer providing high demand travel itineraries inspired by golf but encompassing concierge services, flights, accommodations, local tourism experience and travel butler assistance. The main feature of a Pacific Links membership is reciprocal access. In the next 10-15 years, PLI will further expand its international affiliate network to over 1,000 clubs in North America, Europe, Australia, Japan and the entire Southeast Asia. www.pacificlinks.com

About Bear Mountain Golf Resort
Located on southern Vancouver Island – a region known for its year round golf climate, stellar fishing opportunities and strong local food movement – Bear Mountain Resort offers two outstanding golf courses that combined represent the only 36-hole Nicklaus Design golf experience in Canada. The Mountain Course, a Jack and Steve Nicklaus Co-Design, features impressive landscape and dramatic terrain that lead to breathtaking 180 degree views of nearby Victoria, the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. The course, a par 70 playing at 6,900 yards, sets atop a 1,100-foot mountain and has been assigned a slope rating of 142 from the back tees. The 18-hole, par 71 Nicklaus Design Valley Course, a spectacular golf setting that is nestled in a pristine natural 102 acres of mature forests, measures just under 7,000 yards. Surrounded by 3,000 acres of parks and hiking trails, Bear Mountain is one of the few golf courses in North America that offers an authentic natural setting so close to a capital city. More than a resort and an incredible community, Bear Mountain is also home to Golf Canada’s National Development team, the high performance training centre of Canada’s National Mountain Bike team, and the construction of western Canada’s largest indoor/outdoor clay court tennis facility supported by Tennis Canada and Tennis BC is underway. The newly renovated Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa rounds out the amenities offering guests a luxurious getaway with outstanding fine dining options, the award-winning Sante Spa, and the Bear Mountain Golf Academy. http://bearmountain.ca   

About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of golfers age 50 and older, with the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game – including 34 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, which compete regularly in its events. PGA TOUR Champions is where Legends play, and is home to The Ultimate Clubhouse. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. The primary purpose of PGA TOUR Champions is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. In 2016, the newly-introduced Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will identify and recognize the Tour’s leading player via a season-long race for the Charles Schwab Cup. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Greg McLaughlin is President of PGA TOUR Champions. The PGA TOUR’s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Follow PGA TOUR Champions at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions and on Twitter @ChampionsTour

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
McKenzie Clarke
Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship
P: (647) 468-3500
E: mclarke@sportboxgroup.com