| Champions Tour Will Tee Off In Montreal |
 Bernhard Langer, Appropriately Enough Seen Here Wearing Red And White, Says He Has Some Unfinished Business To Take Care Of When The Champions Tour Tees Off In Montreal This Summer MONTREAL -- Hall of Fame golfer Bernhard Langer has some unfinished business to take care of, and he'll have an opportunity to do so this summer when the PGA Champions Tour begins a three-year agreement to make an annual stop in Montreal. "I've won 86 tournaments in over 20 different countries around the world," Langer said Thursday at a news conference, announcing the creation of the Montreal Championship. "But I've never won in Canada, so I'll be working extremely hard to get my first title here in Canada." The $1.8 million US Montreal Championship will be played from July 2-4 at the Fontainebleau Golf Club in Boisbriand, Que., just north of the city. The public's tremendous response to the presentation of the President's Cup at Royal Montreal in 2007 was a clear indication an annual event could work in the Montreal area, said Champions Tour president Michael Stevens. The agreement between the tour and event organizer Synchro Sports includes two option years and, for now, the Champions Tour will not look into adding events anywhere else in Canada -- though Stevens said that could change in the future. "With the enthusiasm I think we have, I believe it will be a huge success," Stevens said. Organizers managed to secure $4.6 million in funding over three years from the federal and provincial governments to help cover the estimated $5 million annual operating costs, which includes providing an estimated 75% of the total purse. The Champions Tour is reserved for former PGA professionals who are 50 and over. |
