Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Flagstick Spring Amateur Shootout Announces New Winner Benefit

Champion To Receive Canadian Tour Exemption
 
Ottawa, Ontario, December 20, 2011
: One of Ontario’s strongest male amateur tournaments will be getting even better in 2012. Flagstick Golf Magazine Publisher Jeff Bauder announced Tuesday that the Flagstick Spring Amateur Shootout at Smuggler’s Glen will be adding another benefit for the tournament’s winner starting in 2012.

Currently the winner of the three year-old tournament is awarded a generous Nike Golf prize package, an invitation to return to defend their title, and an exemption to the Ottawa Citizen Amateur Championship.  Starting with the 2012 edition of the tournament, slated for play on May 26/27, the winner will also receive an exemption into the recently announced Eastern Ontario Canadian Tour event.

“In working with Dave Dargie and Martin Noe of Evolution Golf, (the promoters of the Canadian Tour event) they felt that they wanted to ensure more local content for their tournament and that our winner would be well-suited to fit that role,” said Bauder.  “We appreciate their offer and their recognition of the quality of players we attract to the Shootout.”

Evolution has a four year deal to host the Canadian Tour event which will kick-off in 2012 at Smuggler’s Glen GC from September 3rd to 9th.  It will be played at a rotation of courses around Eastern Ontario in successive years.  The tournament will announce their title sponsor in the next few weeks.

“We know that in order to be successful and promote golf in the area the best way is to involve the community so we wanted to offer a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Dargie regarding the exemption offer.  “We know the Flagstick Shootout is a quality event where the champions have been exceptional players.  The winner will be a good representative of golf in the area and help to drive crowds to come out and watch our tournament.  It was an easy decision to offer Flagstick the exemption.”

The defending champion of the Flagstick Shootout, Dwight Reinhart, is a former professional with experience on the Canadian and Nationwide Tours.  He says that the extra exemption for the winner will be a big boost to the event.  In 2011 Reinhart parlayed his Flagstick Shootout win in to an additional victory at the Ottawa Citizen Championship.

“Being a former Canadian Tour member I know that it is extremely important to have a local guy in the tournament to help the fan base,” affirmed Reinhart.  “This is a great opportunity for the competitive golfer who might be aspiring to get to the tour and wants to get some experience.  If it wasn’t before it certainly puts the Shootout in bold on the calendar.”

The Flagstick Shootout has been gradually tightening up its field through its history and the 2012 edition should see the best grouping of golfers to play it yet.  Only the golfers who finished in the top 10 of each flight in 2011 will receive an automatic invite back to the 2012 tournament.  The balance of the field of 72 will be filled out from an application process.

Tournaments organizers say they should have the applications ready for release early in the New Year.  From those applications a selection committee will choose who will receive the additional invites, with emphasis on playing ability and experience.

In 2011the popularity of the limited field event resulted in a waiting list of more than 30 players.

For the latest information on the Flagstick Spring Amateur Shootout, updates and applications will soon be available at www.flagstick.com