PGA of Canada Head Pro Championship (HPC)

12/11/2023

After many months of planning and booking, the Golf Away tours team headed down to Mexico in November to sponsor the PGA of Canada Head Pro Championship (HPC).

The team had spent the previous few months working with the PGA on getting this new destination set up for their annual event and it was finally time to get down there.

Golf Away Tours is a proud partner of the PGA of Canada and we were thrilled to have the chance to work with them on this important annual event that brings together head pros and teaching professionals from across Canada for a few days of competition and camaraderie.

This year the event was held from November 14 – 19, 2023 at the Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club in the beautiful Riviera Maya region of Mexico. This was the first time the tournament was to be held outside of the USA or Canada (with a November or early December slot in the calendar, venues in Canada are in short supply!!!).

Our team was in early, along with the PGA of Canada staff, to make sure everything was in place but the main event kicked off on Tuesday evening with a reception in the resort, which was hosted by the PGA of Canada. The competition gathered for a few drinks and the chance to catch up after a long summer at the clubs.

After a practice round on the Wednesday, Thursday – Saturday was the main event. The course received rave reviews from all the competitors (narrow, tough but fair was the consensus) and with 26+ degrees and sunshine everyday, a quality course and great friends and colleagues surrounding you, it was a great event.

The championship came down to the last hole where 2 members of the final 3ball, Gordon Burns and Eddie Maunder, had very good birdie looks that would have sent the event to a playoff. Both missed tough putts leaving James Skrypec from The Golf Academy at Deer Ridge, and playing in the penultimate group of the day, as the champion with an impressive 3 day total of 213, or -3, on a very tough course.

There is a separate Head Pro category as well and that went to a playoff that was eventually won with an impressive birdie on 18 by Samuel Kirkness to claim that title.