Oilers (Entertainment Group) teeing it up even earlier than usual

 Never let it be said that the ownership group of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers don't think about looking after their players in the off-season. After all, how else do you account for them purchasing the rights to a Mackenzie Tour -
PGA Tour Canada stop in Edmonton this summer?

The Oilers, who have missed the NHL post-season for a decade, likely won't find themselves battling it out for top money in the newest stop on the old Canadian Tour. However it is likely some of them will tee it up in the event's preamble to help the Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) promote their new stop for the first time in Edmonton since 2012.

 The official announcement about the comeback was made on Jan. 21 at a media conference that included PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem via teleconference.

“This is an exciting announcement, a significant announcement that we are excited to share with you in the world of golf,” the day’s emcee, OEG’s Stu Valentine began.

Jeff Monday, the president of the Mackenzie Tour, agreed, saying “I am very excited to be with you today to announce the partnership between the Oilers Entertainment Group and the PGA Tour that will see the inaugural Oil Country Championship on the Mackenzie Tour in the great city of Edmonton.”

A large part of agreeing to the partnership by OEG was the fact that funds raised from events surrounding the tournament will be passed onto the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. They contribute resources and financial support to charitable organizations in northern Alberta, with a focus on education and health and wellness for youth in Oil Country.

The first of five new tournaments that have been committed to by OEG and the Mackenzie Tour will be played from July 28 - 31 at the Glendale Golf & Country Club. It will be followed by the Windermere Golf & CC in 2017; the Edmonton Petroleum Golf &CC in 2018 and the Edmonton Country Club in 2019. A location for the fifth event has yet to be set.

Via teleconference Finchem expressed his “enthusiasm and excitement about this announcement. This is kind of a landmark development for the Mackenzie Tour and we are very pleased for a variety of reasons,” including partnering with OEG and player development through this, and other Mackenzie Tour events.

Tim Finchem noted the Mackenzie Tour will serve a strong fan base in the Edmonton area with its up-and-coming star players.

“We have a very rich history of partnerships in Canada,” Finchem continued, “and we look forward to extending that. We’ve always considered Canada what I call an intensive fan base. For a lot of reasons we see this as a very positive development for the Mackenzie Tour.”

Bob Nicholson, the vice chair and CEO of OEG noted how great an opportunity this is for his company as well as the game of golf.

Bob Nicholson, the CEO of the Oilers Entertainment Group, expressed delight in having his organization tie in with the PGA Tour.

“Now we are going to start to brand ourself  in so many different ways with OEG. One of the key things when this opportunity came forward was making sure we were able to get into charities. I think this is going to open up so many more opportunities for OEG and PGA TOUR to work together and that’s the type of branding and footprint we’re looking for.”

Asked whether OEG would be seeking outside partnerships in order to handle the costs associated with the tourney given the  financial straits the province currently finds itself in, Nicholson replied that was a certainty.

“We will look for partnerships,” he began. “One thing we want to do is certainly have partnerships. The more we can have, the better, if it fits their needs. I certainly feel there is a lot of interest in this and after today, that much more.”

Nicholson continued by saying OEG would reach out to (Edmonton) Oilers players to take part in the activities of tournament week, “But we hope to go further than that, reach out to champions in Edmonton. We want to show we do have a lot of other athletes who have been involved in Olympics, World Championships, who have made their mark in other sports. We certainly will have Oilers alumni but we want to make sure everyone understands we will reach out to all the great athletes in this area.”

The head professional at the first stop on the rebirth of professional golf in Edmonton, Greg McGarry of the Glendale, said his club is thrilled to once again host a Canadian tour stop. The last time such an event took place there in 2009, James Hahn, now a PGA TOUR winner, claimed the title.

Greg McGarry, the head professional at the Glendale Golf &CC, will act as host at the first stop on the Mackenzie Tour as it returns to the Edmonton area.

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the tour, dating back to 1998 when we hosted the first Telus Edmonton Open/ It’s going to be an incredible field, an awesome partnership with the Oiler Entertainment Group. We’re very proud to be the inaugural host,” McGarry ended.

The Oil Country Championship will become the third stop on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada with the others being in Calgary and Fort McMurray. In all, there are 12 tour stops across the country.