Former Servientrega Championship winner to make trip from Raleigh, North Carolina to Ottawa Ottawa,
Ontario, May 25, 2023 — The Commissionaires Ottawa Open, an official PGA TOUR Canada Fortinet Cup event, is pleased to announce that local PGA TOUR professional Brad Fritsch will play in this year’s tournament.
“My first year on what was then the Canadian Tour was 2001”, said Fritsch. “It was my first and only time playing in my hometown in a big professional event, The Eagle Creek Classic. So to return to the same golf course 22 years later, after so many experiences in the game, and to once again be able to compete in front of friends and family, it will be a special week.”
Fritsch is a 22-year veteran of the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Canada. Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR Latinoamérica are part of the PGA TOUR’s Pathway Tours and are integral to young players’ development and success. The Pathway Tour’s tournaments are designed to replicate what the PGA TOUR presents on a weekly basis.
Born in Edmonton but raised in Ottawa, Fritsch is a long-time member of Rideau View Golf Club in Manotick. He won the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2016 Servientrega Championship in Cartagena, Columbia, after after a playoff against Ollie Schniederjans. Fritsch finished with a final score of 11-under. His best Canadian Tour performance came at the 2004 Bay Mills Open Players Championship, where he finished second.
“We are thrilled to have Brad tee it up in Ottawa,” said Commissionaires Ottawa Open Tournament Director, Andy Rajhathy. “Brad has done so many great things for golf in Ottawa, and it’s fantastic to have this local presence in the event.”
The Commissionaires Ottawa Open, set for July 17-23 at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Dunrobin, Ontario, marks the PGA TOUR Canada’s return to Ottawa after a several year hiatus and will feature more than 150 professionals from around the world, supported by more than 250 volunteers. The Commissionaires Ottawa Open is expected to generate an estimated $2 to $4 million in local economic activity.
Tournament week begins on Monday, July 17 with a media event, the Commissionaires Pro-Am and player practice rounds, followed on Tuesday with a junior clinic and the Postmedia Pro-Am on Wednesday. The 72-hole tournament begins Thursday, ending Sunday.
“Events like this require a significant commitment from the community,” said Fritsch. “From title and secondary sponsors to volunteers, it truly takes a village to pull off a week-long event like this. So many who love the game get involved, and we’ll do our best as players to put on a great show.”
Members of the public are encouraged to get involved as spectators, volunteers, sponsors or players in the Postmedia Pro-Am — all of which is designed to benefit Soldier On, a program of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) which contributes to the recovery of ill and injured CAF members and veterans by providing opportunities and resources through sports, recreational, and creative activities.
