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After three years at Eagle Creek, the Commissionaires Ottawa Open Presented by Lépine Apartments will be held at The Marshes, a terrific golf course with maybe the toughest hole in Ottawa. But, with some strategic changes, treacherous No. 2 has been moved to the back nine for the professionals.
Tournament director Andy Rajhathy confirmed the order of the holes has been reversed — the front and back nine have been swapped. Hole No. 10 is now No. 1 and vice versa. So No. 2, with its watery graveyard along the right side, will be No. 11 for the July 16-19 international tournament, a huge highlight on Ottawa’s golf calendar.
“When we first decided to move the event here, I looked at holes seven, eight and nine and said, ‘Those have to be the finishing holes,’” said Rajhathy, the vice-president of ClubEG. “There are a few different ways you could route it.
No. 10 is a good opening hole for the guys; it’s a reachable par five. You make the turn and head to hole No. 11, which everyone knows as the infamous hole No. 2, one of the hardest holes in the city. It'll be good to see how these guys play that after a stretch of holes being warmed up.
“We're building a lot of infrastructure around holes 16, 17, 18 (normally the seventh through ninth). We'll have some hospitality suites at both ends of it. From an operations point of view, it really makes a lot of sense.”
Really good news: General admission is free.
If you’re trying to figure out what kind of golfers will be in Ottawa for the tournament — well, some of these guys could soon be on the PGA Tour. There’s a long list of successful PGA Tour players who have come through PGA TOUR Americas, a list that includes C.T. Pan, Paul Barjon, Aaron Wise, Tony Finau, Kramer Hickok, Joel Dahmen, Adam Svensson, Sepp Straka, Cam Davis, Jake Knapp, J.J. Spaun, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners.
Canadian Joey Savoie, who won a PGA TOUR Americas event in Ecuador in May, will be among those to watch in Ottawa.
The PGA TOUR Americas’ 10 leading point earners at the end of each season earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour, one step away from the PGA Tour. PGA TOUR Americas consists of 15 events in nine countries, wrapping up with the PGA Oceans 4 Tour Championship in the Dominican Republic in October.
“A lot of people don't realize that most of the players here are ranked in the top 1,000 in the official World Golf rankings; a few of them are in the top 500,” said Rajhathy. “We always say they're kind of one putt away from the PGA Tour.
You have to go through the pathway to eventually get (to the PGA Tour). Golf's an international sport, so it's extremely competitive all the way around the globe. If you're playing on PGA TOUR Americas, you know it means that you have a legit chance to ultimately one day be a PGA Tour champion.”
The Marshes will present a different challenge than Eagle Creek.
“I think the players will really like it,” said Rajhathy. “There are wide fairways and the greens are never too difficult, but when you prep it for a tournament of this calibre, it's going to play a bit differently. The course is going to be played from the tips. The rough is going to be long. The greens are going to be faster, and they are tricky when you speed them up. I'm projecting that the winning score will probably be around minus-18, which is actually a bit more difficult than we've seen from the previous three years at Eagle Creek.”
There are other events scheduled during the week of the Commissionaires Ottawa Open.
On Monday, there’s a pro-am. On Tuesday, there’s a mini-golf tournament at The Marshes’ Blackbird Falls Putting Course. On Wednesday, the Kevin Haime Jr. Pro-Am will be played at MarchWood, a nine-hole Par 3 course. Later that day, there’s a private concert with The Trews.
“It’s exciting,” said Rajhathy. “Some of the players will be competing in the mini-putt championship, and they’ll be playing for a purse. It’s an opportunity to see the players have a bit of fun before they grind it out for four days.”
While The Trews concert is reserved for tournament partners and pro-am participants, there will be 50 additional tickets available for a $150 donation to Soldier On, through the tournament website (ottawaopen.golf). You can also make a donation to Soldier On by purchasing 50/50 tickets on the website or they will also be available at the tournament.
If you want VIP tickets for the golf, go to ottawaopen.golf. It’s $150 for a single day or $500 for the four days. The money raised supports Soldier On, a program of the Canadian Armed Forces which contributes to the recovery of ill and injured CAF members and veterans by providing opportunities and resources through sports, recreational and creative activities.
VIP passes provide general access to the grounds, washroom use in the clubhouse, access to the greenside suite on 9/18 greens, access to the greenside suite on 17 green and two complimentary beverage tickets. There is also some food included in both VIP areas. You also have access to the clubhouse Ironstone Grill with a VIP menu for purchase.
“By putting on the event, we're doing a lot for the community, while the community is helping us as well,” said Rajhathy. “If we're raising $100,000 or more each year, that's making a substantial difference in the lives of our veterans. Not only are we raising funds for these veterans, but they take part in the week as well.”
Asked about favourite memories during the previous three years of the Commissionaires Ottawa Open, Rajhathy said: “The biggest thing is each year everything has gotten a bit bigger and better. You see a lot of great moments. Our champion last year, Brett White, shot a 59 in his final round. He had to wait about two hours for the final groups to come in. Then, he went out into a playoff and won it. When he finished, his wife and baby were waiting for him. After he received the trophy, he held his baby up in the air. I understand that these guys have to tour all over the world and it's a grind. So for him to have his family by his side, as somebody with kids, that really resonates with me.”
As for the success of the tournament in its fourth year, Rajhathy said: “The growth has been really fun to watch. It's the result of a lot of hard work, but it just feels so rewarding. I didn't really know if the tournament would last two, three or four years or be an event we expect to have forever. We are proud of what it’s become and the success it’s had; we were named 2025 Breakthrough Tournament of the Year.”
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