International Rotarians will converge on Bear Mountain next August as the 54th annual Rotary World Golf Championship heads to the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
The event, which first began in 1964 at St. Andrews, Scotland, has also been played at such noted locales as Pebble Beach, Royal Liverpool, Gleneagles, Pinehurst and Royal Melbourne.
The golfing fellowship brings together 250 Rotarians from more than 30 countries.
It returns to Victoria, which welcomed the group in 1982.
The 2017 event will run Aug. 6-12 and will include three rounds of golf with major local sponsors including the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa, the Hotel Grand Pacific, Thrifty Foods and the Victoria Foundation.
鈥淲e are proud to be a major local sponsor and host for this distinguished group of global volunteers whose good work benefits communities and families here at home and around the world. This international tournament affirms Victoria and Bear Mountain, as a world class, year-round golf destination and aligns well with our corporate values,鈥� said Dan Matthews, president and CEO of Ecoasis, the owner and developer of Bear Mountain Resort.
Proceeds from the tournament will go to local charities such as Food Rescue Network and the international Rotary project End Polio Now.
