RBC Canadian Open names Ryan Paul new tournament director

The RBC Canadian Open has named its new tournament director.  

Ryan Paul, who was the tournament director of the CPKC Women’s Open the last seven years, has stepped into the big chair.  

The former tournament lead, Bryan Crawford, was hired away in June as the commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League.  

Paul, whose father Bill was the tournament director of the RBC Canadian Open for almost three decades, has plenty of pedigree for the gig. The CPKC Women’s Open in Calgary just wrapped up by setting an attendance record, and the event, under Paul’s leadership, has won Tournament of the Year at the year-end LPGA Tour awards the last two seasons.  

“Ryan Paul has done a tremendous job in growing every aspect of the CPKC Women’s Open and he will now take that stellar record into continuing to grow the RBC Canadian Open and maintain the amazing trajectory of this award-winning PGA TOUR event,” said Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada’s chief executive officer.  

“Ryan is just the right leader and has the right growth mindset to be the ideal new leader of this great national championship.” 

The transition will be a fairly seamless for Paul because both the men’s and women’s Canadian opens use the same corporate suppliers, along with the same event agency. The tournament operations teams for both events are mostly the same, while Paul was already part of Golf Canada’s leadership team.  

Paul and his wife, Samantha, have three children, and with the RBC Canadian Open set for the Greater Toronto Area for the foreseeable future, Paul is thrilled to have some extra family time.   

“The RBC Canadian Open has always been a big part of my life, having grown up with it, and is one I am very passionate about,” said Paul. "For Golf Canada and RBC to have the confidence in me to play a lead role in our national men’s open championship is truly an honour. I am excited to dive right into preparations for the 2025 RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. The RBC Canadian Open is a world-class event and I look forward to continuing to build upon the growth and success it has achieved."  

Golf Canada has begun its search for a new CPKC Women’s Open tournament director. 

The 2025 RBC Canadian Open will be conducted June 3-8 — the week before the U.S. Open — and hosted for the first time at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont.  

A spokesperson for the bank confirmed to Sportsnet that it has signed one-year deals, once again, with both the RBC Heritage and Canadian Open.