Roadblocks. Construction. Traffic delays. The Presidents Cup kicked off to a not-so-great start ahead of its official tee time. Unfortunately enough, the bad news doesn’t seem to stop there. The brutal traffic situation surrounding the Royal Montreal Golf Club seems to be the start of its problems. The tournament recorded another setback. One that deals with a certain $6.5 million subsidy.

Opposition parties from Quebec, as per a report from the Rocky Mountain Outlook, have denounced the multimillion-dollar subsidy set aside for the event. They even pointed out how the money could have been better utilized on September 25, Wednesday. Moreover, they also highlighted the province’s deficit, which has gone close to a whopping $11 billion, while addressing the need for better public services.

“Quebec is in the red,” said Marwah Rizqy, a Liberal legislature member, during a press conference. She reminded the community and the press how a junior college in Montreal had trouble with toilets owing to a lack of funds. Meanwhile, even Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the legislature leader of Québec solidaire, expressed surprise at the absurdity of the whole situation.

“They tell us there isn’t enough money for our (junior colleges) to buy books. So there’s not enough money for all that, but there’s enough money for a golf tournament … $6.5 million for a few days of professional golf played by millionaires.” Concerned? Understandable. In response, François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government defended its decision to give subsidies for the biennial event. The reason? All thanks to the tournament’s potential to rake in tourism.

Even Caroline Proulx, the minister of tourism, was supportive of the decision.  “The tourism industry is the third economic engine in Quebec, after the aluminum industry and aeronautics,” she said before estimating a $71 million in return. “Just in 2023, in foreign currencies, our ministry generated $4.1 billion.” Although the ruling coalition did dish out a reply to the denouncement, it undoubtedly added a potential source of trouble to the already frustrated community.

Presidents Cup hit with setback after setback

The Royal Montreal Golf Club boasts only a single bridge that connects the grounds to the whole island of Montreal. However, the crossover has been reported to be under construction for several months. Any guesses on what it resulted in? Well, the roadblocks it caused led to many delays for the commuters including the International team taking almost 90 minutes to reach the hotel.

The fans, meanwhile, did not take too kindly to the state of affairs. One of them even mentioned how it has been under construction since last year. “That’s been under construction since March when I was last in Montreal,” pointed out a follower who asked, “When is it supposed to be complete?” 

Another just compared it to the Solheim Cup’s first round. Yes, they were alluding to the ‘transportation issues’ that plagued the women’s event on its first day; “Presidents Cup to Solheim Cup…. Hold my beer.” Anyhow, the team and the fans will be hoping for both issues to get resolved fast so that the event can witness a smooth run throughout the four days of play!