NAOAGA tournament starts Monday at Connaught Golf Club, Medicine Hat’s Florkowski looks for seventh win

The tournament marks the first time the championship has been hosted in Western Canada.

Florkowski said organizers from the North American One-Armed Golfers Association had approached him for several years about bringing the event to Medicine Hat before plans finally came together for 2026.

“I’ve been playing in the event seven different times in the past,” he said. “They’ve been bugging me for the last couple of years. I just wasn’t sure how serious they were, but they contacted me again last year and asked me if I wanted to do this year, and I decided to.”

Medicine Hat’s Florkowski has won the event six times in seven appearances, including a stretch of five consecutive titles.

“I play in tournaments to compete to the best of my ability, and hopefully I keep the trophy here in town,” he said.

He is the top-rated one-armed golfer in the world, and the favourite to win the tournament played on his home course, where he works as a Professional Golf Association of Canada pro.

Along with competing in the tournament, Florkowski has also taken on a major role in organizing the week-long event locally and securing sponsors throughout the city.

“The community support with sponsors and prize donations has been tremendous,” Florkowski said.

“We thank everyone so much, and hopefully we bring some good golf here at Connaught.”

The championship features multiple divisions designed to allow golfers of varying skill levels and physical abilities to compete.

Players are grouped into categories based on whether they play unassisted or use adaptive equipment; additional senior and net divisions are also included.

Competitors will play two rounds of stroke-play qualifying on Monday and Tuesday, before the top eight players in each division advance to match play beginning Wednesday.

The semi-finals and finals are scheduled for Thursday, with finalists potentially playing 36 holes in one day.

Tournament organizers have also ensured golfers eliminated from championship match play will still have opportunities to compete later in the week.

“All these guys that are travelling are still guaranteed to play golf every single day,” Florkowski said.

The event also serves as a showcase for adaptive golf and the athletes competing at a high level despite physical limitations.

“I think it shows that no matter what somebody is going through, if you put your mind to something, you can accomplish a lot,” Florkowski said.

Spectators are welcome throughout the week free of charge.

Play begins Monday at 10 a.m., with tee times starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday’s semi-finals begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the championship matches later in the afternoon.

Tournament results and updates will be posted through both the Connaught Golf Club and the North American One-Armed Golfers Association’s social media pages.

by Jesse Gill

NAOAGA tournament starts Monday at Connaught Golf Club, Medicine Hat’s Florkowski looks for seventh win

Our Community