The Cape Breton Open is closed, for now.

Organizers cancelled the PGA Tour Canada tournament on Friday, little more than a week after the tour schedule was published listing Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck as a tour stop.

The Cape Breton Open was launched in 2013 at The Lakes Golf Club in Ben Eoin. After three years, it moved to Bell Bay. This year's tournament was set to take place Aug. 27 to Sept. 2.

Tournament director Sandy Campbell said the decision was made on Wednesday after a sponsor pulled out at the last minute.

Campbell and golf enthusiasts are very disappointed, he said, but organizers were unable to find a replacement, and pros on the tour were already booking flights and hotels.

Quick decision needed

"In the end, it just wasn't to be, so we had to make a quick decision to remove it from the schedule," Campbell said.

"I would have liked to have had probably three more weeks to try and keep it pieced together, but it didn't make sense for everybody involved."

Campbell wouldn't say which sponsor pulled out, but he and a core group of committed volunteers are working to bring the tournament back to the island in the future.

"It won't happen next year," he said. "I'm going to look at a different structure, financially, and maybe in two years' time or three years' time, I don't know. I'll work with the tour in other areas, but Cape Breton is not in the near future, but I wouldn't rule it out."

Golfers took to the practice green prior to the Cape Breton Open in 2016 at Bell Bay Golf Club in Baddeck after three years at The Lakes Golf Club in Ben Eoin. (Sandy Campbell)

"I think this year would have been a lot of fun for my group, because they knew exactly what was coming down the pipe. If I come back in two years' time, you may have a few that aren't there, but they're very committed. They'll be back."

Golfers on the cross-country tour are up-and-coming pros, and the top five money winners on the tour qualify for the prestigious Web.com Tour the following year.

The Cape Breton Open cancellation was announced on the same day the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency announced a $2 million loan for Cabot Links in Inverness, Cape Breton.

Campbell said the two announcements were not connected.

"That's unfortunate," he said. "People need to realize that the players were notified on Wednesday night. It's a coincidence."

Inverness courses helping others

Campbell said the development of two new courses at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs has helped all golf clubs on the island.

"They brought us to a level that we never thought we'd get to in Cape Breton, and they deserve everything that they're getting," he said. "I support that funding 100 per cent."

The tournament cost about $300,000 to put on, which Campbell said was "lean and mean" compared to other tour stops, but it brought in around $2 million in spending on food, accommodations and tourism.