Fort McMurray resident Jeff Hacior is getting ready to attend the PGA Tour’s 2018 Ryder Cup in France this September.

Hacior, the superintendent at the Fort McMurray Golf Club (FMGC), has been with the club for 15 years. He was chosen to be one of 10 North American superintendents on the maintenance team and the only Canadian member. There are 20 members of the overall maintenance team who will work with and support the turf team at the host club; the other 10 are from across Europe.

When he received the notice saying he would be on the team, Hacior said he was excited.

“I was totally surprised to be honest, but happy,” he said. “It’s an honour.”

The tournament is one of golf’s most prominent events and happens every two years. It involves a team of golfers representing the United States and a team representing Europe competing against each other.

Hacior was chosen out of 374 eligible individuals from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America to be a part of the maintenance team. He will get a unique educational experience and help get the course ready for the competitors to play.

Hacior said applying for the chance to be a part of the tournament involved a questionnaire he had to fill out that outlined his golf course experience and his past involvement with tournaments. Some of that experience includes the FMGC hosting the PGA Tour Canada Mackenzie Tour’s Syncrude Boreal Open for five years.

The FMGC’s clubhouse and maintenance building were destroyed in the 2016 wildfires, but Hacior said he is hopeful the new buildings will be ready to open soon.

This year’s tournament will be held September 28 to 30 in France. Even though it seems like it’s far away, Hacior said he knows it will come up quickly.

“I’m excited to represent the Fort McMurray Golf Club and Canada,” he said. “I think about it every day.”

Hacior said he is looking forward to being a part of the team and the experience he will get from working in the Ryder Cup.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity,” he said. “I’m really excited for it.”

lbeamish@postmedia.com