8-year-old P.E.I. boy awaiting heart transplant gets offer of a lifetime to attend the Masters
CBC
For most fans of professional golf, the odds of getting a chance to attend the PGA Tour's most prestigious tournament are akin to winning the lottery.
But if all goes well, one very special kid from Prince Edward Island may be attending the Masters this time next year.
Eight-year-old Maverick Bishop is currently living with his mom and baby sister in Toronto as he awaits a donor heart for a transplant.
Maverick has been through some trying times in his young life, but he hasn't let that dampen his love of sports, golf included.
"From the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed, if he can have a ping-pong paddle in his hand or a tennis racket… he just loves sports," his father, Woody Bishop, told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Steve Bruce.
"Golf is one of those sports that he can do, because he gets tired very easily. You can ride in a cart right to your ball… without a lot of limitations."
The Masters, held each year at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia, is one of the PGA Tour's four major championships. It's widely considered one of the most difficult professional golf tournaments to win.
Maverick's dad, who's also the general manager at Glasgow Hills golf course in New Glasgow, P.E.I., knows first-hand how difficult it is to get to watch the tournament in person.
Fans have to put their names into a draw for tickets to the event each year. The club doesn't disclose how many people apply or how many passes are awarded, but it's estimated that the odds of having your name drawn for a single-day ticket are around 0.55 per cent.
Bishop has applied for years and never had any luck — that is, until he won an unofficial lottery last week.
While scrolling social media one night, he saw a post by An Byeong-hun, a 33-year-old South Korean golfer better known as Ben An, who's currently ranked 35th on the PGA Tour and is in the 2025 Masters tournament this week.
"I have two weekly tickets left for the Masters. Like this tweet and comment your favorite golfer. I'll announce two winners in exactly an hour from now. Good luck," An posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Bishop quickly replied with a picture of his favourite golfer, his son Maverick. Then he went to sleep.
"I woke up in the morning [and] my phone had 254 notifications on it," he said.
Saskatoon city hall administration is planning to "refresh" the funding strategy for the proposed $1.2-billion downtown arena district amid a lack of commitments from higher levels of government.
A report of fraud tied to a walleye derby is under investigation after Montreal Lake Cree Nation said a participant allegedly violated derby rules and was asked to leave the fishing area.
An Edmonton architectural firm says it is in talks with the provincial government to potentially redevelop the former Royal Alberta Museum.
Does junior football have a future in Prince George?
People are descending upon the city for the dozens of events and live music performances this week as the Juno Awards are set to take place Sunday at Hamilton's TD Coliseum.
For nearly two decades, Amanda Loewen's world ended where the pavement did.
The notion that home ownership guarantees financial security in old age is being challenged by a recent survey.
The family of Nash Prystie has identified him as the man who died in an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shooting earlier this month north of Kenora, and is calling for more and quicker help for people with mental health challenges.
Playoff action in the Ontario Hockey League gets underway Thursday night for Guelph and Friday in Kitchener.
UPEI wants its faculty to sign on to an updated version of its sexual assault and discrimination policy, but the union that represents the school's academic staff says it wants the policies to be part of its collective agreement.
In Texas this week for a global energy conference, the federal natural resources minister is proclaiming "Canada is back" and ready to bolster its energy sector and grow exports.
Members of Parliament last year went on the fewest sponsored international trips in the last 15 years, excluding the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario is running out of time to beef up rules that would crack down on negligent and misbehaving municipal politicians ahead of the next civic election, some experts and opposition critics warn.