The Governor General’s Lawn Bowling Tournament is one of the most prestigious lawn bowling events in Canada. It provides the opportunity for lawn bowling enthusiasts from Ontario to compete against players from Quebec.
The Governor General’s Finals are hosted in alternate years by each province. The tournament includes Men’s and Women’s Fours and Men’s and Women’s Novice Singles.
The 2026 finals are scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2026 and are being hosted by the Ontario Lawn Bowling District 16 and held at the Almonte Lawn Bowling Club. Almonte LBC is also hosting the Qualifying Tournament which occurs on July 25 and 26, starting at 9:00 a.m. The Almonte LBC welcomes anyone interested in seeing some very competitive games.
In 1928, the then Governor General of Canada, His Excellency the Right Honourable Viscount Willingdon presented a silver trophy to the Eastern Ontario Lawn Bowling Association for annual competition between Men’s ‘fours’ teams from the Eastern Ontario LBA and the Québec Lawn Bowling Federation. The tournament alternated between the two provinces hosted by various Clubs.
In 1993, the ladies joined the event and in 1994, His Excellency, the Right Honourable Raymond John Hnatyshyn provided a new trophy to match the Willingdon Cup which is played for by Ladies ’fours’ teams from Ontario and Quebec. To recognize both the historic and feminine quality of the tournament the trophy was named the Governor General’s Rose Bowl.
The Eastern Ontario Lawn Bowling Association became part of the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association (OLBA) in 1957, thus the ’Ontario’ side of the Tournament Committee is governed by District 16 of OLBA. In 1989, the Ladies and Men’s Associations amalgamated. Despite these changes, the “Governor General’s” as it is affectionately known, has survived as an important and prestigious part of the regional bowling calendar.