Edmonton golf tournament raising money, awareness for mental health charity

Australian golfer Cameron John hasn't had the smoothest ride the past 18 months, and he's opening up about his mental health at the ATB Classic in the Alberta Capital.

"I knew something wasn’t right but I kind of, I kind of wanted to avoid it," he explained to CTV News Edmonton.

John said he started to have a tough time figuring out what he wanted from life and golf as he became depressed.

"The hard thing with golf is that obviously you’ve got to, like, you’re kind of on your own. You’ve got to really dig deep sometimes and the pressure of it can really be, I guess, a little bit overwhelming."

John said he took medication for depression and spoke to many people about his feelings. He even put his golf clubs away for a period of time.

"The best thing that I did, and it was only 18 months ago, is I reached out to a mental health professional back home and we’ve been working really well together," he said.

John is now back on the course. He's competing in Edmonton this week in the event that's raising money and awareness for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

"You can imagine being a player that’s trying to get to the PGA tour and working their way around this tour and the anxiety and stress level that comes with it in trying to fulfil your aspirations and your dreams," said ATB President and CEO Curtis Stange.

John is now driven to not only succeed on the golf course, but be a person others can turn to.

"If someone who has all eyes on them is able to speak out, reach out, those of us who look up to that person may feel okay. It’s just normal, it’s normal and it’s okay to need to reach out for help," explained Jessica Meilleur with CMHA.

John said he still has good and bad days. The difference is that now he feels better equipped to recognize and deal with those feelings.

"I just think it’s really important for people to open up. I know it’s easier said than done, I definitely know that," he said.

The ATB Classic runs June 13-19 at the Edmonton Petroleum Golf and Country Club.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson