Brandt Snedeker keeps Canadian Open streak alive

They put the Canadian back into the Canadian Open on Sunday.

Okay, the only Canadian of note was winner Brandt Snedeker's caddie -- Scott Vail of Oshawa, Ont. -- but when a country is on a 59-year losing streak we'll take what we can get. Snedeker survived a bit of a bobble on the 12th hole and caught a big break when fellow American Dustin Johnson hacked his way to a triple-bogey on the 17th to win the RBC Canadian Open at Oakville, Ont.'s Glen Abbey Golf Club on Sunday.

He shot a final-round 70 in windy conditions to finish 16 under par for the tournament, three strokes better than a gang of four that tied for second.

No doubt some Canadians were pulling for Johnson, who is in a relationship with Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. In Canada, that's as close to royalty as we get. But Johnson, who had pulled into a tie with Snedeker with a birdie on the 16th, set himself up for disaster with a tee shot on 17 that may have landed in neighbouring Burlington. Putting his next shot into a bunker and taking two shots to exit it finished his day for all intents and purposes.

Snedeker played flawless golf after that to take home a million dollars.

As impressive as Snedeker's win was, it will be accompanied by an asterisk in the minds of many. Hunter Mahan was in control of the tournament after two rounds, but pulled out before teeing off Saturday after hearing his wife had gone into labour. (The baby, a girl, was born early Sunday morning with daddy at her mother's side.)

Mahan's departure opened things up at Glen Abbey and Snedeker grabbed a lead he didn't relinquish.

But a caddie and a girlfriend were as close as Canadians came to ending a 59-year losing streak at the Canadian Open. The legend of Pat Fletcher lives on as Canadians again failed to make the grade.

David Hearn was the best we had to offer, finishing 12 strokes off Snedeker's under-16. That gave Hearn the Rivermead Cup, the Canadian golf equivalent of the Miss Congeniality prize. He finished a stroke ahead of Mike Weir and two ahead of Roger Sloan. Brad Fritsch was the fourth Canadian to make the cut, but pulled out with an injury on Saturday.