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Homegrown talent set to compete in the 107th Canadian Open
OAKVILLE, Ont. - It's that time of the year where Canada's top golfers attempt to chase the elusive ghost of Pat Fletcher's Canadian Open past.
As our national open readies for the first tee shot at the Glen Abbey Golf Club, unlike the pride and flag-waving that’s been occurring in recent months leading up to the sport’s return to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad — where our patriotic fervour has trumpeted to the world the fact we are the defending Olympic golf champions — with each passing year the media wonder: will this be the time the 60 plus year-drought – or curse – depending on your point-of-view, ends and one of our own wins Canada's most prestigious professional golf event?
Last year, David Hearn came the closest of anyone since Mike Weir's second place finish in 2004 to becoming the first home-grown hero to win the Canadian Open since Fletcher in 1954. With the Brantford, Ont. native teeing off in the final pairing on Sunday, the red and white fans poured into the Abbey, breaking attendance records. If it wasn’t for the heroic play of current World No.1 - Aussie Jason Day - the trophy was Hearn’s; he ended up two shots back, finishing alone in third place.
Asked Tuesday about the state of his game going into the 2016 edition of the RBC Canadian Open, Hearn told reporters he’s confident. “I feel very good. It's been a little bit of a transition year for me with some of the stuff on the golf course but I've done a pretty good job with it. The last few months I've been playing some great golf. I've been very consistent, very steady. Sort of waiting for some break-out rounds.
“Coming back here to the RBC Canadian Open, obviously there are a lot of great memories and emotions from when I was here last year,” he added. “The outpouring of support from the Canadian fans is something I'll never forget. Hopefully this year I can get right back into contention, have a great week again and that will kind of gear me up for the Olympic Games.”
This year, along with regular PGA TOUR players Hearn, Graham DeLaet, Adam Hadwin, Nick Taylor, and Mike Weir, there are nine other Canadians in the field of 156 players that also features current World No.1 & No. 2: Jason Day and Dustin Johnson.
Graham DeLaet: Playing in his 146th PGA TOUR event, the native of Weyburn, Sask. still seeks his first victory. In seven starts at the RBC Canadian Open, his best finish is a T7 in 2014. This season, he’s posted five top-15 finishes. Coming to the Abbey, he arrives clean-shaven, having shorn his woodsman-like beard for the home country crowds, and fresh off his best finish of the season last week – a T8 at The Barbasol Championship.
Adam Hadwin comes to Glen Abbey with a lone Top 10 on the PGA TOUR this season. This week marks his seventh time playing in the RBC Canadian Open; his best finish is a T4 in 2011.
Nick Taylor: The last Canadian to win on the PGA TOUR (2015 Sanderson Farms Championship) hopes the 2016 playing of The RBC Canadian Open is kinder to him than our national championship has been in the past. In six previous tries, the 28-year-old has missed the cut four times and finished T56 and T53 the other two tournaments.
Mike Weir:
You could say 2016 is not much better than 2015 for the past Masters Champion, who has plummeted to No. 1,733 in the world and has had only one top-10 finish since 2011. The good news: he’s back after not playing here last year. This year marks a milestone for the Brights Grove, Ont. native — it’s his 25th appearance at the RBC Canadian Open. Weir has three past top-10s. His best finish is second in 2004, where he lost to Vijay Singh in a playoff at Glen Abbey.
Here are a few other lesser-known Canadians in the field to watch:
Corey Conners, 24, from Listowel, Ont. has been having a successful season, split between the PGA TOUR Latino-America and Mackenzie-TOUR-PGA TOUR Canada. The recent numbers are adding up well for the 2014 Kent State grad in actuarial mathematics. He currently sits third on the Order of Merit on the Latin American tour with four Top 10 finishes and has made $44,339. His best finish is a second place. Conners was one of the final qualifiers for this year’s event by winning in a playoff over Ben Taylor (shooting a -3, 69) at DiamondBack Golf Club on Monday, to finish third in the last Qualifying event. Conners is competing in the RBC Canadian Open for a fourth consecutive year.
“I’m really excited,” said Conners. “I’ve been playing really well all year and I really like where my game is at. The atmosphere of being a Canadian and playing at the RBC Canadian Open is really cool. You see young kids who want autographs and there are a lot of people cheering for you, so it’s a great feeling and something that I’m looking forward to experiencing again.”
Adam Cornelson currently sits third on the Order of Merit on the Mackenzie TOUR-PGA TOUR Canada. As one of the Top 3, that gave the 28-year-old an exemption into this week’s tournament. Can 2016 get any better for the New Westminister, BC native? He’s pretty pumped to play in his first RBC Canadian Open one week after playing with National Hockey League (NHL) legend Bobby Orr in Thunder Bay at The Staal Foundation Open. After more than 50 starts on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, Cornelson finally broke through for his first win – capturing the 2016 Bayview Place Island Savings Open by five strokes.
Brad Fritsch. Fresh off his first career tour title — a playoff win on the Web.com Tour in Cartagena, Colombia at the Servientrega Championship earlier this season — the Alberta-born, Ottawa-native Fritsch added a T2 later in Mexico. Fritsch, 38, is looking to get back to the PGA TOUR. Thanks to these results, it’s looking like a shoo-in. Currently, he sits sixth in the Top 25 (all of whom at the end of the season earn their cards for the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season). His best finish at the RBC Canadian Open is a T9 in 2014.
Branson Ferrier. The 22-year-old Barrie native, who went to Alabama State University, just recently turned professional; he qualified for this week’s tournament when he won the third and final RBC Canadian Open regional qualifying event last month by three strokes.
Dave Levesque. The PGA of Canada professional from Montreal earned his way into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open by claiming the No. 1 position on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.
Besides these 10 professionals, four Canadian amateurs are also in the field: Jared du Toit (Calgary, Alta.); Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.); Garrett Rank (Elmira, Ont.); and Hugo Bernard (Mont-St-Hilaire, Que.).
Garrett Rank. NHL referee, cancer survivor, and two-time defending Canadian mid-amateur (25 and over) champion, Rank possesses an impressive resume; the 28-year-old tees it up for the second time at the RBC Canadian Open this week.
Blair Hamilton. Only 22, Hamilton, who hails from Burlington, Ont. and is a member of Golf Canada’s Amateur Team, returns to the Abbey for his second time. Last year, in his RBC Canadian Open debut, he won the Gary Cowan award as the low amateur in the field.
Jared du Toit. The 21-year-old Calgary native, who is also a member of Golf Canada’s national amateur squad, is primed, pumped, and ready for his PGA TOUR debut this week.
Hugo Bernard. The third member of Golf Canada’s national amateur team was a runner-up at both the 2015 Canadian Men’s Amateur and the Québec Men’s Amateur.
