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Garrett Rank: Living the dream

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Garrett Rank (Justin Naro/ Golf Canada)
David Li

During his childhood years, Garrett Rank kept busy with his two biggest passions – hockey during the winters; and golf in the summers.

Today, at 29 years old, not much has changed for the now full-time National Hockey League referee, who also holds the distinction as one of Canada’s top ranked amateur golfers.

“I grew up in the small town of Elmira, Ontario and as a Canadian boy it was hockey in the winter time and golf in the summer,” said Rank, a former member of the national team program from 2012 -2014.

As a child, young Garrett would follow his father, Richard and his older brother, Kyle, to the golf course during the summers.

“My parents thought taking us to the golf course was a good idea because they knew that we wouldn’t get into much trouble on a golf course,” Rank recalled.

During the winters, his focus shifted from the links to the hockey rinks.

“I grew up playing a lot of hockey in the winters and had dreams of playing in the NHL. I was a forward and played centre and played some junior hockey and also played college hockey at the University of Waterloo,” he pointed out.

“As I grew older, I realized a professional career as a hockey player was not going to happen. So being a referee was neat way to stay involved in the game; and lucky enough for me, I had the opportunity to start right away as a referee in junior hockey,” he added.

“I spent four years in the OHL and they saw some potential in me; and before I knew it, I was refereeing professional hockey games.”

The Elmira, Ont., native still clearly remembers his first NHL game on Jan. 15 of 2015.

“It was a game between Minnesota and Buffalo and my first call was overturned after video review… I had to make the announcement to the arena saying that there was a goal being awarded to Minnesota and so the fans in Buffalo didn’t like that too much,” Rank pointed out.

“My boss called me the next day and said ‘look at it this way, you can only go up from here,’” he recalled with a laugh.

Things have certainly trended upwards for Rank who went from refereeing seven NHL games that first season to 40 games the following season.  And just last year, he was promoted to full-time status and officiated over 70 NHL games.

Having recently completed his first full season as an NHL referee, Rank has shifted his focus to his summer sport of choice – golf.

Having recently competed in his third consecutive RBC Canadian Open, the three-time defending Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Champion is quick to offer his thoughts on the hockey rink design on the seventh hole.

“The fact that they have a rink this year is really neat. It ties in with Canada really well because hockey is huge in our country. It allows the players to have a little bit of fun and joke around with the fans,” said Rank, who made the 36-hole cut last year.


Glen Abbey Golf Club superintendent, Andrew Gyba, is quick to acknowledge the favourable feedback in regards to the hockey rink on the seventh hole.

“I think it’s a great idea, especially seeing how much fun the players are having with it through the practice rounds and through the Pro-Ams…Yeah, I’m all for the rink. Let’s keep it going,” said Gyba.

While he didn’t bring his ‘A’ game to the RBC Canadian Open this year, Rank – who shot a combined two-round total of 11 over par at Glen Abbey – is hoping to step up his game for what promises to be an exciting summer ahead.

First, he will be aiming to put in a strong performance at the upcoming U.S. Amateur, which runs from Aug. 14-20 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

“I played the U.S. Amateur the last few years and feel that I have a bit of unfinished business there,” said Rank who has yet to advance past the round of 32 at the tournament. “The winner gets to play at the Masters, so I’m definitely looking to have a great week.”

The week after, Rank will be looking to defend his Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title for a fourth consecutive year at the Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask.

“With the Canadian Mid-Am, it’s cool that the winner gets to play at the RBC Canadian Open each year – so that’s the goal to win that and get back here next summer,” he said.

Looking at the bigger picture, the 29-year-old feels that he is truly living the dream in that he remains so closely connected to his two childhood passions.

“Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point, but I feel really fortunate to be where I am today. I’m really living the dream,” said Rank.

“I mean, I’ve got one of the coolest jobs in the world as a hockey official; and it’s just neat that it enables me to spend my summers pursing my other childhood passion at such a high level.”

Korn Ferry Tour

Canada’s Ben Silverman wins Price Cutter Charity Championship

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(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Golf Canada

Canada’s Ben Silverman is the newest winner on the Web.com Tour after carding a 5-under-par 67 in the in final round to win the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Mo.

“I couldn’t miss with the putter,” said Silverman, who needed 107 putts for the week. “It felt so good. I was seeing the breaks and I think I was at 8-under for the round without realizing it. Things were just clicking.”

The Thornhill, Ont., native had five birdies and no bogeys in Sunday’s final round to finish at 25 under par, one stroke ahead of runner-up Talor Gooch (Midwest City, Okla.) to earn his first career win on the Web.com Tour.

After Gooch made a birdie on the par-5 18th, Silverman was forced to birdie his final hole to avoid a playoff. He stuck a five-iron to fifteen feet and two-putted for the win.

Silverman played nearly flawless golf this week after getting off to a slow start with a 2-under-par 70, he didn’t make a bogey in his final three rounds.

“It’s amazing,” said Silverman. “Since I was 16 years old, I have wanted to be a professional golfer. I also made a goal that I wanted to be on the PGA TOUR before my 30th (birthday) and I’m 29. I’m hitting my goals and I’m excited.”

This is the second consecutive year a Canadian has won the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. Last year it was Dundas, Ont., native Mackenzie Hughes who hoisted the trophy on the 18th green at Highland Springs Country Club.

The victory comes at special time in Silverman’s life as he and his wife Morgan just had their first child Jack Palmer on July 18th.

“I’m in a different frame of mind,” he said. “It’s just different now after having a son. Golf is not 100 percent everything that matters anymore.”

With his win, Silverman moves from 63rd up to 16th on the Web.com Tour Order of Merit, in position to earn his PGA TOUR card.

Coming into this weekend his previous best finish on the Web.com Tour was a T5 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank earlier this season.

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PGA TOUR

Justin Thomas rallies to win the PGA Championship, Graham DeLaet T7

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(Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Canadian Press

Justin Thomas emerged from the shadow of a longtime friend and won the PGA Championship to take his place among the young elite in golf.

With two big breaks to start the back nine, a chip-in for birdie to seize control and a timely 7-iron that soared over the water to a peninsula green, Thomas closed with a 3-under 68 for a two-shot victory.

The PGA Championship was the most fitting major for the 24-year-old son of a PGA professional. Mike Thomas, a former PGA board member and longtime pro at Harmony Landing outside Louisville, Kentucky, walked along the edge of the 18th green and into the arms of his son, a major champion.

The week began with Jordan Spieth’s quest for a career Grand Slam. Spieth was at the 18th green late Sunday afternoon at Quail Hollow, but only so he could celebrate the moment with Thomas, close friends since they were 14.

“So awesome, dude,” Spieth told him.

Thomas was every bit of that.

With five players still in the mix on the back nine, Thomas surged ahead by chipping in from 40 feet on the par-3 13th hole, and holding his nerve down the stretch as his challengers eventually faded, one after another.

Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., tied for seventh at 4 under. The Canadian shot a 2-under 69 on Sunday and had five birdies.

Hideki Matsuyama, bidding to become the first player from Japan to win a major, recovered from back-to-back bogeys with birdies on the 14th and 15th holes to get within one shot. But the championship turned on the 16th hole.

Thomas faced a 6-foot par putt to stay at 8 under. Matsuyama caught a good lie over the green and chipped to 5 feet. Thomas wasted no time over the putt and drilled it in the centre of cup. Matsuyama missed and was two shots behind.

“The last major of the year, and I was in contention,” said Matsuyama, a runner-up at the U.S. Open. “All I can do is try harder next time.”

Thomas sealed it with a 7-iron from 221 yards, so pure that he let the club twirl through his hands as he watched it clear the water and roll out to 15 feet. The birdie putt curled in and his lead was up to three going to the 18th. A final bogey only affected the score.

Thomas finished at 8-under 276 for his fourth victory of the year.

The PGA has been part of the Thomas family for three generations. Paul Thomas, his grandfather, was the longtime pro at Zanesville Country Club in Ohio who played in the 1962 U.S. Open. His father played at Morehead State and had aspirations of playing the tour that didn’t last long. Instead, Mike Thomas became a club pro who watched his son fall in love with the game and grow into a force on the PGA Tour.

“I can’t put it into words,” Thomas said about his PGA of America heritage. “I wish my grandpa could be here for it. It’s so special to get it done. I’ve glad we have a trophy now.”

Kevin Kisner was the last one who had a chance to catch him. But he three-putted from 100 feet on the 16th for bogey, couldn’t birdie the 17th from long range and hit his second shot into the water and finished with a double bogey. Kisner, the 54-hole leader, played the final three holes in 6 over on the weekend. He closed with a 74.

“That’s not going to be fun to look at,” he said of his weekend finish over the brutal closing stretch at Quail Hollow. “I thought I had to get to 10 (under) starting the day to win, and that was about right. I had every opportunity. I just didn’t finish it off.”

Matsuyama also hit into the water on No. 18 and made bogey for a 72 to finish three back.

Louis Oosthuizen (70), Patrick Reed (67) and Francesco Molinari (67) tied for second, though none had a chance to win playing the 18th. Oosthuizen holed a 50-foot birdie putt on the 18th to get a runner-up finish in the majors for the fourth time.

For Reed, it was his first top 10 in a major.

Just two months ago, fresh off a record-tying 63 in the U.S. Open to get in the final group at Erin Hills, Thomas struggled from the start and shot 75. He started this final round two shots behind, skulled a bunker shot on the first hole and had to make a 15-foot putt to avoid double bogey. He missed a short par putt on No. 3, and that was the last mistake he made until it no longer mattered.

Thomas began his move with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 9, and then caught two breaks on the par-5 10th. His tee shot sailed left into a tree and bounced out into the fairway. Then, his 8-foot birdie putt hung on the left edge of the cup. Thomas smiled and lazily turned away, and a few seconds later as he looked back toward the hole, gravity took over and the ball dropped into the cup.

He had a chance for a knockout until failing to birdie the two easiest holes on the back nine, only to make up for it with the tough bunker shot on the 16th that led to his clutch par, and a 7-iron that made him a major champion.

He gets referred to endlessly as Spieth’s best friend because Spieth, who is 3 months younger, has done so much so quickly. Their friendship dates to France when they represented the U.S. in the Evian Junior Masters. Thomas won that 36-hole event.

Ten years later, they have won consecutive majors and head into the FedEx Cup playoffs battling for PGA Tour player of the year.

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19th Hole

Louis Oosthuizen celebrates T2 finish at PGA Championship

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Golf Canada

PGA TOUR golfer Louis Oosthuizen carded a 1-under-par 70 on Sunday to finish T2 at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.

While champion Justin Thomas was celebrating in usual fashion, Oosthuizen took the more comedic approach to acknowledge his “Grand Slam” of runner-up finishes at all four PGA TOUR major tournaments by lip syncing “Rise Up” by Andra Day.

PGA TOUR Americas

Chase Wright wins first Mackenzie Tour title at the ATB Financial Classic

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(Mackenzie Tour - PGA TOUR Canada)
Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada

Muncie, Indiana’s Chase Wright shot a 4-under-par 67 to come from behind and win the ATB Financial Classic for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.

The 28-year-old started the day one shot back of the five 54-hole co-leaders—who were tied at 12-under-par—but got off to a hot start on Sunday, making a 30-foot putt for birdie on the first hole, followed by birdies at hole Nos. 2, 4, and 5. Wright bounced back from a bogey on the par-3 No. 6 with an eagle at No. 7 to make the turn at 5-under, good for a one-stroke lead at that time.

Weather conditions changed significantly as the final few groups approached the 12th and 13thholes—wind speeds in the morning were no more than 17 km/h, but afternoon  gusts reached up to 31 km/h. Wright, however, seemed undisturbed by the change in the elements. He notched six straight pars on Nos. 10-15 and said his par saves on Nos. 13 and 14 were crucial keys to his victory on Sunday.

“The winds that came through, you hadn’t seen them all week,” said Wright. “That was two huge moments. I probably wouldn’t be here if I wouldn’t have gotten those up-and-downs.”

On the par-5, 507-yard No. 13, Wright was left with 180 yards for his second shot, and with the wind conditions, he needed only a wedge for the shot, which flew the green. Wright hit his third shot just inside a hazard and saved par by chipping it to two-and-a-half feet and making the putt. On the par-3, 212 yard No. 14, Wright hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker and made a 7-footer for par.

His mentality throughout the round—and the week, for that matter—did not waver. “I just tried to stay patient and play like it was the first day every day and not really worry about stuff going on around you and how other people are playing,” said Wright.

Wright bogeyed the par-3 16th on Sunday but bounced back on No. 17, sinking a 15-foot putt for birdie, despite needing to back away twice due to the wind. After failing to get up-and-down on No. 18, he signed his scorecard for a 72-hole total of 15-under-par—the clubhouse lead—and waited for the remaining two groups to finish.

“I wasn’t discouraged or anything. I just kept plugging,” said Wright about his final stretch of holes. “I felt really calm most of the day…I’ve seen my name up there [on the leaderboard] all day and I never once thought I let that affect me, and if it did, I made sure that it didn’t affect me more than once.”

Wright finished his final round just before play was suspended at 4:24 pm local time due to lightning in the area. When play resumed at 4:58 pm, South Korea’s Todd Baek was the only player who could potentially force a playoff with Wright, but Baek’s failure to birdie No.18 secured Wright’s first Mackenzie Tour victory.

The win moves Wright into seventh on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit, $1,085 behind No. 5 Patrick Newcomb. The top five players on the Order of Merit at the season’s end will earn status on the Web.com Tour for 2017.

“Anybody that knows me kind of knows that I’ve put myself through a lot in the last year and a half,” said Wright, who finished in the top-50 on the Web.com Tour money list in 2014 and 2015 but failed to keep his Web.com Tour card after the 2016 season after missing 15 of 20 cuts. “Coming back here and having an opportunity to get back to the Web.com Tour is awesome, and [I’m] taking advantage of it now.”

Wright was one of six co-leaders at 6-under 65 after the first-round and had the solo 36-hole lead by one stroke over Todd Baek, thanks to another 65 in round two. A one-over 72 in the third round left him one stroke back of the five co-leaders heading into the final round, but his attitude remained positive and persistent.

“I didn’t play that bad,” said Wright about his 72 on Saturday, which also saw wind speeds reach the mid-30s (km/h). “I lost three-and-a-half shots on the greens. My game was right there; I just gave away a few shots. So I knew if I just kept hitting solid shots and putting myself in position, the hole’s gonna get in the way, and it did.”

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PGA of Canada

Scarboro G&CC set to host DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada

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(PGA of Canada)

The best in Canadian women’s golf are set to compete for the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada gets underway today in Scarborough, Ont.

A field featuring a mix of past LPGA Tour winners and rising Canadian stars had a practice round yesterday and will play 36 holes at Scarboro Golf & Country Club from Aug. 15-16, all with the same goal of winning the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.

“The field for this year’s Data PGA Women’s Championship of Canada is tremendous,” said PGA of Canada president Steve Wood. “There’s a solid mix of past LPGA Tour winners and up-and-coming Canadian talent that will surely produce a riveting championship.”

This year’s field includes:

  • Four-time LPGA Tour winner, five-time PGA Women’s Championship of Canada winner, Canadian and PGA of Canada Golf Hall of Fame member Lorie Kane
  • Symetra Tour winner and Orangeville, Ont., native Brittany Marchand
  • Symetra Tour’s No. 8-ranked player Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec
  • LPGA Tour player and past Canadian Women’s Amateur champion Augusta James of Bath, Ont.
  • LPGA Tour player Jennifer Ha of Calgary
  • Symetra Tour player Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont.
  • Past LPGA Tour winner Kris Tamulis
  • Past Symetra Tour winner Sue Kim of Langley, B.C.
  • Past PGA Women’s Championship of Canada winners Vivian Tsui, Salimah Mussani
  • LPGA Tour player Mina Harigae of California
  • PGA of Canada members Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Kylie Barros and Sylvie Schetagne

The winner of this year’s championship will earn an exemption into the CP Canadian Women’s Open at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club, Aug. 21-27.

Scarboro Golf and Country Club, with a history dating back to 1912, has been the site of four Canadian Opens, the Canadian Tour Championship and several amateur championships. The course was origin ally designed by noted professional and Canadian golf course architect George Cumming, but underwent extensive changes in 1924 under the direction of Albert Warren Tillinghast. Tillinghast was one of North America’s premier golf course designers, who was at the peak of his career when hired to redesign Scarboro.

Scarboro is in great company among such renowned Tillinghast courses as Winged Foot, Ridgewood, Five Farms East, the redesign of Baltusrol and the fearsome Bethpage Black at Farmingdale, Long Island, N.Y. The latter literally consumed the games greatest golfers at the 2002 U.S. Open.

Scarboro remains the only course outside the U.S. designed by Tillinghast.

He masterfully used Highland Creek, which comes into play as many as 11 times in 18 holes, and the hilly terrain, gullies and trees as natural hazards, making artificial hazards almost unnecessary at Scarboro.

The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada was first played in 1987 and past champions include five-time winner Lorie Kane, Brooke Henderson, Alena Sharp, Cathy Sherk, Gail Graham, Nancy Harvey, and Jessica Shepley.

Admittance to the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada is free and spectators are encouraged to attend during the 36-hole championship play.

To follow the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com,

FOR THE FULL FIELD AND FIRST ROUND TEE TIMES, CLICK HERE.

PGA TOUR

Kisner has PGA lead after wild finish, Canada’s Graham DeLaet T7

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(Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Canadian Press

Kevin Kisner survived a calamitous finish at the PGA Championship thanks to a good bounce off a bridge that allowed him to escape with a bogey and take a one-shot lead into the final round at Quail Hollow.

Kisner already gave up a two-shot lead with a shot into the water on the 16th hole.

He nearly did it again on the 18th until the ball hit the concrete bridge, sailed high in the air and disappeared in thick grass on the hill above a creek. He did well to chop that out onto the green and two-putt from 45 feet for a 1-over 72.

He wasn’t alone in his struggles at the end of a long day of oppressive heat.

Chris Stroud, the last player to qualify for the PGA Championship with a playoff victory last week in Nevada, three-putted for bogey on his final two holes for a 71 and will play in the final group with Kisner. Also one shot behind was Hideki Matsuyama, who had a 73.

Jason Day was right there with them until a peculiar decision likely cost him a reasonable chance. Stuck behind a tree right of the 18th fairway, Day chose not to pitch out to the fairway and tried hooking it around the tree and the gallery to the right. The club clanged off the pine and the ball went into the bushes. He took a penalty drop, found the rough, came up short of the green and ended with a quadruple-bogey 8 for a 77.

Day was seven shots behind.

Rickie Fowler got within three shots of the lead until a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole, a tee shot into the water on the 17th for a double bogey, and a three-putt bogey on the last hole. That sent him six shots behind.

Weyburn, Sask., native Graham DeLaet is T7 at 2 under par. DeLaet carded a 3-under-par 68 in round three and is five shots back of the lead heading into the final round.

Through all that chaos, Matsuyama kept alive his chances to bring Japan in its first major.

Matsuyama made his share of mistakes, and while he failed to convert two good birdie chances, he played the last five holes bogey-free for a 73.

Kisner was at 7-under 206 as he goes after his first major championship.

Of the 15 players who remained under par, Louis Oosthuizen is the only one who has won a major, and that was seven years ago. Oosthuizen saved par from a similar spot Day was in on the 18th hole and shot 71. He was at 5-under 208, along with Justin Thomas, the son of a PGA professional who played bogey-free over his last 12 holes and posted a 69.

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Kevin Kisner et Hideki Matsuyama partagent la tête au Championnat de la PGA

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(Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
La Presse Canadienne

Le Japonais Hideki Matsuyama a raté de peu un roulé pour un oiselet au 18e trou, vendredi, mais il a tout de même rejoint l’Américain Kevin Kisner en tête du Championnat de la PGA.

Matsuyama a remis une carte de 64 (moins-7), la meilleure depuis le début du tournoi, et il partageait la tête avec Kisner à moins-8 quand la deuxième ronde a été interrompue en raison de la noirceur à Quail Hollow.

Le jeu avait été interrompu pendant 1 heure et 43 minutes en fin d’après-midi en raison de la pluie. Les activités reprendront à 7h30, samedi matin.

Matsuyama a accumulé les oiselets de chaque côté de la pause et a évité les bogueys. Il a remporté l’Invitation Bridgestone la semaine dernière grâce à une ronde finale de 61.

“Les verts ici, à Quail Hollow, sont très rapides. J’ai réussi plusieurs roulés alors que je ne m’y attendais pas, a admis Matsuyama. J’essaie simplement d’envoyer la balle près de la coupe, mais il y en a plusieurs qui sont tombées dans l’objectif.”

De son côté, Kisner a signé une deuxième carte consécutive de 67. Il a notamment réalisé un aigle au septième trou, une normale-5 de 546 verges.

“Je suis très content de la manière que je frappe la balle, a mentionné Kisner. Je n’ai pas si bien frappé de tout l’été et j’ai obtenu des résultats ordinaires. Quand je frappe bien la balle, comme c’est le cas présentement, je peux bien faire.

“Je suis heureux de l’occasion qui s’offre à moi.”

Kisner et Matsuyama détiennent deux coups d’avance sur l’Australien Jason Day, qui a ramené une carte de 66.

L’Américain Chris Stroud, le Sud-Africain Louis Oosthuizen et l’Italien Francesco Molinari suivent à moins-5. Molinari a bouclé son parcours en 64 coups, tandis qu’Oosthuizen a inscrit un score de 67. Stroud avait complété 13 trous quand il a dû mettre un terme à sa journée.

Jordan Spieth, qui tente de compléter le grand chelem en carrière, n’a pas connu le début de ronde espéré. Il a limité les dégâts après avoir commis un boguey dès le troisième trou, une normale-4. Pressant le pas pour terminer sa ronde avant que les organisateurs demandent l’arrêt des activités, Spieth a commis un boguey au 18e trou et il a inscrit un pointage de 73 pour glisser à plus-3.

“Je crois que je vais devoir reconnaître que je ne gagnerai pas

à moins d’un revirement de situation complètement fou au cours des deux prochains jours”, a reconnu Spieth.

Graham DeLaet, de Weyburn, en Saskatchewan, a complété le parcours en 73 coups pour se retrouver à plus-1 au pointage cumulatif.

Ses compatriotes Mackenzie Hughes, de Dundas, en Ontario, et Adam Hadwin, d’Abbotsford, en Colombie-Britannique, n’ont pu faire mieux que des rondes respectives de 72 et 76, et ils ne franchiront pas le seuil de qualifications pour les rondes du week-end.

Phil Mickelson a connu le même sort, après avoir vécu une autre ronde désastreuse de 74, vingt-quatre heures après s’être contenté d’un score de 79. Son score cumulatif de plus-11 signifie qu’il ne franchira pas le seuil de qualifications pour les rondes du week-end au Championnat de la PGA pour la première fois en 22 ans.

Ernie Els, qui comme Mickelson participe à un 100e tournoi majeur en carrière, a fait 10 coups de mieux que la veille lors d’une ronde de 70. Il a aussi vu son tournoi prendre fin prématurément.

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PGA TOUR

Matsuyama, Kisner tied for lead at PGA Championship

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(Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Canadian Press

Hideki Matsuyama never looks satisfied with his shots or his score, no matter how good they look.

Perhaps it will take winning a major to change that.

Five days after the 25-year-old Japanese star closed with a 61 to win his second World Golf Championship, Matsuyama motored through a dampened Quail Hollow with a 7-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Kevin Kisner (67) in the PGA Championship.

They were at 8-under 134, all but ending the hopes of Jordan Spieth to get the career Grand Slam this year.

Heavy rain that suspended play Friday afternoon made Quail Hollow more vulnerable than it has been all week, only Spieth couldn’t take advantage. He made only one birdie, finished with a bogey, and shot a 73 to finish 11 shots out of the lead.

“I kind of accept the fact that I’m essentially out of this tournament pending some form of crazy stuff the next couple of days,” Spieth said.

Kisner faced tougher, faster conditions in the morning and holed a 50-foot eagle putt from short of the green on the par-5 seventh hole. When his round was over, Kisner had a five-shot lead over the players from his side of the draw.

It didn’t look as though anyone would get close.

“These guys going out this afternoon, they break 70, they’ve done a hell of a job,” Rory McIlroy said after a 73 that put him 10 shots back.

A light rain began falling not long after McIlroy’s prediction.

Then, the storms rolled in with heavy rain that drenched the course and forced a rain delay of 1 hour, 43 minutes. And when the second round resumed, it felt like an entirely different golf course.

Jason Day, who played a four-hole stretch in 5 under around the turn and before the storms, began smashing driver without regard that it might run through the fairways and into the rough. He shot 66 and was two shots behind.

There were pitch marks on the putting surfaces. There were splotches of mud of the sides of golf balls. But the biggest difference was the rain took the fear out of putting on the fast, frightening greens and sent scores tumbling.

Francesco Molinari also shot a 64 and was at 5-under 137, along with Louis Oosthuizen, who had a 67.

Graham DeLaet (73) of Weyburn, Sask., was the low Canadian and likely the only one to make the projected 5-over cutline as he finished the round tied for 23rd at 1-over par. Mackenzie Hughes (72) of Dundas, Ont., was 8 over and Adam Hadwin (76) of Abbotsford, B.C., was 13 over.

Matsuyama, finishing his swing with one hand as tee shots found the fairway, already was playing great and putting even better. The storm delay did not stop him.

He ran off four straight birdies starting on No. 12 when he hit his approach into 12 feet. That was the longest of his seven birdie putts, though he also made a 20-foot par putt on the ninth hole. When the round resumed, Matsuyama got up-and-down for birdie on the 15th, saved par from a bunker on the 16th and then drilled a 7-iron over the bunker to 7 feet for birdie on the par-3 17th.

He had a putt just over 12 feet for birdie on the 18th that would have tied the PGA Championship record of 63, but it missed to the left.

No matter. He was tied going into the weekend, raising Japanese hopes of its first major championship.

The second round was halted by darkness, leaving 26 players who had to return Saturday morning. That included Chris Stroud, who was 5 under and had five holes remaining.

Kisner doesn’t have the length for this 7,600-yard course, but he has golf smarts, a reliable swing and a good putting stroke for the greens. He saw the changes to the course earlier this year on a soft, damp day and wondered how he would manage.

The plan was to make birdie on the par 5s and the two short par 4s, and play for par everywhere else.

It has worked to near perfection through two rounds, particularly on the par 5s: a wedge to 10 feet on No. 10; a wedge to 5 feet on No. 15; and the eagle putt on No. 7 that rolled against the pin and disappeared.

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PGA of Canada

Jim Rutledge wins fifth Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada

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(PGA of Canada)
PGA of Canada

Jim Rutledge won his fifth Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada Friday at the Burlington Golf & Country Club.

The soon-to-be 58-year-old’s three-day total of 12-under-par (65-67-66) lapped the field, clipping his nearest competitors—Gar Hamilton and Mike Burrows—by seven shots.

Making his final round finish even more remarkable, Rutledge admitted he was battling food poisoning all through the previous night and well into Friday morning.

“I had a rough one out there today and I wasn’t feeling all that well when I rolled up this morning, so I was just trying to get as much water and bananas into me as possible,” Rutledge admitted. “I got off to a really good start, which was really surprising, and after that I just kind of cruised.”

Rutledge’s outward nine Friday included four birdies and a lone bogey, while his backside saw a single birdie on the 12th.

“I hit some not-so-great iron shots on the back-nine,” Rutledge said. “But I wasmis-clubbing in the right spots, which is very important out here.”

Rutledge’s past Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada victories came in 2015 at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club; 2013 at Lookout Point Country Club; 2012 at Emerald Hills Golf Club; and 2010 at Rattlesnake Point Golf Club. He’s also a former winner on the Web.com Tour, has six Mackenzie-PGA TOUR Canada titles and is a former PGA Championship of Canada winner.

With his fifth win, he now only trails golf legend Moe Norman for most PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada titles. Norman has eight titles, with seven coming in consecutive years.

“I’d love to win a few more and it excites me to think about it,” Rutledge said about the prospects of winning more titles. “Moe Norman is a legend andI by no means put myself in the same category as him, but I’ll chase him if the opportunity comes along.”

The PGA of Canada’s No. 12th-ranked player Scott Allred finished alone in fourth at 1-under-par, while Phil Jonas and Ken Tarling were T5 at even par.

In addition to finishing T2, Hamilton won the Super Senior division for the second time in three years.

The PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada was first played in 1938 as a division of the Canadian PGA Championship. In 1973, the championship became an independent event and has remained as such.

Among the Canadian golf legends to win the PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada are Stan Leonard, Moe Norman—who won a record seven straight years from 1979-1985—Bob Panasik, Al Balding—who wowed the golf world by winning at age 76 in 2000—and Rutledge.

To follow the Mr. Lube PGA Seniors’ Championship of Canada online throughout tournament week, visit pgaofcanada.com, twitter.com/pgaofcanada, instagram.com/thepgaofcanada and facebook.com/pgaofcanada

The next PGA of Canada national championship takes place Aug. 14-16 at Scarboro Golf & Country Club for the DATA PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.

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