Shaw Communications Inc. and Graham DeLaet have announced a new program to support children’s charities and the development of junior golfers at all levels.  As part of the Shaw Birdies and Eagles for Kids program, Shaw will donate $100 to the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation for every birdie and $500 for every eagle that Graham makes during the 2014 PGA Tour season. Proceeds from the program will reinforce the DeLaet foundation’s support for children’s health and well-being, and junior golf programs.

This season, DeLaet has recorded more than 200 birdies and four eagles bringing Shaw’s charitable donation total to over $20,000. DeLaet, who is currently ranked 31st in the world, is set to tee off this week at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open being played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in île Bizard, Quebec.

Fans can track DeLaet’s scoring and the growth of Shaw’s donations by visiting Shaw.ca/golf and by following @ShawGolf on Twitter, which also features exclusive golf giveaways.

Viewers can follow this week’s RBC Canadian Open by tuning into Global TV. As the home for golf in Canada, Global TV will be broadcasting all-access coverage of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open starting at 3pm ET/12pm PT on Saturday, July 26 and closing out the final round at 3pm ET/12pm PT on Sunday, July 27. Both broadcasts begin with pre-game coverage starting an hour before the round commences.

Tee times for Thursday’s opening round of the RBC Canadian Open, held at the Royal Montreal Golf Club (all times Eastern):

Begins on Hole 1

7 a.m. – Andres Romero, Argentina, Nicholas Thompson, U.S., Justin Hicks, U.S.

7:10 a.m. – Stephen Ames, Calgary; John Daly, U.S. Tim Wilkinson, New Zealand.

7:20 a.m. – Troy Matteson, U.S.; Richard H. Lee, U.S.; Danny Lee, New Zealand.

7:30 a.m. – Matt Bettencourt, U.S.; Pat Perez, U.S.; Jeff Overton, U.S.

7:40 a.m. – Mark Wilson, U.S.; Johnson Wagner, U.S.; Y.E. Yang, South Korea.

7:50 a.m. – Nick Watney, U.S.; Tim Clark. South Africa; Retief Goosen, South Africa.

8 a.m. – Scott Brown, U.S.; Carl Pettersson, Sweden; U.S. John Huh, U.S.

8:10 a.m. – Ken Duke, U.S.; Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea; Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela.

8:20 a.m. – Tim Herron, U.S.; Andrew Svoboda, U.S.; D.H. Lee, South Korea.

8:30 a.m. – Heath Slocum, U.S.; Nathan Green, Australia; Mark Calcavecchia, U.S.

8:40 a.m. – Alex Prugh, U.S.; Jamie Lovemark, U.S.; Timothy Madigan, U.S.

8:50 a.m. – Miguel Angel Carballo, Argentina; Kevin Tway, U.S.; Kevin Carrigan, Victoria.

9 a.m. – Alex Aragon, U.S.; Oliver Goss, Australia; Kevin Stinson, Mission, B.C.

12:15 p.m. – Chad Campbell, U.S.; David Duval, U.S.; Steve Marino, U.S.

12:25 p.m. – Camilo Villegas, Colombia; David Hearn, Brantford, Ont.; Kevin Kisner, U.S.

12:35 p.m. – Ricky Barnes, U.S.; Josh Teater, U.S.; David Lingmerth, Sweden.

12:45 p.m. – Sean O’Hair, U.S.; Aaron Baddeley, Australia; Erik Compton, U.S.

12:55 p.m. – Derek Ernst, U.S.; Martin Laird, Scotland; Charlie Beljan, U.S.

1:05 p.m. – Matt Kuchar, U.S.; Jim Furyk, U.S.; Graham DeLaet, Weyburn, Sask.

1:15 p.m. – Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Luke Donald, England; Mike Weir, Bright’s Grove, Ont.

1:25 p.m. – D.A. Points, U.S.; J.J. Henry, U.S.; Ted Potter, Jr., U.S.

1:35 p.m. – Joe Durant, U.S.; James Driscoll, U.S.; James Hahn, U.S.

1:45 p.m. – Tim Petrovic, U.S.; Jason Allred, U.S.; Michael Gligic, Burlington, Ont.

1:55 p.m. – Billy Andrade, U.S.; Will Wilcox, U.S.; Joel Dahmen, U.S.

2:05 p.m. – Edward Loar, U.S.; Josh Persons, U.S.; Eugene Wong, Vancouver.

2:15 p.m. – Jim Herman, U.S.; Adam Hadwin, Moose Jaw, Sask.; Taylor Pendrith, Richmond Hill, Ont.

Begins on 10th Hole

7 a.m. – Charlie Wi, South Korea; Chad Collins, U.S.; Jim Renner, U.S.

7:10 a.m. – Jeff Maggert, U.S.; Brian Davis, England; Greg Chalmers, Australia.

7:20 a.m. – Scott McCarron, U.S.; Kevin Chappell, U.S.; Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Spain

7:30 a.m. – John Rollins, U.S.; Jerry Kelly, U.S.; Trevor Immelman, South Africa.

7:40 a.m. – Kyle Stanley, U.S.; Lucas Glover, U.S.; Jonathan Byrd, U.S.

7:50 a.m. – Ernie Els, South Africa; Stewart Cink, U.S.; Justin Leonard, U.S.

8 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, U.S.; Brandt Snedeker, U.S.; Hunter Mahan, U.S.

8:10 a.m. – Scott Piercy, U.S.; Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; Robert Allenby, Australia.

8:20 a.m. – Bryce Molder, U.S.; Daniel Chopra, Sweden; Tag Ridings, U.S.

8:30 a.m. – Martin Flores, U.S.; Luke Guthrie, U.S.; Troy Merritt, U.S.

8:40 a.m. – Eric Axley, U.S.; Andrew Loupe, U.S.; Adam Svensson, Surrey, B.C.

8:50 a.m. – Kevin Foley, U.S.; Patrick Rodgers, U.S.; Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont.

9 a.m. – Wes Roach, U.S.; Bronson La’Cassie, Australia; Bill Q. Walsh, Canada.

12:15 p.m. – Cameron Beckman, U.S. Chris DiMarco, U.S. Brice Garnett, U.S.

12:25 p.m. – Bo Van Pelt, U.S.; Dicky Pride, U.S.; William McGirt, U.S.

12:35 p.m. – Robert Garrigus, U.S.; Michael Putnam. U.S.; Robert Streb, U.S.

12:45 p.m. – Ryuji Imada, Japan; Roberto Castro, U.S.; Russell Knox, Scotland.

12:55 p.m. – Woody Austin, U.S.; Brian Gay, U.S.; Ben Curtis, U.S.

1:05 p.m. – Ben Crane, U.S.; Seung-Yul Noh, South Korea; K.J. Choi, South Korea.

1:15 p.m. – Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Stuart Appleby, Australia; Vijay Singh, Fiji.

1:25 p.m. – John Merrick, U.S.; Tommy Gainey, U.S.; Charley Hoffman, U.S.

1:35 p.m. – Jason Bohn, U.S.; Morgan Hoffmann, U.S.; John Peterson, U.S.

1:45 p.m. – Tyrone Van Aswegen, South Africa; Thomas Aiken, South Africa; Eli Cole, U.S.

1:55 p.m. – Doug LaBelle II, U.S.; Peter Malnati, U.S.; Robbie Greenwell, Georgetown, Ont.

2:05 p.m. – Hudson Swafford, U.S.; Benjamin Silverman, Thornhill, Ont.; Dave Levesque, Montreal.

2:15 p.m. – Brad Fritsch, Edmonton; Chris Hemmerich, Kitchener, Ont.; Beon Yeong Lee, Montreal.

To follow live scoring, click here.

Christina Lake, British Columbia – Doug Roxburgh adds to his collection of titles with a second consecutive win at the British Columbia Golf Men’s Senior Championship on Thursday after shooting -5 at Christina Lake Golf Club; while Gudmund Lindbjerg takes home top honours after a two-hole play-off victory in the Super-Senior Championship and finishing one-under-par.

Midway through the final round of competition it appeared that if the defending champion continued his pace, he would all but secure a victory. He had begun the day with a stroke advantage and after nine holes, with two birdies, was four strokes ahead of the next competitor.

After the turn, however, Roxburgh ran into some trouble getting out of the left bunker on number 10 and double bogeyed for the first time in the Championship. The trouble didn’t end there, a double bogey again on the 12th left the Marine Drive Golf Club member tied at -5 with Lance Lundy.

“I was playing quite well, very comfortable on the front nine and then hit a couple of sloppy shots on the back nine starting on the 10th hole and just let Lance and some others right back into it,” said Roxburgh.

“I just had to work hard to make some pars coming in. That’s golf, I’m fortunate to get away with that one, I think.”

The veteran competitor showed his composure after the glitches, making par for the remainder of his round. His equanimity combined with a little bit of luck allowed him to capture the top spot.

Lundy made a surge for the title and even briefly led after he capitalized on Roxburgh’s struggles with a birdie on 11, but unfortunately would concede his lead with two bogeys late in the round finishing second at a four-under-par 212.

Jim Shaw, of Mission, was also briefly tied with Roxburgh and Lundy at -5 with only a few holes left to play. Shaw was one-under at the turn and played strong and consistently making par for nine holes in a row until closing out his round with back-to-back bogeys. Shaw finished at -3 in third.

The trio will represent British Columbia at the Canadian Men’s Senior Championship at Capilano Golf and Country Club in West Vancouver on August 26 – 29, 2014.

The Super-Senior Championship came down to a play off for the title after four-time back-to-back BC Senior Men’s Champion, Lindbjerg, and tournament low scorer, Kent Brown, each finished at one-under.

The pair both made par on 18 and headed to number 10 for the second hole of the play off. Each made straight shots down the fairway from the tee, but Brown’s second shot found the left bunker and he ultimately bogeyed the hole. Lindbjerg made two putts for par and the win.

“I just take it shot by shot and play [a play off] like an ordinary game because if you start getting into your mind and think ‘don’t hit it there, hit it there’, you’re in trouble right there,” said Lindbjerg.

“Kent smoked his drive probably a hundred yards past me on the first hole and I had to hit a rescue in and he hit a six iron so it was a little intimidating, I knew I had to whop one on ten.”

Ray Henry finished behind Brown in third, as the only competitor under par for the day, with his best showing of the Championship a one-under-par 71, finishing +2 (218).

Woodstock, Ont. – Team Canada’s Brooke Henderson carded a 4-under 67 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club to jump into the lead at the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship on Wednesday. 

Henderson opened her second round with a 3-under 32 and followed it with back-nine birdies on the par-5 13th and par-4 17th holes to grab the outright lead at 5-under 137. The 16-year-old has played near flawless golf since opening the tournament with an over-par front-nine on Tuesday.

“It was a tough start yesterday being 3-over through eight holes but then I went 4-under the rest of the way which was really huge,” said Henderson, the defending champion. “I had a couple of moments yesterday that really saved my round and I think that really saved my tournament. Going into today I knew I had momentum and I just wanted to keep that going.” 

With that momentum the Smiths Falls, Ont. native currently sits one-stroke clear of her teammate Augusta James of Bath, Ont. and Liz Breen of  Waynesboro, Pa., who share second place at 4-under 138 at the conclusion of Wednesday’s windy second round.

“It was much tougher today, we were here bright and early and it was quite a bit colder from past days so the ball wasn’t quite flying as far,” Henderson continued. “The wind also really picked up especially in the middle of my round, I was hitting four clubs more than what I normally do.” 

James battled back during her closing nine, carding birdies on her final two holes to finish with an even-par 71. Breed held the outright lead for a short time on the back-nine before bogeying two of her last six holes to finish tied with James.

Australia’s Su-Hyun Oh posted a 2-over 73 to finish in solo fourth at 2-under 140, while Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C. and California’s Betty Chen share fifth place at 1-under par.

In the Inter-Provincial Team competition, the Team Ontario contingent of Henderson, James and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., soared away from the field to capture the team title. The squad fired a 5-under 137 to finish 15 strokes ahead of Team Alberta in the 36-hole competition at 10-under par.   

In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. posted a 6-over 77 to card a two-round total of 153. Proteau currently sits three strokes ahead of Helene Chartrand of Pincourt, Que. In the Mid-Master division, Chartrand, the defending champion, fired a second round 1-under 70 and currently sits one-stroke ahead of Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. at 11-over 153.

The champion of the 101st Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship receives an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and also the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur. 

Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

MONTREAL – It was 60 years ago that Pat Fletcher won the Canadian Open.

No other Canadian has won the national open golf tournament since then, but that could change when the PGA Tour event returns this week to Royal Montreal, the tree-lined course that played host to the 2007 Presidents Cup.

Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn are among the 19 home-grown players looking to end the losing run.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 60 years,” Weir said Wednesday after playing only nine holes of a rain soaked pro-am event. “We have more capable players in the field now and I think we’re going to see it going forward.

“It’s going to end at some point, so hopefully, if not myself, it’s another Canadian that gets it done this week. It would be nice to get the streak over so we don’t have to talk about it any more.”

For Weir, an eight-time Tour winner, winning at home would be a dream.

“This is my 24th Canadian Open, so I’ve been at it a long time,” the 44-year-old Weir said. “But ever time you come back it’s special.

“It was the first professional event I watched live as a kid. I still remember doing a junior clinic with Andy Bean and Tom Kite and being one of the kids on the range that got to walk up there and get close to those guys. That really spurred my interest in professional golf.”

A strong showing would boost Weir’s chances of making the FedEx Cup playoffs. He is 128th with four weeks left in the playoff race and needs to get into the top 125.

It is also a special event for Hunter Mahan.

The American was the 36-hole leader of last year’s RBC Canadian Open when he got the call that wife was about to give birth to their first child, a daughter. Mahan immediately withdrew to fly home to Dallas to attend the birth.

Snedeker fired a 63 in the third round and held on to win.

“It’s one of those things you talk about with golfers, what if you were in the lead and you had to go home on Saturday or Sunday,” said Mahan. “It’s one of those crazy things you talk about and discuss with your family or your wife, but most of the time, it never happens.

“It’s kind of neat that we have the video of it all happening and then the newspaper clippings and all that, so it will be a fun story to show her and tell her about how she entered the world.”

Snekeder said he was on the seventh hole at Glen Abbey when he saw Mahan’s name come off the leader board.

“I started putting two and two together,” he said. “I was playing a great round of golf. It was a fortunate break for myself. Hunter was playing great. He would have been a tough guy to catch over the weekend.

“I did follow through and we made sure we sent a coupe of nice gifts to the Mahan’s for baby Zoe. It’s something we’ll probably both remember the rest of our lives.”

Mahan said he was happy to be back in Canada, especially at Royal Montreal where he and Furyk were part of a U.S. squad that thrashed Weir and the International team. Returning Internationals include Els, Vijay Singh, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvie and Stuart Appleby.

The Bodog gambling site has Johnson, Furyk and Kuchar as the betting favourites at 12-1, with DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., as the eighth favourite at 25-1.

DeLaet’s pro career may have been saved by a victory on the Canadian Tour in 2008 at St-Raphael, a short drive from Royal Montreal. Now he hopes to get a PGA Tour title in the same neck of the woods.

“My game feels a lot closer (to top form) than it probably looks,” said DeLaet, currently 31st in FedEx Cup standings. “You always know deep down when you’re playing well, and hopefully I can just clean that up a little and this can be the breakout week.”

Furyk, who won in 2006 and 2007, is coming off a 65 on Sunday to finish fourth in the British Open, but now has to play on a different continent and a very different course.

While Royal Montreal is often called “traditional,” Furyk said that only fits the tees and the fairways. The recently redone greens he considers modern and could be a key factor once play begins.

With heavy rain on Wednesday, the course will be soft and scores may be low.

“What this golf course requires of you is the dead opposite of what you’d see in links golf,” said Furyk. “And the rain is going to spread the gap even farther.”

To kick off its new partnership with Mike Weir, ALEVE is taking a swing in support of the Canadian golf icon and The Arthritis Society during this weekend’s RBC Canadian Open.

From Thursday, July 24^th to Sunday, July 27^th, during the RBC Canadian Open, each of Mike’s birdies will be matched by a $1,000 donation, each eagle will net $2,000, and a hole-in-one will equal a $10,000 donation by ALEVE to The Arthritis Society in support of its goal of boosting care and erasing the pain of arthritis.

Weir, who suffered a 2011 injury to his elbow that developed into arthritis, is working with ALEVE, the over-the-counter pain reliever indicated to temporarily relieve the daily pain and stiffness of arthritis, in hopes of helping other Canadians break free from their pain and get back to doing the things they love. It is estimated that by 2036, the number of Canadians living with arthritis will grow from 4.6 million adults to 7.5 million, or one in five.

CALGARY, July 22, 2014 – Ahead of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, Shaw Communications announced it has partnered with rising Canadian professional golfers Michael Gligic and Beon Yeong Lee.

“Supporting Michael and Beon represents Shaw’s desire to help give rising Canadian golf talent the opportunity to grow and develop their game even further,” says Brad Shaw, CEO, Shaw Communications Inc. “We are proud to support them as they pursue their goals and hope to help inspire thousands of kids dreaming of following in their footsteps.”

Sporting the Shaw logo during the week of the RBC Canadian Open, Gligic and Lee represent some of the up-and-coming Canadian golfers at this year’s national championship taking place July 21-27, 2014 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île-Bizard, Que. The two golfers are the latest additions to Shaw’s roster of professional golf partnerships that feature PGA TOUR star Graham DeLaet and rising Web.com Tour pro Adam Hadwin.

From Burlington, Ont., Gligic captured his first PGA TOUR Canada win at the ATB Financial Classic in Edmonton in 2012, and placed second on the PGA TOUR Canada’s 2012 Order of Merit. Gligic secured his spot at the RBC Canadian Open by winning a regional qualifying event at his home course of Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ont.

From Montreal, Lee earned his place at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open by winning the regional qualifying tournament at Elm Ridge Country Club in île Bizard, and most recently finished eighth at The Players Cup at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Winnipeg. The 2014 RBC Canadian Open will mark Lee’s second trip to the tournament, having qualified in 2010.

Complete coverage of the RBC Canadian Open can be seen on Global TV. As the home for golf in Canada, Global TV will be broadcasting all-access coverage of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open on Saturday, July 26 at 3pm ET/12pm PT, with final round coverage airing at 3pm ET/12pm PT on Sunday, July 27. Both broadcasts begin with pre-game coverage starting an hour before the round commences.

Woodstock, Ont.  – Liz Breed of Waynesboro, Pa., Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Mexico’s Gabriela Lopez and Su-Hyun Oh of Australia fired 4-under 67’s to share top spot on the leaderboard after the opening round of the Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship at Craigowan Golf and Country Club.  

During Tuesday’s afternoon draw, Team Canada’s Augusta James closed with a back-nine 3-under 32 to share the clubhouse lead alongside Liz Breed who posted the low round of the morning flight.

“I’m excited to have shot a number like this and basically I always try to tell myself at every tournament try to shoot one better each day,” James said. “That’s my goal for the rest of the week and hopefully I come out on top.”

Playing a few groups behind James, Lopez and Oh’s pairing finished tied for the lead after rolling in par putts on the par-3 9th hole.  Lopez, last year’s third place finisher, held the outright lead for the majority of her closing nine before a late bogey on her 17th hole, the par-4 8th. 

“It’s always fun to come to a tournament where you’ve played well and you know that you’re expectations are high and you have the chance to win,” said Lopez, the No. 11 ranked amateur in the world. “It feels very good being tied for the lead and I just need to keep believing in myself and trusting my golf shots and my swing.”

Kelowna, B.C. native Megan Osland also posted a strong opening round after a bogey-free 3-under 68 on Tuesday morning. Osland currently sits in solo fifth, while defending champion Brooke Henderson, 16, of Smiths Falls, Ont. posted a 1-under 70 to share seventh place. 

Team Canada’s Henderson rebounded from a 2-over front-nine with a 3-under 32 closing nine that was highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 4th hole. 

In the Inter-Provincial Team Competition that is conducted over the first 36 holes of the championship, Team Ontario’s contingent of Team Canada’s James, Henderson and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. sit seven strokes ahead of Team Alberta at 5-under par. In the Mid-Amateur division (25+), Christina Proteau of Port Alberni, B.C. will look to pick up her fourth consecutive title after opening with a 2-over 73. Proteau currently leads by five strokes over Marion Reid of Etobicoke, Ont. who holds a three-stroke lead in the Mid-Master (40+) division after a 7-over 78. 

Starting times, post-round results, full field list, and live scoring are available here.

Brandt Snedeker began the final round of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open with a one-stroke lead over David Lingmerth at 14-under-par. After making three birdies and two bogeys through the first 15 holes of the final round, he would go on to make birdie at the par-5 16^th to reach 16-under par, a score that Dustin Johnson had previously reached before making a triple bogey at the par-4 17^th to fall out of contention. Snedeker safely made par at the final two holes for his sixth career PGA Tour victory and his second of the 2013 season (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am). His win moved him to third in the FedExCup standings, where he would finish the Regular Season before going on to finish 12^th.

More on Brandt Snedeker

• The 2013 RBC Canadian Open was the sixth time Snedeker has held at least a share of the lead heading into the final round, and the third time he converted the lead into victory.
• In 19 starts so far in 2014, Snedeker has made 16 cuts and has 16 top-25s and two top-10s.
• The 2014 RBC Canadian Open will be Snedeker’s third consecutive start at Canada’s national open and his first at Royal Montreal. Prior to his 2013 win, he finished T-34 in 2012. Snedeker also missed the cut in 2010 and posted a pair of top 10s in 2009 (T-5) and 2007 (T-7).

Notes on the field

• Three players that finished inside the top 10 at last week’s Open Championship: Jim Furyk (4^th), Charl Schwartzel (T7) and Graeme McDowell (T9).
• Six of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings led by No. 3 Dustin Johnson and No. 4 Matt Kuchar and, who both finished tied for second at the RBC Canadian Open in 2013 along with William McGirt and Jason Bohn.
• Matt Kuchar will be looking to make it an RBC sweep after claiming the RBC Heritage in April. Kuchar has eight other top-10 finishes in 2014 ncluding a tie for fifth at The Masters and a playoff loss at the Shell Houston Open.
• Five of the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking and 10 of the top 50: Matt Kuchar (7), Jim Furyk (10), Dustin Johnson (15), Graeme McDowell (16), Luke Donald (24), Charl Schwartzel (22), Brandt Snedeker (35), Kevin Na (37), Graham DeLaet (38), and Hunter Mahan (44).
• Ten past RBC Canadian Open champions; Brandt Snedeker (2013), Scott Piercy (2012), Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Nathan Green (2009), Jim Furyk (2006 & 2007), Mark Calcavecchia (2005), Vijay Singh (2004), John Rollins (2002), Dudley Hart (1996).
• Team RBC members in the field: Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell, Graham DeLaet, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Graham DeLaet, Luke Donald, Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Hunter Mahan and David Hearn.
• Hunter Mahan returns to the RBC Canadian Open one year after taking the 36-hole lead, then withdrawing before the third round with his wife Kandi going into labor. The Mahans welcomed a baby girl, Zoe, before Sunday’s final round. In nine starts at the RBC Canadian Open, Mahan has never missed the cut and has two top-five finishes (T4, 2004 and T5, 2007).

RBC Canadian Open and the FedExCup

With just four weeks remaining before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs, the RBC Canadian Open will once again play a pivotal role in the shaping of the Playoff fields:

• 2013 winner Brandt Snedeker solidified his spot in the FedExCup standings, moving from No. 3 to No. 4 and qualified for all four Playoff events including the season-ending TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.
• 2012 winner Scott Piercy jumped from No. 36 to 13 in the standings and qualified for all four Playoff
• events.
• 2011 winner Sean O’Hair jumped from No. 147 to No. 43 and qualified for the first three Playoff events.

2007 Presidents Cup team members in the field

11 participants from the 2007 Presidents Cup, which took place here at Royal Montreal Golf Club, are in the field this week. Below are the members of the United States and International teams from 2007.

Player                          Team 

Ernie Els                       International (South Africa)
Vijay Singh                   International (Fiji)
Geoff Ogilvy                 International (Australia)
Retief Goosen               International (South Africa)
Trevor Immelman       International (South Africa)
Stuart Appleby             International (Australia)
Mike Weir                     International (Canada)
Jim Furyk                      United States
Stewart Cink                 United States
Lucas Glover                 United States
Hunter Mahan              United States

Tournament notes

• Prior to the 2013 RBC Canadian Open, the tournament had been decided either by one stroke or in a playoff for four consecutive seasons and 10 of the last 11. Snedeker’s three-stroke margin of victory was the largest since Scott Verplank won in 2001 by three over Bob Estes and Joey Sindelar.
• Since 1997, just two players have made the RBC Canadian Open their maiden victory on the PGA TOUR: Nathan Green (2009), Chez Reavie (2008) and John Rollins (2002).
• 2014 marks 60 years since a Canadian won the RBC Canadian Open (Pat Fletcher, 1954).
• Since Sam Snead in 1940 and 1941, Jim Furyk is the only player to successfully defend his title at the RBC Canadian Open, doing so in 2006 and 2007. Here are how defending champions have fared since 2000:

Year                          Defending Champion                  Finish

2013                             Scott Piercy                                          T52
2012                             Sean O’Hair                                          CUT
2011                             Carl Pettersson                                     CUT
2010                             Nathan Green                                       T37
2009                             Chez Reavie                                          CUT
2008                             Jim Furyk                                              T14
2007                             Jim Furyk                                              WON
2006                             Mark Calcavecchia                               T29
2005                             Vijay Singh                                            T7
2004                             Bob Tway                                              T26
2003                             John Rollins                                         CUT
2002                             Scott Verplank                                      CUT
2001                             Tiger Woods                                          T23

Canadians in the RBC Canadian Open field (19):

PGA TOUR members from Canada:

• Graham DeLaet – Weyburn, Sask. native is in his fifth season on the PGA TOUR and the highest Canadian in the Official World Golf Ranking at No. 38.
• Mike Weir – Bright’s Grove, Ontario native is making his 24^th start at the RBC Canadian Open and finished second here in 2004
• David Hearn – Brantford, Ont. native is making his 12^th start at the RBC Canadian Open and coming off his first career start at The Open Championship and fifth career major.
• Stephen Ames – Calgary, Alta. resident is making his 17^th RBC Canadian Open start and owns two top-10s. Ames is making his 18^th start of the 2013-14 PGA TOUR season but also made his Champions Tour debut at the 2014 Senior PGA Championship.
• Brad Fritsch – Manotick, Ont. native is making his 7th RBC Canadian Open start and his 16^th PGA TOUR start of the season, coming off his second top-25 result of the 2013-14 campaign at the John Deere Classic (T-13)

Players in the field with Quebec connections:

• Beon-Yeong Lee – Montreal resident moved to Canada from South Korea eight years ago and is in his second year on PGA TOUR Canada, where he is currently 23rd on the Order of Merit. Lee was the medalist at a regional qualifier.
• Dave Levesque – Montreal native was offered an exemption after his victory at the PGA Championship of Canada.

Other Canadians:

• Adam Hadwin – Abbotsford, B.C. native won his first Web.com Tour event at the Chile Classic this season and will make his fourth RBC Canadian Open start. Finished T4 at Shaughnessy in 2011.
• Michael Gligic – PGA TOUR Canada member from Burlington, Ont. won a regional qualifier to earn his second RBC Canadian Open start.
• Eugene Wong – Two-time PGA TOUR Canada winner and former Jack Nicklaus Award winner at the University of Oregon will make his fifth RBC Canadian Open start. Currently top Canadian on PGA TOUR Canada’s 2014 Order of Merit.
• Billy Walsh – Markham, Ont. native earned an exemption as the No. 1 player on the PGA of Canada rankings following the PGA Championship of Canada.
• Taylor Pendrith (a) – Richmond Hill, Ont. native won the prestigious Porter Cup this summer and recently finished a standout career at Kent State University. Currently 15^th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Corey Conners (a) – Semi-finalist at 2013 U.S. Amateur also recently finished collegiate career at Kent State. Currently 28^th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Adam Svensson (a) – Barry University student and Golf Canada National Amateur Team member was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner as NCAA Division II player of the year. 30^th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Chris Hemmerich (a) – University of Guelph Gryphon will make first RBC Canadian Open start. Recently won 2014 Ontario Amateur Championship.
• Kevin Carrigan (a) – Full-time financial planner from Victoria, B.C. won his second Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in 2013 to gain entry.
• Robbie Greenwell – Georgetown, Ontario native played his way into the field through open qualifying with a 5-under 67.
• Kevin Stinson – Mission, British Columbia native played his way into the field through open qualifying with a 5-under 67. Has successfully Monday qualified three times on PGA TOUR Canada this season
• Ben Silverman – Thornhill, Ontario native played his way into the field through open qualifying with a 5-under 67. Has three top-15 finishes on PGA TOUR Canada this season to sit 30^th on the Order of Merit.