Rory McIlroy may have won the RBC Canadian Open, but he left Ontario with the best prize of all: friendship.

The world No. 3 golfer and Toronto Raptors all-star Kyle Lowry became fast friends over the past week, bonding over their performances in high-pressure events. McIlroy went on to win the Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ont., while Lowry was instrumental in Toronto taking a 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals heading into Monday night’s Game 5.

They first met when McIlroy, in Toronto ahead of the Canadian Open, attended Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 2 at Scotiabank Arena. McIlroy went into Toronto’s locker room after the Raptors’ 109-104 loss to Golden State and started chatting with Lowry, exchanging phone numbers.

“We messaged back and forth a little bit this week,” said McIlroy, who watched Toronto’s two wins in Oakland, Calif., on television between rounds of Canada’s national golf championship. “It was awesome to see them do what they did over on the West Coast.”

When McIlroy won the PGA Tour event on Sunday, he pulled on an autographed Lowry jersey on the 18th green and shouted “Raptors in five!” to cheers from the thousands in attendance. A source told The Canadian Press that Lowry had made plans to watch McIlroy’s final round in person on Sunday, but opted to stay in Toronto and rest ahead of Monday night’s Game 5.

"I've been to a couple basketball games, but there was just nothing like it"@Raptors | #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/7vCRgI2fP1

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 9, 2019

McIlroy wanted to return the favour, but had to fly to California to play in this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

“If I didn’t have a big tournament next week, I would be sticking around for that Game 5,” said McIlroy, who is also friends with L.A. Lakers superstar LeBron James and been his guest at previous NBA Finals. “I’m sure it’ll be awesome.”

Although June 2 was the first time they had spoken, Lowry had seen McIlroy play in person before.

“I didn’t realize he followed us around in L.A. at the start of the year,” said McIlroy. “I played with Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas the first two rounds and (Lowry) followed us around. He said in the summertime when he’s got some time off he basically plays 36 holes a day. I was pretty impressed with that.”

GALLOWAY, N.J. – After 3-putting from off the green on the 15th hole to fall two shots off the lead in the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Lexi Thompson made it a point not to stress out over it.

The calm demeanour paid off as Thompson finished birdie-par-eagle on her last three holes Sunday, and made a 20-foot putt for the eagle at the 18th to win the $1.75 million event on the Bay Course at Seaview by one stroke over Jeongeun Lee6.

“I just really tried to find the positives in it because I knew coming in there were birdie holes,” Thompson said. “If I let it affect me, I wouldn’t have finished the way I did. At that point I didn’t know where I was, position-wise. I kind of thought I was behind for sure . a few back.”

Playing in winds that blew steadily from 20 to 30 miles per hour, Thompson had a 4-under-par 67 for a 54-hole score of 12-under 201. She posted her 11th career LPGA Tour victory – first since last year’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. It extended her streak to seven straight years with at least one win on the tour.

Thompson, who made her professional debut in this event in 2010 at the age of 15, set up her eagle at the 18th by needing to hit a 190-yard second shot with the wind at her back, to get it to the front of the green.

“With a jumper lie and the wind, I ended up hitting a pitching wedge, which is my 135 club,” she said. “It ended up landing 50 yards short and rolling up there.”

On the putt, she said, “I got chills, like my hair on my arms was sticking up once I made it.”

Lee6, the champion of last week’s U.S. Women’s Open who was playing two groups behind Thompson, lost her lead with three consecutive bogeys from holes 13 through 15 before bouncing back with a birdie at No. 16 to tie Thompson.

However, needing an eagle to force a playoff after reaching the green in two, she just missed a 45-foot putt to tie and had to settle for a birdie, giving her a 70 and second place at 202.

“The way I’m playing the ShopRite tournament, it’s amazing, and I’m pretty satisfied with finishing in second place,” Lee6 said through an interpreter.

Ally McDonald, seeking her first career LPGA Tour victory, challenged on the back nine and took third place at 204 following a 70. Two-time ShopRite LPGA champion Anna Nordqvist had a 69 for fourth place at 206.

Anne-Catherine Tanguay (67) and Brooke Henderson (68) were the top Canadians, tying for 11th at 4-under, while Alena Sharp (72) tied for 21st at 3-under.

Mariah Stackhouse, who began the day one stroke off the lead, fell back with a double bogey at the fifth hole and couldn’t come back. Her round of 74 left her in a three-way tie for fifth at 207 with Ariya Jutanugarn (68) and Yu Liu (72).

Joly, Que. – Eric (Joohyung) Byun of Richmond Hill, Ont. maintained his second-round lead to win the boys’ division, while Brooke Rivers of Brampton, Ont. remained dominant to win in the girls’ division of the Future Links, driven by Acura Québec Championship at Club de golf Les Boisés de Joly, Sunday.

Byun entered the final round with a share of the lead and shot 2-over par 74 Sunday to win the 54-hole tournament by a single stroke. Byun’s three-straight birdies on holes No. 5 through 7 put him atop the leaderboard and he withstood a strong push from Remi Chartier, who finished second.

Byun was T21 at the 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Québec Championship. He finished T38 at last year’s Canadian Junior Boys Championship.

Chartier, a Montreal native, held a share of the lead heading into the final round. He finished second at last year’s Future Links, driven by Acura Québec Championship and a bogey free back nine helped him to an even-par 216 on the tournament.

Frédéric Rousseau (Longueuil, Que.), Michael Ikejiani (Minesing, Ont.) and Logan Boucher (Beaconsfield, Que.) round out top-five players in the boys’ division advancing to the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship, taking place August 11-15 at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club.

In the junior girls’ division, Brooke Rivers was unstoppable throughout the tournament, winning by 16-strokes.

The Brampton, Ont. native shot the only under-par rounds of the tournament in the girls’ division, carding 2-under par 70 in each of her three rounds. She finished at 6-under during the 54-hole tournament.

Raesa Sheikh of Caledon, Ont. was the closest competitor to Rivers. Sheikh made an eagle on the par-5 No. 7 in the final round, giving her a 3-over-par 75 on the day and 11-over for the tournament.

Defending champion Emily Romancew of Pierrefonds, Que. came in third. Romancew shot 12-over par 228 for the tournament.

Rounding out the top five (including ties) headed to the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship held from July 29-August 2 at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta. are Alexis McMurray (Oakville, Ont.), Élizabeth Labbé (Lévis, Que.) and Heather McLean (Port Williams, N.S.) at 19-over-par 235.

Full scoring and results can be found here.

HAMILTON, Ont.  — Using a loonie as his ball marker, Rory McIlroy fired a final round 9-under par 61 to win Canada’s National Open Championship, the RBC Canadian Open in his first appearance.

McIlroy’s 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score ever carded at the RBC Canadian Open. The previous record of 263 was held by Johnny Palmer (1952), Scott Piercy (2012) and Tim Clark (2014). His final round 61 is also the best final round at the 110-year-old event, breaking the record of 62 held by Andy Bean (1983).

The 30-year-old entered Sunday’s final round sharing the lead with Americans Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson. He started his round by lipping-out a chip for eagle on the first hole, en route to birding four of his first five holes. With the win the Northern Irishman claimed his 16^th PGA TOUR title.

“It’s been a while since I played like this and sort of put my foot down, but it was so nice to do it today,” said McIlroy. “I’m very proud of what I’ve done today. Hopefully this sets up well for the rest of the year, too.”

McIlroy becomes only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, having won the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014. He joins an exclusive club that includes Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods.

“The reception from the Canadian crowds have been incredible this week,” added McIlroy. “They couldn’t have been any better. They’ve been so welcoming all week. I can’t wait to come back next year.”

Right back at ya, @McIlroyRory!

Cheers, champ ? pic.twitter.com/WIotjSqxvm

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 10, 2019

McIlroy is the first golfer to win the RBC Canadian Open on his first attempt since Chez Reavie in 2008 and the first European to capture the title since Sweden’s Carl Pettersson in 2010.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry and American Web Simpson finished tied for second at 15-under par 265 for the tournament. Americans Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker finished tied for 4^th at 13-under.

Adam Hadwin fired an even-par 70 in the final round, finishing as the low Canadian at 12-under par 268 on the tournament. Hadwin was awarded the Rivermead Cup for the fourth time of his career as low Canadian.

“The crowd was amazing all week,” said Hadwin. “That reception coming up 18 was something special. I pictured it with being a few more [strokes] under earlier in the week, but they were amazing. I’m just disappointed I couldn’t get it done in front of them.”

By virtue of his sixth-place finish, Hadwin qualifies for the 2019 Open Championship being held July 14-21 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Also earning an exemption in the 2019 Open Championship was Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. New for 2019, the RBC Canadian Open is included in The Open Qualifying Series. Up to three players who are not already exempt earned places in the 148^th Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Taste of ??! @Graeme_McDowell drains a 30-footer on 18 and punches his ticket to @TheOpen ????@SteamWhistle ? pic.twitter.com/ijhON9pGOo

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 9, 2019

The 2020 RBCCO is being held at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto from June 8 to 14.

Click here to view the full leaderboard for the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

ANCASTER, Ont. – Golf Canada’s plans to elevate the RBC Canadian Open have paid off.

Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada’s CEO, called the 2019 edition of the tournament a success on Sunday, even as the national sport organization was still adding up its figures.

“I can categorically say that the RBC Canadian Open 2019 will be a record year,” said Applebaum at a morning news conference before most pairings had teed off in the final round of the national championship. “It’s going to be a record on basically every single metric we look at.”

Golf Canada reported a 65 per cent increase in attendance, a total of approximately 120,000 people over seven days. Beer sales, always a point of pride for the only Canadian stop on the PGA Tour, doubled from last year’s event at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

Setting the stage for a thrilling Sunday finish at the #RBCCO

Tickets ➡️https://t.co/7mfBsjhFcY pic.twitter.com/ZoSzqMSSUn

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 9, 2019

That growth was part of a plan initiated by Golf Canada, lead sponsor RBC, and the PGA Tour, to raise the RBC Canadian Open’s profile.

The overall purse was increased to US$7.6 million for 2019, up from $6.4 million. The date was also moved from late July to the first week of June, a more advantageous position in golf’s calendar, a week before the U.S. Open instead of a week after the British Open.

A pair of concerts were added to the event, with country music stars Florida Georgia Line playing on Friday night and Kingston, Ont., rock group the Glorious Sons performing on Saturday night.

“I think we saw on Friday and Saturday that music and golf do work together,” said Mary DePaoli, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer for RBC. “Anecdotally there were so many people that came to hear music but got here early to see some golf.”

The Hamilton Golf and Country Club hosted the Canadian Open for the first time since 2007. It will welcome the national championship in 2023. St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto will hold the event in 2020 and 2024, with the hosts for 2021 and 2022 expected to be announced by the end of this year.

Looking back on the Sunday morning hype that surrounded the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

HAMILTON, Ont.  — Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson sit in a three-way tie for the lead at 13-under par heading into the final round of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

McIlroy catapulted to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-under 64. He was bogey free, while knocking in six birdies and says he has been enjoying the atmosphere during his first visit to Canada’s National Open Golf Championship.

“It’s probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in in a long time,” said McIlroy. “The Canadian fans really come out and support this event. That 13^th hole there [The Rink] is pretty cool. I think what they’ve been able to do here is right on the limit of fun, but still in keeping with the traditions of the game, so I think it’s been awesome. I’ve had a wonderful reception from everyone and just excited to get to play in front of them again tomorrow.”

Kuchar started the day with a share of the lead and remained steady, shooting 1-under-par 69 Saturday. Currently sitting No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, Kuchar was atop the leaderboard for most of the day, but a bogey on No. 15 pulled him back into a tie with McIlroy and Simpson.

”It was a tough day out there,” said Kuchar. “It took a lot of good scoring to stay in the position I’m in. The support out here has been fantastic. The crowds have been great. The energy has been great. The Rink is completely unique.”

Simpson had a bogey-free 67 that helped him grab a share of the lead with 18 holes remaining.

Canadian Adam Hadwin is one-shot back, sitting T4 after moving day. A bogey on No. 2 made for an unfavourable start, but Hadwin clawed his way back into contention with three back-nine birdies. He is tied with Shane Lowry and Brandt Snedeker, a stroke behind the leaders at -12.

“I certainly got a lot more out of this round,” added Hadwin. “I really struggled with that left-to-right wind off the tee – couldn’t really figure it out. I’m just proud of the way I battled today. You know you have to go out and shoot a low one tomorrow.”

Mackenzie Hughes enjoyed his third straight round in the 60s – a 1-under par 69 – that dropped him one-spot into a share of 8^th.

Nick Taylor started the day tied for third but carded a 73 to slip into a tie for 9^th.

The final round of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open tees off at 8:25 a.m. on Sunday, June 9. Pairings and tee times and be found here.

Canada’s Roger Sloan takes a tour through the Hamilton Fare Way and the Titleist Fitting Zone

ANCASTER, Ont. – As Roger Sloan walked up the 14th fairway at Hamilton Golf and Country Club he thought about how he could be doing better with his approach shot.

After opening the par-4 hole with a 294-yard drive the product of Merritt, B.C., knew that to stay competitive in the third round of the RBC Canadian Open on Saturday he’d have to get as near to the pin as possible.

“I’d been thinking all day ‘I haven’t hit it close, I haven’t hit it close,” said Sloan, whose 152-yard shot with his eight iron landed within eight feet of the hole.

“To be able to hit that eight iron in there within a couple of feet was definitely nice.”

With the green slightly elevated from his position on the fairway, it was the cheers from red-clad Canadian fans that let him know he was in position to birdie.

“I’ve always enjoyed this tournament,” said Sloan. “It’s our national championship, golf is obviously a huge part of Canadian culture and Canadian golf fans are very passionate.

“As a Canadian it’s so thrilling to be out there and hearing the cheers and hearing the support.”

Sloan had three birdies on the back nine in a 2-under 68 round. Although not a very low score, the entire field struggled on the rapidly drying course, helping him climb 17 spots up the leaderboard.

“You’ve got to stay patient out there with the wind being a little more severe, it’s in the same direction it has been,” said Sloan, who teed off at 9:10 in the morning. “It’s out there for the guys in the afternoon but I’m very pleased with how I played today.”

Toronto’s Richard Jung had a 5-over 75 round to drop down the leaderboard to 63rd.

Sloan, who has played in five Canadian Opens and made the cut three times, is excited to be playing on the Saturday and Sunday of the only PGA Tour event on home soil.

“Anytime you can play all four rounds here at the Canadian Open, it’s great being a Canadian,” said Sloan. “I’m excited for the opportunity to go out there and play well tomorrow.”

LEWISTON, NY – Brigitte Thibault of Rosemère, Que. and Mary Parsons of Delta B.C. each shot rounds in the 60s, finishing third and fourth, respectively, at the Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, NY.

Thibault, a member of Team Canada National Amateur Squad, finished at 5-under par 211 over the 54-hole tournament. A final round 69, aided by four birdies on the front nine, helped her to a third-place finish. Thibault finished three shots back of leaders Jackie Rogowicz of Yardley, Penn. and Australian Isabelle Taylor.

Parsons was leading after the first round after carding a 69. Three birdies on her final five holes catapulted her into first place after 18 holes, but she would ultimately finish four-strokes back of the leaders.

Strathroy, Ont.’s Taylor Kehoe finished T8 at 1-over par for the tournament. Kehoe won the 2018 Future Links, driven by Acura Ontario Championship.

A total of 33 Canadians were among the 75 competitors, including Team Canada National Junior Squad members Emily Zhu (Richmond Hill, Ont.), Ellie Szeryk (London, Ont.), Céleste Dao (Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.) and Monet Chun (Richmond Hill, Ont.).

Full results can be found here.