Golf Canada, in partnership with RBC, the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Golf and Country Club Foundation, along with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board and Hamilton Catholic District School Board, announced today a number of youth initiatives that will make the 2019 RBC Canadian Open more junior-accessible than ever before, while creating a meaningful golf legacy in the Hamilton Wentworth region.

Check out what’s inside the Levelwear Merchandise tent at the RBC Canadian Open

ANCASTER, Ont. – Now that Mackenzie Hughes is a two-time winner of the Rivermead Cup as low Canadian at the RBC Canadian Open, he’s looking for a bigger prize this week.

The Dundas, Ont., golfer, who will tee it up about 10 minutes away from where he grew up starting Thursday at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, is one of 26 Canadians looking to end one of those most prominent droughts in sport in this country.

“Being the low Canadian has been nice the last couple of years, but I certainly come here hoping to get a different kind of trophy,” Hughes said at a news conference Tuesday. “I know it’s a big ask and we only get one crack at the Canadian Open every year, but I feel like I’ve been trending in the right direction. Especially at this tournament the last couple years, I’ve been playing well. It’s just a matter of putting it all together for four rounds.”

Pat Fletcher was the most recent Canadian to win the event in 1954 – and the pressure only intensifies for Canucks with each passing year.

But Brooke Henderson managed to end another lengthy golf drought last year, becoming the first Canadian since 1973 to win an LPGA Tour at home as she captured the CP Women’s Open in Regina.

With eight Canadians seeing fairly regular time on the PGA Tour this season and many more getting their shot on the top circuit this week, there are plenty of opportunities for the host country.

Hometown fan favourite @machughesgolf chats #golf ahead of this week's #RBCCO ??⛳️ pic.twitter.com/4Drwvn3Lfz

— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) June 4, 2019

Hughes figures to have some of the most vocal support. He tied for eighth last year at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., the best result for a Canadian since David Hearn was third in 2015. Hughes also was low Canadian in 2017 at Glen Abbey, tying for 32nd.

The 28-year-old is coming off a tie for eighth at the Charles Schwab Classic and just missed his second career PGA Tour win earlier this year in the Dominican Republic, settling for a tie for second.

“I think there’s an advantage for sure (playing close to home),” Hughes said. “I’ve got some comfort and familiarity walking around the property knowing certain holes and how they play in different winds. Granted, it’s been a long time, but I still have the rounds logged here to know this place pretty well.”

Hughes made his PGA Tour debut at the Hamilton course in 2012, shooting 1-over 71 in both rounds and missing the cut.

“I didn’t know what to expect back then,” he said. “It was my first PGA Tour event and it was a little more deer in the headlights than it is now. Now, I feel quite comfortable and ready to play golf rather than just get caught up in all the distractions.”

Hughes knows he’ll see many familiar faces at the course – he ran into his Grade 6 teacher this week. He’s embracing the attention.

“I’ve been through this now the last few years. definitely the last two,” Hughes said. “When I came here in 2017, I had won the (PGA Tour’s RSM Classic) the prior fall. I had a bit of experience dealing with extra requests. It’s all part of playing in you’re home country, especially when you’re playing close to home. I don’t think it really takes too much energy out of you. It’s just about managing your time and making sure you need to get what you need to get it done.”

After a pro-am event Wednesday, the first round of the 72-hole tournament is Thursday.

Marquee groupings for the first two rounds include a trio of Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., with Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald, a threesome featuring Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., with previousCanadian Open winners Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk and an all-Canadian trio of Mike Weir, Nick Taylor and David Hearn.

Four of the top six golfers in the world rankings are in the event this year – No. 1 Brooks Koepka, No. 2 Johnson, No. 4 Rory McIlroy and No. 6 Justin Thomas.

HAMILTON, Ont. – The start times for the 2019 RBC Canadian Open Championship Pro-Am at Hamilton Golf & Country Club for Wednesday, June 5 have been released.

The event will see 104 professional golfers take to the renowned Hamilton course to entertain a field of 204 amateurs as part of the PGA TOUR’s ‘Nine and Nine’ Pro-Am format where amateur participants will play nine holes each with a pair of PGA TOUR professionals. Click here for pairings and start times.

As well, the pairings and start times for the opening two rounds of the 110th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship on Thursday, June 6 and Friday, June 7 are now available online here.

Actor/comedian Gerry Dee shows us how it’s done at the RBC Canadian Open

HAMILTON, Ont. – James Allenby of Langley, B.C., Thomas DeMarco of LaSalle, Ont., Étienne Brault of Mercier, Que and JC Deacon of Toronto have all earned entry into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open through Final Qualifying at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Allenby was the low qualifier by carding a 4 under par 67. Four birdies on the final six holes helped him qualify for his first RBC Canadian Open.

“You just have to keep playing,” said Allenby of his four back nine birdies. “I can’t really tell you what it was. Two 30-footers went in and those are always nice. I’ve been putting well all year, so I’m not surprised, but I’m very happy. My mental game has really taken a step up this year, and that will help me get around [Hamilton Golf & Country Club].”

Allenby earned medallist honours at the B.C. Regional Qualifier in early May. He plays on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and recently finished T2 at the Canada Life Open in Vancouver.

Amateurs DeMarco and Brault finished T2 with a 1 under par 70 and will be competing in their first RBC Canadian Opens. Their addition to the field brings the number of Canadian amateurs teeing off at Hamilton Golf & Country Club to six – Michael Anderson of Mississauga, Ont. qualified through the Quebec Regional Qualifier, while Team Canada National Amateur Squad members Chris Crisologo (Richmond, B.C.), Joey Savoie (La Prairie, Que.) and Josh Whalen (Napanee, Ont.) were granted exemptions.

Toronto native JC Deacon earned the final qualifying spot by shooting an even-par 71. At age 37, he will be competing in his first RBC Canadian Open. Deacon is the head coach of the University of Florida men’s golf team.

Click here for full results from the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier.

MILTON, Ont. – Four American touring professionals’ schedules got busier this month, as they earned coveted spots in the field for the 119th edition of the Men’s U.S. Open Championship, which runs from June 10 to 16 at Pebble Beach Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Tom Hoge, 30, of Statesville, NC and Austria-born Sepp Straka, 26, of Vodesta, GA earned co-medalist honours at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont., on a cool, windswept Monday as it hosted the first-ever U.S. Open Championship Sectional Qualifier contested in Canada.

Hoge, who shot a 3-under 69 during the morning 18-hole wave, heated up on the back nine of his afternoon match, firing four birdies before a pair of bogeys on 17 and 18 brought his total score to -5 for a share of the clubhouse lead.

Straka fired a 70 in the morning and stayed under the radar in the early afternoon after an opening double-bogey on his second 18 holes threatened his chances. He managed to notch three birdies between holes 12 and 16 to battle back and join Hoge at 5-under.

“I played well. First time trying to qualify for an Open so I’m really happy about the result, ” said a smiling Straka in the clubhouse as he waited for the outcome of the playoff. “It’s awesome to be heading to Pebble Beach, such an iconic place. It’s going to be sweet!”

Playoff golf was required to break a three-way tie for the final two qualifying spots following 36-holes of regulation golf. Harris English birdied his last hole of the day with a superb approach to the green to force extra holes. Alex Prugh of Spokane, Wash. and Nathan Lashley of Scottsbluff, Neb, who had both been waiting in the clubhouse at 4-under, were forced to return to the course for a tiebreaker.

Prugh and Lashley prevailed and will also be competing at Pebble Beach. English will serve as first alternate.

The field featured 37 competitors including PGA TOUR veterans, promising Canadian golfers, and a three-time winner of major tournaments in Padraig Harrington, who had a good start, but settled for a final score of 2-under.

The 36-hole sectional event was held on the CopperHead course at Rattlesnake Point. Included in the field was eight Canadian golfers, many of whom will move on immediately to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to compete in the 2019 RBC Canadian Open. David Hearn, of Brantford, Ont., was the low Canadian finisher in 12th position, shooting par on the day.

“The conditions were really windy today and it was tricky if you weren’t in control of your ball,” said Hearn, who was rushing home to Brantford before heading to Hamilton Golf and Country Club to prepare for his next challenge at the RBC Canadian Open.  “But the course was in great shape, there’s no doubt about it. The greens set-up was great, and when the conditioning is good, it’s a fair contest for everybody.”

A total of 927 players participated in 12 sectoral qualifications, including events scheduled in Canada, England and Japan. This is the first time in the history of the U.S. Open that a sectional qualification event has been held in Canada. For all scores and results of U.S. Open Sectional Qualifiers, click here. 

U.S. Open qualifying began earlier this spring with 8,602 players competing in 110 local qualifiers. One local qualifier was held in Canada on May 13 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont.

The Canadian sectional is being held the same week as the RBC Canadian Open, and several PGA TOUR players will be playing both the RBC Canadian Open and the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier.

Canadians Nick Taylor and Mike Weir already qualified for the 119th U.S. Open via the sectional qualifying event on May 20 in Dallas.

DUBLIN, Ohio – Jack Nicklaus is a gracious tournament host at the Memorial who doesn’t mince words, and it paid off for Patrick Cantlay.

When they bumped into each other earlier in the week in the grill room, Nicklaus told him he had to learn how to finish. And then when Cantlay saw him again at lunch going into the weekend, Nicklaus told him how.

Nicklaus said to have fun, to look around at all the fans having a great time, to relax and to go win the golf tournament.

Cantlay had a blast Sunday with the best closing round by a winner in the 44 years of the Memorial. He rallied from four shots behind with an 8-under 64, a round so under control that Cantlay’s longest putt for par was from 8 feet on the final hole, with Nicklaus watching behind the 18th green.

He poured it in to secure a two-shot victory over Adam Scott.

“I finished it,” Cantlay said to Nicklaus as he walked off the green.

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for 52nd at 1 over for the tournament, 20 shots off the lead. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., tied for 62nd at 4 over.

Martin Kaymer, trying to end five years without a victory, started with a two-shot lead and never recovered from a four-hole stretch on the back nine when he made consecutive bogeys and failed to birdie the par-5 15th. He closed with a 72 and finished third.

Scott was the last player to have a chance and ran off three straight birdies until narrowly missing birdie putts on the last two holes. He shot 68.

“Being able to win on this golf course, in front of Jack, making that putt on the last hole, I can’t tell you how good it feels,” he said.

Engaging in private, Cantlay doesn’t smile much on the golf course and isn’t about to force one. But the advice from Nicklaus – Cantlay first met him when he won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation’s best college player in 2011 – stuck with him.

Look around, soak it up and enjoy it.

“I definitely said that to myself down the stretch today on the back nine,” said Cantlay, who finished at 19-under 269. “It put me a little more at ease, and I hit a lot of really nice, quality shots with the lead.”

Cantlay first caught Kaymer with a 3-wood to 10 feet for a two-putt birdie on the 11th. Kaymer, in the group behind him, matched the birdie. That was his last one. Cantlay followed with an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 14 and a 5-iron that set up a long two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th.

By then, Kaymer was making bogeys and Scott was stuck in neutral until it was too late.

“I knew that you can’t really make any mistakes coming down the stretch,” said Kaymer, whose last victory was by eight shots in the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. “But all credit to Patrick. He played a great round of golf. He deserved to win – 19-under par is amazing.”

Scott finished at 19 under at Torrey Pines and lost two by to Justin Rose. He was 17 under at the Memorial – only six players have done better at Muirfield Village, one of them being Cantlay on Sunday.

“It’s disappointing not to win, for sure,” Scott said. “I really played good golf this week, and it just wasn’t good enough.”

Cantlay’s only disappointment was that it took him 19 months to win for the second time on the PGA Tour. But then, he hasn’t been around as long as it seems. Cantlay was low amateur in the 2011 U.S. Open, and the next week shot a 60 at the Travelers Championship.

But his career took a severe turn on and off the golf course, first with a back injury that kept him out of golf entirely for two full years and left him wondering if he would ever make it back. Then, he was out of dinner one night with his best friend and caddie, Chris Roth, when Roth was stuck by a car and killed.

Cantlay says it changed him as a person, but he keeps that separate from his golf.

His golf has been good for a long time, and this was a big step.

There some atonement at Muirfield Village for Cantlay. A year ago, he took a two-shot lead to the back nine and didn’t make a birdie the rest of the way, missing a playoff by one shot. This time, he putted for birdie on every hole on the back nine until the 18th.

“I was looking for a little redemption this week,” Cantlay said. “And that has to do with me feeling really comfortable on the golf course and liking it a lot. Not to mention I’ve been playing really well, so it feels like a win has been coming. You always have to put yourself in contention. And you start winning a couple, and you figure out how to do it, and hopefully it keeps happening.”

Tiger Woods knew he had no chance to win the Memorial from 11 shots behind going into the final round, though he still put on a show and got what he needed out of his final event before the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. He went out in 31 and was 7 under for his round through 12 holes until a sloppy bogey on the 14th and a closing bogey for a 67. He wound up in a tie for ninth at 9-under 279.

“The goal today was to get to double digits (under par) and get something positive going into the Open,” he said. “I got to double digits, I just didn’t stay there.”

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Six is certainly a magic number for U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee.

The 23-year-old South Korean won her first major title Sunday, the first $1 million women’s winner’s check ever handed out by the USGA and her first victory as an LPGA Tour rookie. And she did by shooting 1-under 70 at Country Club of Charleston to finish at, naturally, 6-under 278.

“This is kind of really interesting how I finished 6 under at an LPGA tournament,” Lee said through an interpreter. “So, this is really lucky number to me.”

Lee has the number in her name because she was the sixth player with the name on the Korean LPGA. She has embraced the number, answering to it and writing a large “6” on her balls. Her South Korean fan club is called “Lucky 6.” Jeongeun Lee5 tied for 34th at 4 over, 10 shots behind Lee.

Lee opened a three-shot lead with three holes to play before facing some nerves with bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes to tighten things up. But when third-round co-leader Celine Boutier’s blast from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole rolled off the green, Lee had the biggest win of her life.

“I didn’t even expect to win the tournament this fast,” Lee said. “I think this is very lucky that I won this major championship tournament.”

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 39th at 5 over for the event.

Lee, playing two groups ahead of Boutier, was practicing putts when the Frenchwoman could not make the sand shot. Lee bent down in joy when her victory was secure, countrywoman and 2011 U.S. Women’s Open winner So Yeon Ryu coming over to embrace the new champion.

“I felt pretty nervous starting on the holes 16, 17, and 18 after opening the large lead,” Lee said. “But I tried the best that I can.”

The victory came a few days after Tiger Woods’ former swing coach, Hank Haney, made disparaging remarks about women’s golf by predicting a “Korean” would win and “I’d go with Lee.”

Haney was suspended for his comments on his PGA Tour SiriusXM radio show when asked who’d win. “I’d go with Lee,” Haney said. “If I didn’t have to name a first name, I’d get a bunch of them right.” Haney was suspended for his remarks.

Haney sent Tweets on Sunday night congratulating Lee and saying his prediction was based on statistics and facts. “Korean women are absolutely dominating the LPGA Tour. If you asked me again, my answer would be the same but worded more carefully.”

Lee said her focus had been fully on the tournament. Because she hasn’t mastered English, “I didn’t really understand him that much, so I didn’t really think about it,” she said.

Boutier made a double bogey on the final hole to fall into a tie for fifth at 3 under. She shot 75. Lexi Thompson, Ryu and Angel Yin tied for second, two shots behind. Thompson shot 73, Ryu 70 and Yin 68.

Boutier tried to get on No. 18 in two. “And then if I made the putt, then it would be best,” she said. “But I missed the green, so …”

Gerina Piller, Jaye Marie Green, Mamiko Higa of Japan, and third-round co-leaders Yu Liu of China and Boutier tied for fifth. Piller was the only under par at 68. Higa and Liu shot 74s.

Boutier and Liu, the good friends and former Duke teammates, figured to fight for the title. Instead, both threw away chances early as they combined for three bogeys and a double bogey on the first three holes.

Thompson began the round a shot off the lead in search for a second career major. But she too struggled early with bogeys on the first, third and fourth holes to drop off the pace.

“It was a bit of a rough day,” Thompson said. “I got off to a pretty bad start. Just overall wasn’t as comfortable, I guess, over my shots.”

Lee is hardly a surprise winner. She came in ranked 17th in the world and has won six times on the KLPGA Tour. She tied for fifth in this event in her 2017 debut and has three top 10s on the LPGA Tour this season.

“So looking at her as a rookie to play this tournament so well, I’m really proud of her as a fellow competitor and same country girl as well,” Ryu said.

Higa faded in the final round after being a major contender at her first U.S. Women’s Open. She set the tournament mark for lowest debut with her opening 65. She was a stroke in front through 36 holes and only a shot behind when the final round began. But she had five bogeys on her first 13 holes to fall back. She finished tied for sixth after a 74.

NCAA women’s individual champion Maria Fassi started her first tournament as a pro 72-73 to make the cut on the number. She took flight on the weekend, going 68-70 to tie for 12th with a group at 1 under that included the tournament’s low amateur in Gina Kim, part of Duke’s recent NCAA team champion.

Two-time major champion Lydia Ko had a hole-in-one Sunday – the only of the week – on the difficult 11th hole. She hit a 6-iron from 172 yards and, moments later, heard cheers up near the green, but wasn’t sure why. She found out soon enough for her second career ace, the other coming at the Rio Olympics. The 11th, built with a false front and two large protective bunkers on each side, played as the hardest hole this week.

PONOKA, Alta. – Calgary natives Annabelle Ackroyd led wire-to-wire, while Tommy McKenzie was clutch in the final round to win their respective divisions at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship at Wolf Creek Golf Resort on Sunday.

held the lead entering the final day at Wolf Creek, but had to overcome three bogeys on the front nine to close out the victory. The 17-year-old flipped the script on the back nine, notching four birdies and no bogeys to finish at 1 over par for the 54-hole tournament, four shots ahead of runner-up Grace Bell.

“I didn’t play as well on the front nine as I wanted to,” said Ackroyd. “I stayed patient out there. I was in the same situation last year; having the lead heading into the back nine. I think that helped me just staying calm out there.”

A Calgary native, Bell trailed Ackroyd by one stroke heading into the final round, and briefly led on the front nine. She finished in second at 5 over par.

In addition to Ackroyd and Bell, top-five finishers Stephanie Chelack (Calgary), Vanessa Zhang (Vancouver) and Brooke Brezovski (St. Albert, Alta.) earn exemptions into the 2019 Canadian Junior Girls Championship on July 29 to Aug. 2 at Lethbridge Country Club in Lethbridge, Alta.

In the junior boys’ division, McKenzie was clutch in the closing stages of the final round. The Calgarian worked around a double bogey on the first hole to finish the day with a 72 (+1), 5 over par for the tournament.

McKenzie made par-or-better on each of his last 13 holes, securing his victory with a par putt on the 18^th hole.

“I had a double-bogey on the first hole when I hooked it right into the trees,” said McKenzie. “I just made sure I stayed calm and stayed focused. I wanted to play my game and not worry about anybody else.”

Ethan Choi of Pincher Creek, Alta., led for the majority of the final round, but ultimately finished in second place at the Future Links, driven by Acura Western Championship for the second consecutive year. He finished 6 over par during the 54-hole tournament, tied with Carter Graf (Sylvan Lake, Alta.), Brady McKinlay (Lacombe, Alta.) and Dustin Franko (Delta, B.C.).

As the top five finishers, McKenzie, Choi, Graf, McKinlay and Franko earn exemptions into the 2019 Canadian Junior Boys Championship from Aug. 11-15 at Covered Bridge Golf & Country Club in Hartland, N.B.

Full scoring and results can be found here.