INDIANAPOLIS, Ill. — Canadian Brooke Henderson put in a spectacular performance during Sunday’s final round at the Indy Women in Tech Championship, finishing T7 ahead of next week’s CP Women’s Open in her home country.

The Smiths Falls, Ont., product fired a scorching, bogey-free 63 (her best round of 2018) after recording nine birdies to finish at 18 under.

Sung Hyun Park blew one chance to jump back on top of the world Sunday.

The South Korean star made sure it didn’t happen again.

After missing a short birdie putt on the final hole of regulation and leaving the door open for Lizette Salas, Park made a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff to win the Indy Women in Tech Championship and reclaim the No. 1 spot.

“I’m very honoured to be ranked No. 1 and I hope to maintain that ranking for a long time,” she said through an interpreter after shooting a 3-under 69 for a four-round total of 23-under 265. “I will try my best.”

The 25-year-old South Korean held top spot for one week last November.

If she continues playing like she did this weekend, Park could retain it for quite a while.

She became the second three-time winner on tour this season and now won five LPGA Tour titles over the past two years _ including two majors.

And aside from a rare mishit, which led to a double bogey Saturday, Park played the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course almost flawlessly.

She opened with a 68 on Thursday, followed with a 63 on Friday and started in the next-to-last paring after settling for 66 on Saturday.

After finishing, Park was whisked away to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s finish line, where she celebrated by kissing the bricks and taking the traditional sip of milk _ though she declined to take the milk bath as the event’s inaugural winner, Lexi Thompson, did last year.

“I didn’t expect that tradition, but I was pleased to do it,” Park said.

But she needed some help to reach the winner’s circle.

Salas had a two-shot lead after a birdie on the par-4, 13th and seemed perfectly positioned to end her personal victory drought of more than four years _ even after Park cut the lead to one with a birdie at No. 14.

Then the tournament that had been full of low scores and light on drama suddenly switched.

Salas, who had missed only three fairways all week, hit drives into the rough on the last two holes of regulation.

She dropped into a tie after making bogey at the par-4, 17th and got a reprieve when Park’s birdie putt for the lead on No. 18 slid just to the right of the hole. Salas then hit her approach shot from the deep rough on No. 18 within five feet, giving her a chance to win. But after backing away from the putt, she also missed.

“I could have freaked out, I could have done a lot of other things, but I stayed patient and I hit the shot I wanted,” she said of the chip. “All I could ask for was an opportunity.”

Salas, hitting first, drove down the middle of the fairway within 90 yards of the hole. Park answered with a drive about 30 yards longer.

Both chipped onto the green with makeable birdie putts, but Salas’ curved just left of the hole.

Park’s putt, meanwhile, dropped cleanly in the middle of the cup.

“I was not nervous at all,” Park said. “When the other person missed the putt, I felt relieved that I would make it.”

Salas’ fifth career runner-up finish might have been the most frustrating.

After finishing tied for fifth in last year’s 54-hole tournament here with three sub-par rounds, she opened this year’s event with a course record-tying 62 on Thursday. She then had rounds of 69 and 64 and 69 and stayed atop the leader board through every hole Sunday _ until Park’s final putt.

“I stuck with my game plan and a couple of putts could have dropped,” she said. “But you’ve just got to roll with it.”

Amy Kang, of South Korea, wound up third after shooting 69 to finish at 22-under 266.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn needed to finish higher than sixth to retain her hold on the No. 1 spot. Jutanugarn tied for seventh after shooting 66 for an 18-under 270.

Thompson birdied the final hole to finish 1 under for the day and 17 under in her first tournament following a monthlong break to recover from physical and mental exhaustion.

But it was Park who delivered an eighth straight win for non-Americans.

“My goal was to win three times this year,” Park said. “I’m trying hard, so maybe I will win again.”

Canada’s Brooke Henderson had a great last day, scoring 63. This result in the final round saw her climb a few ladder, finishing in a tie for seventh.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — A rain delay and fog delay might have an effect on some players as they prepare or continue through their round, but in the end, the strongest will come out on top. 

Marta Sanz Barrio sure didn’t let those delays get in her way of winning it all.

With a finish that came down to the wire, Sanz Barrio walked away with a one-shot victory at the FireKeepers Casino Championship, finishing at 13-under-par.

While Sanz Barrio was having a day to remember, competition was a hole behind her the whole day in Augusta James who finished at 12-un­der-par. Sanz Barrio headed to the 18th with a two-shot lead and gave herself a little challenge she overhit her second shot behind the green.

After taking several different looks at her upcoming chip, Sanz Barrio flopped the perfect shot onto the green, but her ball stopped short of going in by a matter of inches. With a par inked on her final hole of the day, Sanz Barrio’s lead was locked in at 13-under, but James was right behind her with one hole left to go standing at 12-under.

 James hit her second shot on 18 on the front of the green, with the pen nestled roughly 25 feet away in the back left corner. James needed to sink the long putt to force a playoff with Sanz Barrio, as it was down to just the two of them on the leaderboard at the end of the day.

With volunteers, fans, and players alike all waiting on James’ decisive putt, complete silence fell over the crowd. James’ putt was rolling with the perfect speed to the cup, and for a matter of seconds, it seemed like a playoff push was inevitable, but James’ putt inched just past the cup.

Having secured her second-place finish, James walked over to Sanz Barrio, and hugged the champion, and the two of them walked off the green, both of them champions in the hearts of the fans.

“I didn’t know the exact score or know how well Marta was playing in front of me,” said James. “I wanted my putt to get there, it was a long putt and I left myself with a bit of a tester for second place but I’m happy i got it there at least.” 

A second-place finish at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship left James feeling pretty pleased with her performance this week.

“I didn’t have the results I wanted at the beginning of the year but I’m really happy with the way I’ve been playing over the last two weeks and especially today,” said James.

Fans also saw a familiar face out there caddying for Sanz Barrio throughout the day as it was her sis­ter, Patricia Sanz Barrio, who was looping for the eventual champion.

“She played amazing, especially on the back nine it just felt like she made everything,” said Patricia. “It felt like every hole she had the chance to birdie from everywhere.”

For Patricia Sanz Barrio, she got to experience a different point of view while being on the golf course.

“It was really cool and she was really calm, we had so much fun out there it was a great experience to share with her,” said Patricia Sanz Barrio. “I always keep her cool.”

For Marta, she believed today would be a day her and her sister would never forget.

“I actually wished that she was playing, but to have her have her read my putts and calm me down, this is something we will remember for the rest of our lives,” said Marta Sanz Barrio.

With Marta Sanz Barrio crowned the champion on the day, Maia Schechter earned championship honors of her own with her victory as the Potawatomi Cup Champion. The Potawatomi Cup takes place during four events on the tour, taking place in South Bend, Harris, Battle Creek, and Milwaukee. Each player who plays in those four events is automatically registered to compete in the Potawatomi Cup. It’s a point-based system, and whoever finishes with the most points at the end of the fourth round will be the victor.

“It’s a really fun mini-series within the schedule itself,” said Schechter. “I won in South Bend, played well in Harris and Milwaukee, and today simply settled the score.”

WINNIPEG, Man. — For the second time this season, Burlington, Ont., talent Michael Gligic was crowned Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week after shooting a 4-under 68 Sunday to finish in fourth place at 17 under overall. Gligic was also the low Canadian at 2016 The Players Cup when it was held at Niakwa Country Club.

“I three-putted one so it was kind of a sour start. I was in the middle of the fairway downwind, easy shot,” said Gligic. To lead with bogey is pretty disappointing, but made birdie on the second hole, pretty tough par-3 and that got me going again. It was just pretty steady out there.”

Fellow Canadian James Love finished one shot behind him at 16 under overall, good for a tie for fifth. Love is now inside the top 60 on the Order of Merit, rising to No. 46 from No. 83.

Michael Gellerman felt he did everything necessary to win at The Players Cup this week. He carded just one bogey and one double-bogey over 72 holes and finished at 20 under overall. The only problem was Tyler McCumber was also in the field.

“This must have been how those guys felt in 2000 when Tiger was playing or something,” Gellerman said. “ … It’s hard to complain much more, but the guy is obviously playing well and he’s a super good guy. I’m happy for him. But I want to beat him. I’m sick of losing to him.”

McCumber won for the third time in four starts, as the 27-year-old shot a 5-under 67 to finish at 22 under overall, two shots clear of the runner-up Gellerman. The University of Florida product is 90 under par over his last 16 rounds, which has included consecutive wins at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship, as well as a third-place finish at the ATB Financial Classic. He needs one more win over the final two Mackenzie Tour events to match Dan McCarthy’s record of four victories in a season, set in 2016.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it that way,” McCumber said. “That’s really funny he said that. No, maybe in a very, very small way. I do feel confident, I do feel good in my game. I feel good in the process of getting ready for tournaments. And so I don’t know how that’s portrayed or how it’s seen, but it does feel good.”

McCumber began the day one shot ahead of Drew Weaver, but quickly distanced himself from the field with birdies on four of his first six holes. His lead grew to as many as five shots at one point, and he officially put the tournament out of reach with one final birdie on the par-5 No. 16. He did not record a bogey over his final 55 holes.

“I was fortunate to come out of the gates early and get some momentum going my way,” he said. “I had a couple birdies there and then kind of just kept it going.”

McCumber’s win keeps him atop the Order of Merit for a third consecutive week, as he now leads all players with $135,700. He is almost $60,000 ahead of Zach Wright, who sits in second place with $75,880.

But he’s not ready to anoint himself just yet, no matter what his friend Gellerman says.

“It feels like something, I guess the best way to put it, is I feel more professional in my process of what I’m doing,” McCumber said. “And I think that carries into more confidence on the course and off the course. But I wouldn’t say it’s a Tiger run.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — When the sun set on the Wyndham Championship, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., were tied for eighth to become the top Canadians at the tournament.

With four consecutive birdies on the front-nine, an eagle on the 15th hole and a round closing birdie, Taylor fired a scorching 63 to finish the PGA regular season 119th in the FedEx Cup standings, qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs and earning full PGA status for next year.

Hearn also ended the tournament in a tie for eighth at 15 under after carding a 70 in the final round. He finishes short of the top-125 at No. 138.

Brandt Snedeker won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday for his ninth PGA Tour title, four days after opening with an 11-under 59.

Snedeker closed with a 65 for a three-stroke victory in the regular-season finale, breaking a tie with C.T. Pan on the final hole with a birdie and Pan’s double bogey in the group ahead.

Snedeker finished at 21-under 259 for his first win since 2016 and his second at the tournament, but first at Sedgefield Country Club.

Pan shot a 66 to tie for second with Webb Simpson.

Simpson matched his career-best with a 62.

Snedeker opened the tournament with the 59 that made him the first tour player this year and just the 10th ever to break 60, then on the final day played 29 holes at 5 under to seal it.

He was never in danger of missing the Fed Ex Cup playoffs for the first time in his career, but the victory gave him a huge jump on the points list. He climbed 50 spots to No. 30 on the list, after arriving at 80th _ which would have been his lowest finish.

For a while, it looked like it might come down to a playoff between Pan and Snedeker, who were even at 20 under entering Pan’s final hole.

But the 26-year-old from Taiwan ran into big trouble: Playing in the threesome immediately ahead of Snedeker, Pan shanked his tee shot out of bounds off a cart path down the right side of the fairway and needed four shots, including the penalty stroke, to reach the green on the par 4.

With the victory seemingly inevitable at that point, Snedeker sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th to end it.

Severe weather led organizers to suspend the third round with 30 players still on the course and bring everybody back to Sedgefield on Sunday morning, leaving Snedeker with 29 holes to play on the final day.

He wrapped up that round with a one-stroke lead at 16 under before heading back onto the course. Since the tournament moved here in 2008, every third-round leader who was that far under par has gone on to win.

The other subplot at Sedgefield is the last-minute push for the playoffs, which begin next week at The Northern Trust in New Jersey with the top 125 players qualifying. With every player who was between Nos. 122-127 missing the cut, there figured to be plenty of movement near the bubble.

Sergio Garcia will miss the playoffs for the first time in his career after winding up 131st on the points list. Harris English and Nick Taylor played their way in, with Taylor saying he would “kind of soak it in and realize that we’ve finally done it.

“It’s really satisfying to finish it off,” he said.

REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – The final four spots into the 2018 CP Women’s Open field will be determined in Monday’s final qualifying event at The Royal Regina Golf Club.

A total of 17 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s National Women’s Open Golf Championship. The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption into the 2018 CP Women’s Open field. If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results from Final Qualifying on Monday, August 20. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Tournament week for the 2018 CP Women’s Open kicks off Monday, August 20 at The Wascana Country Club as the stars of the LPGA Tour make their first-ever visit to the province of Saskatchewan.

In addition to practice rounds in the morning, the Canada Day All-Star Pro-Am gets underway with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. The All-Star Clinic will feature LPGA Tour winner and recent Canadian Golf Hall of Fame inductee Gail Graham conducting live interviews with LPGA Tour stars including Alena Sharp, Lydia Ko, Morgan Pressel, Pernilla Lindenberg and Paula Creamer along with Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane.

A full field list of players confirmed to compete in the 2018 CP Women’s Open is available by clicking here.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — With a different day brings better weather, and that was very good news on Saturday at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. August James sits 2 strokes behind the lead with a share of sixth. She fired five birdies and one bogey on Saturday to head into Sunday’s round 6-under for the tournament.

The weather wasn’t the most important factor of the day though, but rather who could sink the final putt to take over first place through two rounds of play.

Janie Jackson held the lead at 7-under prior to her 2:25 p.m. second-round tee time on Saturday, but her lead didn’t last for long. There was a 6-way tie for first place heading into the latter portion of the afternoon. Between Jackson, Karolina Vlckova, Linnea Johansson, Casey Danielson, Kendall Dye, and Maia Schechter, nobody could pull away to take over solo possession of the lead.

Schechter was playing lights out, marking five total birdies on the day, compared to a lone bogey on her card. However, it was experience over tenacity that changed the leaderboard late.

Former LPGA Tour player Silvia Cavalleri decided it was her time to shine.

Cavalleri got off to quite the rough start, starting her day with back-to-back bogeys in her first two holes. She quickly bounced back from her issues, and birdied the third hole.On the 15th hole, she tallied her third birdie of the day, which put her in a tie for first at 7-unde-parr. Her fourth birdie of the day came at just the right time on hole No. 17, as it pushed her into the sole possession of first place at 8-under-par.

With the lead in her hands, Cavalleri needed to par the 18th to maintain sole possession of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round. She was lyingtwo on the fringe in front of the green, and needed to two-putt to finish with the lead. With her short game consistently having her back all day long, she decides to putt from nearly 25 feet away, and ended up just about a foot short of the hole.

Cavelleri tapped in to preserve the lead, and will head into the final day of competition one stroke ahead of the field.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada—James Love and Michael Gligic enter Sunday in a tie for ninth at 13 under overall to lead all Canadians in the field. Love shot a 2-under 70 Saturday while Gligic carded a 1-under 71.

Tyler McCumber has been in this situation before. Twice, in fact.

For the third time in four weeks, the 27-year-old will take a lead into the final round on the Mackenzie Tour, as a 7-under 65 propelled him to a one-shot advantage over Drew Weaver Saturday at The Players Cup. McCumber won in both previous instances, which came in consecutive starts at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship.

“Today was definitely my best day,” he said following his round at Southwood Golf & Country Club. “I was a little more relaxed, a little more in the flow, in the zone. I was hitting good shots and really, just really not as anxious today. Just went out there and kind of freewheeled it.”

McCumber, who also finished third last week at the ATB Financial Classic, carded consecutive birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 5, then added a fourth birdie on No. 9. He pulled into a tie atop the leaderboard with an eagle on the par-5 No. 16, then took the lead for good with a birdie on the 18th hole. He was bogey-free for the second straight day.

“It was nice to kind of get some momentum and pace,” said McCumber, the top-ranked player on the Order of Merit. “I felt like today it was easier to get good mojo going and keep the momentum. I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Obviously twosomes will play pretty quick.”

The University of Florida graduate will play in Sunday’s final pairing once again with Weaver, who he also paired with in the fourth round at the Osprey Valley Open. Weaver finished tied for third that day and will look to earn his first victory on the Mackenzie Tour since the 2015 Freedom 55 Financial Open.

“I finally converted one on the ninth for eagle, and that’s a big boost, obviously,” said Weaver, who also shot 7-under 65. “But once I got a piece of momentum, I just kind of ran with it. And that’s what I’ve tried to tell myself most of the summer, is that if I could just get a little bit of momentum in any way, shape or form, that I’m going to do my best to build on it.”

WINNIPEG, Man.— Michael Gligic is the top Canadian heading into the weekend at 12 under after a fire round on Friday at the Players Cup saw him register eight birdies and only one bogey

Rounds of 67-65 leave him tied for second with six others, just one shot behind leader Alex Chiarella. The 28-year-old finished T2 at The Players Cup in 2016, when the event was held Niakwa Country Club.

“It was pretty good. The front nine could have been a lot better, too. I just couldn’t get anything going, really,” said the Burlington, Ont., talent. “I had it in there close a few times, missed probably a 3- and 6-footer for birdie and just didn’t have any momentum going. I made the turn, made a putt on 10 and on the back nine I was kind of making them from everywhere.”

Other Canadians to make the cut include James Love (tied for ninth), Aaron Crawford (tied for 33rd) and Jared du Toit (tied for 33rd). Riley Wheeldon, the leading Canadian on the Order of Merit, needed birdie on the final hole to make it on the number before carding a bogey.

Alex Chiarella is still a relative unknown on the Mackenzie Tour. He began the year with conditional status and appeared in only two events prior to this week. Even as he first climbed his way to the top of the field Thursday at The Players Cup, course leaderboards left a blank space where his name should have been.

Tournament officials ensured his name cards would be there Friday. Good thing, too. The 24-year-old continued his surprising start with a 6-under 66, moving to 13 under overall. He will take a one-shot lead over seven players into Saturday’s third round.

“My game has felt good recently,” Chiarella said. “I just haven’t been able to put good scores together. But things clicked the last couple days and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

The University of San Diego product has carded just one bogey over his first 36 holes, which came Friday on the par-4 10th. But he quickly rebounded with a birdie on No. 11, an eagle on No. 13, and two more birdies on Nos. 14 and 18. The eagle, his second of the week, came on the par-5 No. 13. He hit driver down the left side, followed with a 5-iron from 215 yards out, then connected on a putt from 12 feet.

“You can hit a lot of drivers out here, so I’m just trying to bomb driver and give myself the best angle to the pin on each green and it’s worked out,” the third-year pro said. “I’ve hit my driver well this week and hopefully it continues.”

George Cunningham, Daniel Stringfellow, David Pastore, Ian Holt, Zach Wright, Cody Blick and Canadian Michael Gligic are all tied for second at 12 under. Blake Olson and Canadian James Love are two shots back at 11 under.

“Every week has been like this, so I’ve come to expect it,” he said. “Incredible talent out here, it blows my mind. With everyone I play with, we always talk about how we can’t believe how low the scores are.

“It’s just a really solid group of guys and anyone out here can win. Hopefully I (can) be that anyone.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Four Canadians survived the cut on Friday at the Wyndham Championship. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was the top Canadian for the second consecutive day thanks to a bogey-free front-nine. The 39-year-old registered only one bogey, ultimately shooting a 67 to head into the weekend tied for fourth.

Nick Taylor of Abbostsford, B.C., also cracked the top ten, sitting in a tie for tenth at 8 under. Two other Canadians — Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. — also made the cut at 6 under and 4 under, respectively.

Brandt Snedeker couldn’t block out the buzz that surrounded his first-round 11-under 59 at the Wyndham Championship. He refocused just in time to reclaim the lead.

Snedeker followed his historic opening score with a 67 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend at the Wyndham Championship.

A day after becoming the 10th player in PGA Tour history to break 60, Snedeker moved to 14-under 126 halfway through the final PGA Tour event before the playoffs.

“You hear people telling you every two seconds, ‘Mr. 59,’ or saying how cool it was to watch it,” Snedeker said. “So, yes, totally on your mind.”

D.A. Points shot a 64 to reach 12 under _ one stroke ahead of C.T. Pan, who also had a 64. David Hearn, Peter Malnati, Keith Mitchell, Harris English, Brett Stegmaier and Sergio Garcia were 9 under.

Snedeker, the 2012 FedEx Cup champion, won this tournament in 2007 before it moved across town to the par-70 Sedgefield Country Club. He had the tour’s first 59 of the year during the first round.

But it wasn’t easy to follow a score like that. Of the nine previous players who have broken 60 on the tour, six had to play the next day and only one has shot better than 65 in that round: Justin Thomas, who had a 64 in the second round of last year’s Sony Open.

“You can’t ignore it, you can’t try to forget about it,” Snedeker said. “Hardest thing is trying to get back into a rhythm. … Now I’m better equipped for the next time I shoot 59 and play the next day.”

By the time Snedeker teed off Friday afternoon, that low score had held up for a one-stroke lead. It temporarily slipped away when he had three bogeys on the front nine.

He reclaimed the lead late in his round with some nifty putting. He sank two putts longer than 30 feet, one for eagle on the par-5 15th and another for birdie on the par-4 16th, and wrapped up with the best two-round score at this tournament since Carl Pettersson’s 125 a decade ago.

“When I finally convinced myself to hit a few putts, they started going in,” Snedeker said. “Over 72 holes, you’re going to have stretches where balls don’t go in the hole, you’ve got to be able to kind of overcome, be patient, wait for the long ones to fall, and luckily I made a couple coming down the stretch.”

Points, who has made only one cut since January and failed to reach the weekend in 19 of his 24 tournaments this season, had a strong front nine with three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole, where he sank a 40-foot putt. He has finished in the top 20 at this tournament twice since 2014, and after starting far off the bubble at No. 214 on the points list, could play his way into the playoffs this weekend.

“Basically, I know this is possibly my last event of the year, so I haven’t been grinding really hard,” Points said. “It seems to be paying off.”

Pan, a 26-year-old from Taiwan, had birdies on three of his final four holes to climb the leaderboard. He sank a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and an 8-footer on the 18th to match the best round of his young career. He also shot 64s last year at the Travelers Championship and the RSM Classic.

“I love this course,” Pan said, adding that his “trajectory tends to be lower than compared to other guys, so I think I have an advantage here.”

Among the other highlights: Brian Gay had the day’s best round, a 63 tarnished only by a bogey on his final hole on which he missed a 4-foot par putt. And Mitchell opened with five consecutive birdies to briefly raise the possibility of a second sub-60 score in two days, before slipping back later in his round.

“It’s definitely a different feeling,” Mitchell said. “But it’s a feeling you try to get comfortable with because you want to be in that zone.”

A key subplot at Sedgefield every year is the push by bubble players to earn post-season spots. The top 125 players on the points list make the field for the Northern Trust in New Jersey, and everyone from No. 122 to No. 132 is playing this weekend.

Bill Haas, who at No. 150 is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time, made the cut at 3 under. Garcia, at No. 131, also is trying to make it for the 12th straight year. Johnathan Byrd _ who at No. 183 probably needs to win or finish alone in second place to earn enough points to qualify _ remains in the mix at 8 under.

“It’s kind of an easy mentality in a sense,” Byrd said. “Just got to play amazing or go home, or go to the (Web.com Tour) finals.”

It was a tweet that echoed ‘round the world.

Well, the Canadian golf world, at least.

“Leaving @RBCCanadianOpen after 34 tournaments and 11 as Tournament Chair. Melancholy moment thinking about all the memories of Glen Abbey. To @TheGolfCanada, thanks for all the wonderful experiences and friendships made.”

The author was Jim Clark (@cognashene for those of you on Twitter) and the accompanying photo showed him beside the RBC Canadian Open trophy as the sun set on this year’s championship on July 29.

Leaving ⁦@RBCCanadianOpen⁩ after 34 tournaments and 11 as Tournament Chair. Melancholy moment thinking about all the memories of Glen Abbey. To ⁦@TheGolfCanada⁩ Thanks for all of the wonderful experiences and friendships made. pic.twitter.com/qHpCxBcykY

— Jim Clark (@cognashene) July 30, 2018

Clark, 61, has been involved as a volunteer in our national men’s Open since 1984 when he joined the Caddies and Juniors Committee. The eventual progression took him through that and other committees until he was chosen to be the Tournament Chair at the 2002 championship at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

In 1984, Bill Paul was Golf Canada’s assistant tournament director, working under the legendary Richard “Dick” Grimm. Paul, now the organization’s director of professional tournaments, says Clark had a rare combination of qualities that made him the ideal volunteer.

“Jim was always interested in all areas of the tournament and was always trying to find ways to do things better. He was never satisfied with the status quo. He has a great personality, friendly and approachable. He listens to others and if he has an opinion, he explains it in a reasoned way.

“He’s the same when he was talking to the CEO of RBC as he was when he was talking to the volunteer marshal at the seventh hole at Glen Abbey.

“He was like the champion of the volunteers.”

It’s that last statement that will resonate most with Clark, without a doubt, because it echoes one of the many legacies of the late Dick Grimm, often referred to as “Mr. Canadian Open.”

Clark recalls the first time he saw Grimm. “I saw this large man lumbering through the parking lot and I asked, ‘Who’s that?’ ‘That’s Mr. Grimm,’ I was told. ‘He runs the place.’ He looked pretty intimidating, larger than life.”

But It didn’t take long for the two to become fast friends and for Clark to put his heart and soul behind one of Grimm’s core mantras.

“Look after the volunteers,” Clark says, doing a passable impression of Grimm’s gravelly baritone. “I can hear him saying that like it was this morning.”

According to Paul, Grimm would have been proud of how Clark carried out that legacy. Increasingly, the essential role of the volunteer (there were about 1,500 at this year’s RBC Canadian Open) can be overlooked, overtaken by the attention given to the necessary infrastructure, media, corporate presence, logistical realities and more.

Special thanks to over 1,500 volunteers that help make the #RBCCO a success

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— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) July 26, 2018

“You just don’t see what we had with Jim much in pro golf anymore,” says Paul. “He made it his mission to maintain Dick’s legacy of ‘the volunteer is king.’ In many ways, Jim was the man for the people, so to speak.”

Especially when the RBC Canadian Open is held at Glen Abbey, the role of the Golf Canada tournament chair is integral to the success of the event. Countless hours are devoted to finding the right people for the right roles for the more than 20 volunteer committees required to conduct the championship.

Once the planning is taken care of, then comes tournament week with its 18-hour days. But, says Clark, he would return to his “real job” in the computer industry on the Monday following the Open feeling “energized and exhilarated. It was such a great contrast to the other 51 weeks of the year, being around the best golfers in the world and some of the finest people I’ve ever met.”

When reflecting on some of the highlights, Clark harks back to the era of Jack Nicklaus (“my all-time favourite golfer”), Lee Trevino, Nick Price and their peers. “Guys like Price would duck into the caddie trailer to get out of the public eye, grab a beer, put their feet up on the cooler and just talk. Pretty cool.”

Being inside the ropes on the 18^th green at the 2000 RBC Canadian Open when Tiger hit that astounding shot on the 72nd hole was another great memory but four years later came one of the most unfortunate.

“I have to say the sadness of when Mike Weir lost in the playoff to Vijay will never go away. It was really heartbreaking.”

From the expression on his face in that July 29 photo, you can tell Clark was experiencing a bittersweet moment. And of his possible return to the volunteer ranks, as he says about the chances of the RBC Canadian Open returning to Glen Abbey, “never say never.”

With the 2019 CP Women’s Open coming up at Magna Golf Club near his Aurora, Ont., home, Clark, who remains a member of Golf Canada’s Governors Council, is “just a phone call away,” says Paul.

Never say never.

Possible Twitter alert?