MARKHAM, Ont. – When Graham DeLaet checked his golf clubs with Aer Lingus for his transatlantic flight to the British Open, bewilderment followed.

After a series of Twitter posts from DeLaet, expressing concern that no one knew where they were, the clubs were delivered 54 hours later. When the Weyburn, Sask., native opened up his travel bag, he found dirty clubs that looked like they went through a battle.

“You just can’t make this stuff up,” DeLaet tweeted.

DeLaet went on to play St. Andrews after caddy Julien Trudeau cleaned up the clubs, tweeting a photo with the message, “like new.”

Even though the clubs were no worse for wear, DeLaet won’t have to have to risk the same aggravation on his way back to North America.

DeLaet is one about 30 golfers travelling from Scotland to Toronto on Golf Canada’s charter flight for the RBC Canadian Open. It’s an annual tradition that helps ensure a strong field for Canada’s national open the week after a major championship.

“It’s the single biggest thing that we’ve got going for us,” said Golf Canada chief championship officer Bill Paul, who’s in Scotland organizing the charter. “It’s a necessary perk that we have and a very, very valuable perk that we have.”

It became especially important when weather delays forced the first Monday finish since 1988. Paul had to adjust on the fly.

“That’s why we need someone over there because of things exactly like this,” Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons said Sunday. “We’ve been working on this for months, but the schedule changes.”

Paul was the Canadian Open tournament director from 1993 until 2014 and has organized the charter since it began in 2007. The 56-year-old called it a huge expense but one that makes a difference in getting the best players to commit.

Of course the US$5.8 million purse and a winner’s share over $1 million aren’t too shabby, either.

Each first-class seat goes for $1,500. Paul typically starts reserving spots three months in advance, but players’ plans are often in flux.

“Once the players start to go to work on the golf course, you’re sort of at the mercy of them when they come off,” Paul said in a phone interview from St. Andrews.

Needing to figure out customs and other logistics along the way, Paul lined up three buses to leave St. Andrews at various times. His original target was for an 8 p.m. local time takeoff Sunday night, though of course the postponement turned it into a Monday night scheduled departure.

Paul is always thinking about what could change.

“If we’ve got the champion there, I’ve got to make a decision: Do we fly without him? Am I going to try to find another way for him back to Toronto?” he said. “There’s a lot of different scenarios.”

There’s certainly no shortage of demand. Start with Canadians DeLaet and David Hearn, add Team RBC golfers like Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Jason Day and Jim Furyk, and it’s not hard to fill up a plane.

It also nice that the flight is a direct trip from Edinburgh Airport to Toronto’s Pearson International, which is situated a short drive from Glen Abbey Golf Club.

“It’s just a convenient way to get there,” Paul said. “It’s not a luxurious thing. When you’re over the pond, you’re that far away, this just provides a hassle-free way of getting from one event to the other event.”

Simmons was at Hoylake last year and got a first-hand look at the charter’s smooth operation and appreciates its value to players.

“When you can make it that easy for them, it just gives them that much more opportunity to say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to come play Canada,”’ Simmons said. “These guys play week after week, after week, after week. At some point they have to take weeks off, so you don’t want to give them any reason to have our week as a week off.”

Inside the ropes of the 1990 PGA TOUR, no one performed better than Wayne Levi.

Sure Greg Norman put a few more dollars in his bank account. The Australian finished first on the money list with $1.17-million to Levi’s $1.02-million. Sure Nick Faldo won both the Masters and British Open in 1990.

But nobody won four times like Levi did in his season to remember. That’s why when the time arrived for his peers to vote they named Levi the the tour’s player of the year.

“It’s just been an incredible year,” said Levi after he was presented with the award. “I’d never thought I’d have this kind of a year. I never thought I’d win as many tournaments as I have, have the success I’ve had.”

The golfer from Little Falls, N.Y., then 38, put an exclamation point on his season when he won the 1990 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in mid-September with a 10-under total for a one-stroke victory over Ian Baker-Finch and Jim Woodward.

Levi jumped out to the 36-hole lead with back-to-back rounds of 68. The second round was more impressive because of the nasty winds and thunderstorms that interrupted play, and Levi joked afterwards that he didn’t want too late of a tee time on Sunday afternoon because he wanted to watch his beloved New York Giants play against the rival Dallas Cowboys.

About the same time the Giants, who would win the Super Bowl a few months later, put the finishing touches on the Cowboys in Dallas for a 28-7 win, Levi holed his title-clinching putt on the 18^th green.

“To win four in a year, that’s the sort of thing you think of Jack Nicklaus or Tom Watson doing back in the 1970s,” said Baker-Finch, who would go on to win the British Open 10 months later.

Despite his outstanding start at Glen Abbey, Levi checked in with a third-round 72 to trail 54-hole leader Buddy Gardner by three shots. But Gardner faded early on the final day with a double-bogey at No. 6. Meanwhile, Levi notched birdies at Nos. 8, 12 and 13 to take the lead for good.

He added a birdie at the par-5 16^th, but bogey No. 17 to make the closing hole tense for his two-putt par.

“I always wondered what it would be like to be a national champion, what it would be like to be a celebrity as the No. 1 golfer in Canada or Poland or Romania. I’ll put this on my resume,” the colourful Levi said afterwards.

The knock on him was Levi simply didn’t practice enough. Rather than practice when he returned to his upstate New York home in between events, he enjoyed spending time with his wife Judy, daughters Michelle, Lauren and Chris as well as son Brian.

What spare time he had left after his family was divided between his hobby as a stock market speculator and his Giants.

“Some guys hunt and fish. I follow the stock market,” said Levi, who visited the Toronto Stock Exchange floor when he returned to the area the following spring to promote the 1991 Canadian Open.

There were no signs that Levi was about to enjoy a breakout year in 1990. He had not contended in any majors throughout his career and hadn’t won since the Atlanta Classic in June 1985.

Prior to his first win in 1990 in May, Levi had missed the cut in 6 of his previous 11 events. So he visited his long-time friend and instructor Rick Christie in Tampa Bay. He changed putters and made an adjustment to his setup.

Poof, Levi piled up wins at Atlanta, the Western Open in Chicago, Hartford and at Glen Abbey in four months.

“It was something I didn’t expect, but I also wasn’t surprised,” Levi said.

The win at Glen Abbey was his final career victory on the PGA Tour. But his impressive play put him on the U.S. Ryder Cup team a year later and on the 1991 U.S. World Cup team with Joey Sindelar.

He did win twice on the Champions Tour in 2003 and 2004. But again, joked that he never planned to play with the 50-and-over set until the stock market tailspin in the late 1990s and he lost “millions.”

“I never wanted to play out here,” Levi said about the Champions Tour. “But I’ve got a family to take care of, so here I am.”

He certainly took care of things at Glen Abbey 25 years ago.

MARKHAM, Ont. — Colombia got the rare chance to celebrate as a team on the 18th green after winning all three gold medals at the Pan Am Games’ inaugural golf tournament on Sunday.

Marcelo Rozo shot 13-under to win the men’s competition, while teammate Mariajo Uribe went 9-under to capture the women’s gold. Colombia blew away the field for the mixed team gold.

Uribe held up the yellow, blue and red Colombian flag on the hill above the 18th hole at Angus Glen Golf Club and then, along with teammates Mateo Gomez and Paola Moreno, doused Rozo with water after he finished the final round.

“At the end having all them on the 18th green hugging each other, making Colombia proud, it was pretty special,” said Rozo, who tied the course record Saturday with a 9-under 63. “Golf is not a team sport. Once you get that kind of feeling, you get excited.”

Rozo finished a stroke ahead of Argentine Tommy Cocha and Chilean Felipe Aguilar. Cocha won a two-hole playoff to earn silver, as Aguilar got bronze.

Canada’s Austin Connelly, a Dallas native with Nova Scotian roots, shot his fourth-consecutive subpar round to finish fifth at 8-under for the tournament. Connelly said having three medals instead of just first place to shoot for “brings another level of pressure.”

“It’s a much different experience than any other golf tournament I’ve ever played,” Connelly said.

Canada’s Austin Connelly (Anil Mungal/ Golf Canada)

American Andrea Lee won women’s silver and Paraguay’s Julieta Granada bronze. The United States, which leads the medal count, won team silver and Argentina bronze.

Golf made its Pan Am debut a year before returning to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1904.

“It’s pretty big for golf,” Rozo said. “This is a great step looking to that.”

Rozo gets a spot in next week’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., as another prize for winning gold. It’ll be his first PGA Tour event.

While the 25-year-old is still trying to make his way into Olympic contention, Uribe is right in the thick of it for Rio. She was smiling thinking about that and reflecting on triple gold at the Pan Ams.

“Colombia is not a team that gets a lot of medals, so it really matters to us,” said Uribe, who earned an exemption into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open next month in Vancouver. “It’s fun… I’m getting ready for the Olympics.”

Golf Canada is getting ready for the Olympics, too. The Pan Am Games being on home soil represents progress toward that goal.

“To get this experience to prepare us for Rio and the Olympics next year, you can’t get that experience anywhere else,” Golf Canada CEO Scott Simmons said. “This is really going to help us.

“It’s helped the players, it’s helped the coaches, it’s helped our support staff. That’s probably the biggest benefit coming out of this week for us.”

After Connelly, Canadians Garrett Rank finished 15th in the men’s competition at 5-over and Lorie Kane tied for 19th at 23-over in the women’s event. Canada was eighth out of 16 countries in the team competition.

But federal sports minister Bal Gosal said all the feedback he has gotten from visitors has been positive. Angus Glen turned out to be a fitting reintroduction for the sport on an international stage.

“This venue, everything’s been great,” Gosal said. “(Visitors are) very happy with the course, they’re very happy with the fairways. … It’s been great.”

A rough stretch aside, Connelly got to enjoy a final round in the last group with a throng of hundreds of fans following. When the 18-year-old chipped in for an impressive par save on the sixth hole, he heard one of the biggest cheers of the day as the Canadian star on the course.

“It was hard to describe,” Connelly said. “The roar was incredible. It’s just nice having so many people behind me.”

OPELIKA, Ala. — Scott Piercy won the Barbasol Championship on Sunday for his third PGA Tour title, closing with a 6-under 65 for a three-stroke victory.

The 36-year-old Las Vegas player made a 57-foot birdie putt on the second hole en route to his first victory since the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. Tied for the third-round lead with Ricky Barnes, Piercy birdied three of four holes starting on No. 13 and finished at 19 under on Grand National’s Lake Course.

“I struck it beautifully all week and made enough putts to get it done,” Piercy said.

He began the season on a major medical extension after surgery on his right arm early last year, sparking initial fears about how he’d fare upon his return.

“It’s been a long road,” Piercy said. “My whole goal after coming back from surgery was to come back better. The way I played (Sunday) compared to my last two victories was a lot better.

“I struck the ball so well, so I’d say I’m kind of right where I imagined I would be.

He had also finished second at the Sony Open in Hawaii before capturing the inaugural Alabama event for players who didn’t make the British Open field.

Piercy had a bogey and double bogey on the first four holes Thursday after arriving the previous morning and not getting in a practice round. He appeared quite comfortable on the course after that.

Birmingham native Will Wilcox was second after a 67, virtually guaranteeing a PGA Tour card for next season in just 13 starts. It was his second straight top-10 finish.

“That’s something I never thought in a million years I would have done,” he said.

Wilcox closed with two straight birdies, pumping his fists and hollering after sinking a 60-foot birdie putt on the closing hole. The former UAB player had once made dough at a local pizza place during a short time living in neighboring Auburn and estimated he had 50-60 friends and family members on hand.

“Having my family here, you always dream about doing something like that in front of them,” Wilcox said. “Just the good vibes were flowing this week. It just worked out so well. My aunt and uncles, they’d never seen me play. The fact that I could finish solo second in front of them was pretty shocking.”

Barnes, University of Alabama junior Robby Shelton and South Korea’s Whee Kim tied for third at 14 under. Shelton shot 67, Kim 69, and Barnes 70.

Shelton, a two-time All-American, had four straight rounds in the 60s.

“It was amazing,” said Shelton, from Mobile. “I played well, that’s all I could ask for. To do this with a sponsor exemption, it’s great. I mean, I’m speechless right now.”

Barnes was seeking his first PGA Tour victory in 202 starts, but finished with a 70 and bogeyed the final hole. It was his best finish since taking second at the 2009 U.S. Open, the only other time he shared a 54-hole lead.

The round was delayed 1 hour, 20 minutes because of rain and lightning before the leaders teed off.

Canadian Roger Sloan posted an even-par 71 today to finish at 5-under for the competition and T48.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – For a place dripping with centuries of history, St. Andrews got more than it could have wanted Sunday.

Jordan Spieth punched his golf bag in frustration after a careless bogey, perhaps sensing the British Open was slipping away. Just like that, and because this is what Spieth does in big moments, he salvaged his bid for a Grand Slam. He made three straight birdies. He took 10 putts on the inward nine. And when he walked off the 18th green, he had a 6-under 66 and was one shot behind with one round left.

“I’m going to play to win,” Spieth said. “I’m not playing for a place. I don’t want to place third tomorrow. I want to win.”

But if there is history in the making at the home of golf, it no longer has to come from just Spieth.

Fans who filled the two-story grandstand and watched from the tops of buildings on Golf Place witnessed a moment not seen at St. Andrews in 88 years – an amateur in the lead going into the final round of the British Open.

Paul Dunne, the 22-year-old from Ireland, rolled in putts like this was the prestigious St. Andrews Links Trophy for amateurs instead of the oldest championship in golf. He played bogey-free for a 66 and shared the lead with former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and Jason Day.

Bobby Jones is the last amateur to win the British Open in 1930 when he came from one shot behind in the final round. He was the last amateur to lead after 54 holes three years earlier at St. Andrews, and he won the claret jug that year, too.

Can it happen again?

“It’s surreal I’m leading the Open, but I can easily believe that I shot the three scores that I shot,” Dunne said. “If we were playing an amateur event here, I wouldn’t be too surprised by the scores I shot. It’s just lucky that it happens to be in the biggest event in the world.

“Hopefully, I can do it again tomorrow,” he said. “But whether I do or not, I’ll survive either way.”

The way the weather-delayed Open ended on Sunday, expect just about anything.

Oosthuizen, the last player to lift the claret jug at St. Andrews in 2010 and a runner-up at the U.S. Open last month, birdied three of his last five holes for a 67. Day is just as big of a threat. He shot 67 and shared the lead for the second straight major, and he has challenged in four of them since 2011.

They were at 12-under 214, one shot ahead of Spieth with plenty of others that cannot be dismissed Fourteen players were separated by three shots. Half of them were major champions, and there was yet another amateur among them – 21-year-old Jordan Niebrugge of Oklahoma State.

Such an opportunity might not come around again for Spieth. Only three other players won the first two legs of the Grand Slam since the modern version began in 1960. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods only got one shot at it, and none ever started the final round of the British Open so close to the lead.

And so it was Spieth, a 21-year-old Texan with an uncanny sense of occasion, who brought the gray, old town to life in a mixture of sunshine and rain. He rolled in birdie putts on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes to share the lead. He saved par from the high grass on the 13th, stuffed his approach to 4 feet for birdie on the 15th and made another tough par save on the Road Hole at the 17th.

A victory would send him to the PGA Championship with a shot at the Grand Slam, and at worse put him in elite company. Ben Hogan in 1953 is the only other player to capture the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year.

“Only one person has ever done it before. That opportunity very rarely comes around,” Spieth said. “And I’d like to have a chance to do something nobody has ever done. … To be able to go into the last major and accomplish something that’s never been done in our sport is something that only comes around to a couple people ever. And I’d like to be one of those people to have that happen.”

Rarely has the Old Course been as easy as it was Sunday.

One day after raging wind off the Eden Estuary caused a 10-hour delay and forced a Monday finish, the flags were soaked from passing showers and limp from no wind. The leaderboards were loaded with birdies, and seven players had at least a share of the lead at some point in the third round.

That’s what made Dustin Johnson’s collapse so shocking. With a one-shot lead after powering his way around St. Andrews for 36 holes, he was the last player in the field to make a birdie Sunday, and that wasn’t until the 15th hole. He followed with three straight bogeys for a 75 to fall five shots behind.

Spieth, the youngest professional in the field, seemed calm despite the historic moment in front of him.

His goal at the start of the week was to treat the British Open like any other tournament he was trying to win. Even during the long delay on Saturday, he said he hasn’t thought much about the slam. There is no escaping it now, and Spieth doesn’t see that as a problem.

“If I have a chance coming down the stretch, if it creeps in, I’ll embrace it,” he said. “I’ll embrace the opportunity that presents itself. As far as handling it, I don’t look at it as a negative thing. I look at it almost as an advantage. Why should it add more pressure in a negative way?”

SYLVANIA, Ohio — Ji Leon Choi promised his daughter he would caddie for her until she won the LPGA Tour.

Chella Choi isn’t so sure she’s ready to break up the team after winning the Marathon Classic on Sunday.

“My father wants to retire because we promise, but I don’t know,” Choi said. “We will talk later.”

The 24-year-old South Korean player broke through in her 157th start on the tour, beating compatriot Ha Na Jang with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

“You know, first time win is hard,” Choi said. “I cannot believe it. Hopefully, this is a turning point for me. … It’s been a long time, seven years. So, I was really, really excited and happy.”

In the playoff on the par-5 18th, Choi chipped onto the green from 87 yards and two-putted from 25 yards for the par – holing a 1-footer for the victory. Jang bogeyed the hole after hitting approach long into high rough.

Choi closed with a 5-under 66 to match Jang at 14-under 270. Jang, the leader after each of the first three round, finished with a 68.

Jang didn’t speak to the media after the round.

Choi opened with a 73, then moved into contention with rounds of 66 and 65.

“I made just made one birdie on Thursday,” Choi said.

Her father was a police officer before joining her on the course.

“I work with my father eight years and somebody say like that’s why I don’t win, just for my caddie,” Choi said. “So I’m so exciting with my father.”

Choi earned $225,000. She will jump from 40th to 25th in the world ranking.

Second-ranked Lydia Ko, the winner last year, had a 67 to tie for second with Shanshan Feng at 13 under. Fend also shot 67.

“I’m happy that I could give it a run for it to defend the title,” Ko said. “Seeing how average my first day score was, to be top five or whatever, I think it’s a good finish for the week.

“I played really solid the front nine, and that’s all I could really do. I know it would have been great if I could continue that on the back nine, but it just wasn’t going.”

Playing a group in front of the leaders, Ko was looking for a birdie on No. 18 to reach 14 under, but made a par.

“I hit a great 3-wood off the tee and miss-hit it on the second shot,” Ko said. “I guess it’s not the worst place to be, but it’s not the best place to be either.”

Top-ranked Inbee Park tied for eighth at 10 under after a 70 while the top Canadian in the field was Alena Sharp who finished tied for 22nd.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Newport Beach, California’s J.J. Spaun broke through for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win on Sunday, shooting a final round 5-under 67 to win the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel.

The 24-year old moves into the top spot on the season-long Order of Merit with $70,263, earning an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open to make his PGA TOUR debut next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

“It’s a huge relief. I knew if I at least made pars on my way in I’d have some sort of chance at winning,” said Spaun, who finished at 18-under par, one shot ahead of Moscow, Pennsylvania’s Nicholas Reach. “I’ve put in a lot of hard work. I had to change a few things with my regimen and putting my career in the top priority spot, and it shows that the hard work has been paying off.”

The win gives Spaun a $25,813 lead atop the Order of Merit over Drew Weaver, who will join Spaun next week at Glen Abbey along with Albin Choi as the top three players on the season-long money list. The San Diego State University grad has been the most consistent player on the Mackenzie Tour this season, never finishing outside the top-16 and posting five straight 10 finishes capped off by the win.

“I’m in a good position. I’ve got to keep playing solid and keep that top spot under my belt and see how it goes,” said Spaun of the season-long quest to earn status on the Web.com Tour.

Starting the day one shot off the lead held by Corey Conners, Clayton Rask, David McKenzie and Chase Marinell, Spaun came out of the gate quickly with birdies on his first two holes to grab the early lead. After Reach made eagle on the 72^nd hole to post 17-under par as the clubhouse lead, Spaun responded with four birdies in five holes, including three in a row on holes 12-14 to take control of the lead.

“I’ve been playing well enough where I don’t make many mistakes, and fortunately making a lot of birdies as well. I’ve been playing solid, and eliminating the mistakes has been key for how I’ve been playing lately,” said Spaun, who has seen a remarkable turnaround from a dismal 2014 season that saw him miss six of seven cuts and return to Q-School this Spring. Since a T8 finish there, Spaun has been on a tear to build his Order of Merit lead and put himself in excellent position to earn status on the Web.com Tour for next season.

“Now it’s just kind of stress-free golf and going out and having fun. The hard work has kind of been taken care of and it’s time to go out and cruise,” said Spaun.

Reach, a University of Georgia graduate and a rookie on the Mackenzie Tour, notched his best finish as a pro along with Conners, who will play at the RBC Canadian Open on a sponsor’s exemption alongside fellow Golf Canada Young Pro Squad and Mackenzie Tour members Taylor Pendrith and Adam Svensson.

HAYWARD, Calif. — South Korea’s Si Woo Kim won the Stonebrae Classic on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, birdieing the first hole of a playoff with Jamie Lovemark and Wes Roach.

The 20-year-old Kim is the second-youngest winner in Web.com Tour history. Jason Day was 19 when he won the 2007 Legend Financial Group Classic in Ohio.

Kim won with a 3-foot putt on the par-5 18th after pitching from 50 yards.

“Walking up to the green, I felt good,” Kim said through a translator. “I knew that line.”

Kim closed with a 2-under 68 to match Lovemark and Roach at 12-under 268 at TPC Stonebrae. The three players began the round tied for the lead.

Lovemark, playing a group ahead of Kim and Roach, bogeyed the par-5 18th in regulation to fall into a tie. Kim and Roach followed with pars, with Kim missing a 3-footer for birdie.

“I was happy to have another try,” Kim said. “I was very fortunate. This is very big for me.”

Kim earned $108,000 to jump from 67th to 16th on the money list with $162,350. The top 25 after the final five events in the regular season will earn PGA Tour cards.

Roach and Lovemark each made $52,800. Roach went from seventh to third with $236,516, more than enough for a PGA Tour card. He won the El Bosque Mexico Championship in April.

Lovemark jumped from 26th to 11th at $164,921.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – In just her fourth event as a professional golfer, Annie Park (Levittown, N.Y.) gutted out her first victory by the narrowest of margins in the final round of the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic at Brook-Lea Country Club on Sunday. She posted a 4-under 68 and survived a late rally from 2011 Solheim Cup member Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Fla.) to win at 16-under 272, one stroke ahead of Hurst.

“I’m speechless, this is my first professional win and it has been happening all so fast,” said 20-year-old Park. “For me to win this tournament is crazy right now.”

Park becomes the second native New Yorker to win in the storied history of Rochester professional golf. Dottie Pepper (Saratoga) won the 1996 Rochester Invitational.

The former NCAA national champion (2013) was challenged early and late by Hurst, who made birdie on the second hole to cut the deficit to two shots. Composed beyond her years and experience, Park responded with birdies on the third, fourth and sixth holes to get to 15-under and a four shot lead.

At the turn, Park held a four shot lead. Hurst made up ground with an eagle on the 10th hole. Park made bogey on the 13th and all of a sudden the lead was back down to two shots. On the 15th hole, Hurst rolled in a birdie to cut the deficit to one shot. Park misjudged the wind on 17 and 18 and had to make two very difficult up-and-down pars to hold off Hurst.

“I knew Vicky is a phenomenal player and I knew she was going to play great today, she was putting so well,” said Park. “I miscalculated yardages on 16, 17 and 18, but for me to make that 7-foot par putt on 17 was shocking to me. I was like ‘yes, I made it’.”

With a one shot lead, Park left her tee shot on the par-3 18th hole short and it rolled down the classic Donald Ross designed front slope. She chipped up to a foot and tapped in for par. Hurst missed a 15-foot putt that would have forced a playoff.

“I don’t know how I converted that chip shot,” said Park with a wide smile. “I thought Vicky was going to make the putt so I was ready for a playoff, but I am just speechless.”

Park said that this round was one of the best of her life considering all the circumstances.

“Every shot was some of the shots of my life,” said the former USC Trojans golfer. “If I had to pick one shot, it was the par putt on 17, that was so nerve-racking.”

The first place payout vaults Park from 93rd on the Volvik Race for the Card money list to 17th with nine events remaining in the season.

Park is the third rookie to win on the Symetra Tour this season (Augusta James – Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial and Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu – Symetra Classic). Park is now third amongst rookies in earnings behind Morita-WanyaoLu and James, who are both inside the top 10.

Nancy Lopez, who was the honorary host of the event, addressed the packed crowd on the 18th green during the trophy ceremony. When Park spoke, she said that she wrote an autobiography on Lopez during her sophomore year of high school.

“Growing up, I looked up to Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez,” said Park. “I did a lot of research on her and it was great to be able to meet her in person today.”

Hurst’s second place finish skyrockets her from 127th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list to 30th. Maude-Aimee Leblanc turned in a 4-under 68 on Sunday to finish in a tie for third at 8-under 280. She moves from 13th to eighth on the money list.

BROOKE HENDERSON TIES ROUND OF TOURNAMENT: Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ontario) wasn’t thrilled with her first three rounds of the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic. She admitted making mistakes she doesn’t normally. On Sunday, she posted a 6-under 66 to tie the low round of the tournament and finish in a tie for seventh at 7-under 281.

“It was a lot fun today, it wasn’t anything special until the back nine when I made some birdies late and I had my cousin on the bag and he gave me a lot of good reads,” said Henderson. “It is always awesome to be able to finish strong on Sunday.”

Henderson, who started on the back nine, made three birdies and an eagle on hole seven on her second nine. She started the day in a tie for 34th.

“I wasn’t super happy with the way I played this week, I made mistakes I don’t normally,” said Henderson. “I got a little more focused today and I was able to dial it in a little better and it is really good momentum moving forward.”’

Henderson will play in the Fuccillo Kia Championship at Capital Hills on the Symetra Tour next week in Albany.

“Every week, I’m trying to get a little better and improve on some things,” said Henderson, who has the RICOH Women’s British Open in two weeks. “Next week, I’ll really have to take good notes during the practice rounds and continue to gain more knowledge as the week progresses.”

Henderson is now 39th on the Volvik Race for the Card money list.

Fellow Canadian Sara-Maude Juneau finished alongside Henderson at T7 with a final round 70. Natalie Gleadall finished T10 with a final round 68.

The final four players joining the 2015 RBC Canadian Open field will be determined Monday following the conclusion of final qualifying play at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

Sixty-three players, many of whom have earned their way via the three regional qualifying events across Canada, will battle over 18 holes of stroke-play in hopes of competing in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open being held July 20-26 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

A total of 38 Canadians will take to Heron Point on Monday, including Team Canada Young Pro Squad members Albin Choi of Toronto and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. Also looking to join the 14 Canadians already confirmed as part of the RBC Canadian Open field are Team Canada Development Squad member Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., and Danny King of Milton, Ont., who recently captured the PGA of Canada and PGA of Ontario Championships.

Click here for pairings, start times and results for RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifying on Monday, July 20. Live scoring will not be available and results will be available as players complete their rounds.