SASKATOON, Sask. – Bear, Delaware’s Eric Onesi shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to build a four stroke lead heading into the final round of the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, the fourth event of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 27-year old reached 19-under through 54 holes to lead by four over Pitt Meadows, British Columbia’s Justin Shin and by five over five other players and will look for his first Mackenzie Tour win on Sunday.

“It gives me a lot of confidence,” said Onesi of his 67 on a windy Saturday, where gusts in excess of 25 km/h made for tricky scoring conditions. “I didn’t try to go after anything and used a little more club here and there. I made some nice smooth swings and the ball reacted great most of the time.”

The 27-year old, who earned medalist honours at the British Columbia Qualifying Tournament earlier this year, added one more birdie for good measure at the 18^th hole on Saturday by knocking an 8-iron from 165 yards inside 10 feet and rolling in the putt.

“I picked a nice line and it was a little closer than I thought it would be,” said Onesi of his approach. “To make that putt, especially in front of a whole lot of people, that gives me a lot of confidence.”

With one round to go, the Old Dominion University grad knows the field will be chasing him on Sunday, but said he felt comfortable with a simple approach to the final round.

“I don’t even know what the lead is, but I know I can only control myself and I know I control my own destiny,” said Onesi, who added that he has drawn confidence from his Q-School this week at Dakota Dunes. “I did it at Q-School, so I always tell myself ‘you’ve done it, just keep sticking to your gameplan.’ There are great players out here and they’re going to make birdies, but if I can make some birdies too, I’ll be a couple of shots better.”

Shin, who is making his first Mackenzie Tour start of the year on a sponsor’s exemption, fired a bogey-free 66 to hold solo second through three rounds. The 23-year old earned his first professional win earlier this year on the PGA TOUR China Series at the UI Real Estate Wuhan Open and currently ranks fourth on that Tour’s money list.

One shot back of Shin at 14-under were Chris Williams, Ross Beal, Ryan Brehm and Ben Silverman, who lost in a playoff at last week’s Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON.

Team Canada Young Pro Mackenzie Hughes signed for a round of 68 to get to 12-under for the tournament and tied for 15th place. Fellow teammate Corey Conners also shot 68 today while Albin Choi posted a round of 71.

CANADIAN LAKES, Mich. – Giulia Molinaro (Treviso, Italy) and Chie Arimura (Kumamoto, Japan) will share the lead at 11-under par heading into the final round of the Tullymore Classic.

“I played very well,” Molinaro said. “The back nine especially I started really hitting at pins and really getting it close and making some good putts, especially on the last hole I made a really long one. Generally the game this week has been very good especially today on the back nine.”

Molinaro, the Volvik Race for the Card No. 1, made the turn in two under and then had a colorful back nine with six birdies and two bogeys to post a 6-under, 66. Ariamura was able to bounce back from three bogeys in her first six holes to shoot a 68.

“I had a very tough start but I made seven birdies after that so I’m very statisfied with it,” Arimura said of her round today.

The duo will be joined in the final group tomorrow by Haruka Morita-WanyaoLu (Takamatsu, Japan) who captured the Symetra Classic earlier this season. Carleigh Silvers (Greeley, Colo.), Daniela Iacobelli (Melbourne, Fla.) and Sara-Maude Juneau (Quebec, Canada) will make up the penultimate pariing.

“I’d like to say that you learn how to be on the lead and try to play to win but I don’t think that I’m yet to the point to say that I’m relaxed or I’m comfortable,” Molinaro explained. “Obviously, I’ll go out there and try to do my best, and everyone else is in the same position as me so everyone has to go and try to play their best golf, but it’s never an easy situation and whoever is the strongest mentally tomorrow will make it.”

“I’m not nervous,” Molinaro continued. “Those are the nerves that every golfer or athlete wants to have because that means that you are right up there so it’s good. I’m welcoming the nerves. I’m welcoming the stress, whatever you can call it. I’m excited. I’m obviously happy to give myself a chance and if I play the way I play today I probably have a pretty good chance to win the tournament so it’s just go shot-by-shot and try to stay mentally strong and never be happy with the score that you’re at. Always try to do better.”

79 players made the cut at 144 (E),

The remaining field is competing for a share of a $100,000 purse with a top prize of $15,000. The top-10 on the year-end Volvik Race for the Card money list will receive their LPGA Tour cards for the 2016 season.

Final round play will begin off the first at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

14-year old caddie helping Sara-Maude Juneau: When Canadian Sara-Maude Juneau went to meet her caddie prior to Friday’s first round she didn’t know what to expect as she had signed up through the volunteer caddie system. Who she was paired with was 14-year-old Pierce.

“He’s been great honestly,” Juneau said. “He’s really fun. He’s really chill. He reminds me of my little brother a bit back when he was that age.”

The duo have made quite the team this week as Juneau currently sits in a tie for sixth at 9-under par, two strokes back of the leaders.

“It’s great,” Juneau said. “He’s done exactly what I’ve asked him to do and he’s really enjoying himself and is very positive. It’s impressive because I’ve had older caddies who weren’t nearly as good as him.”

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Jhonattan Vegas hasn’t had much success since winning his second PGA Tour event as a rookie in 2011. The Greenbrier Classic could give him that needed boost.

Vegas shot a 5-under-par 65 to tie Scott Langley for the lead after the second round Friday. They were at 9-under 131 on the Old White TPC course in West Virginia.

Twenty-three golfers were within three shots of the lead, including seven at 8 under.

Vegas doesn’t have a top 10 finish this season, but he’s looking to change that. He made five birdies during a bogey-free round Friday, including two of his final three holes.

“I feel like I’m playing great, I just haven’t been able to put it all together,” the Venezuelan said. “But I’m staying patient and working really hard to make it happen, and it’s coming together.”

Langley didn’t have the same birdie explosion as he enjoyed in the first round, when he shot 62 to take the lead.

Starting his round on the back nine, Langley made back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 and shot 69.

“Following up a round of 62 is never super easy,” Langley said. “I left a lot of putts within 6 inches of the hole, just right in the heart. I need to be a little more assertive (Saturday) on the greens.”

Langley and Vegas had a chance to make noise last week at the Travelers Championship. Langley was four strokes behind eventual winner Bubba Watson entering weekend play, while Vegas was six shots back.

Both faded in the final two rounds.

The top four finishers at The Greenbrier not previously eligible for the British Open will earn spots next week at St. Andrews, provided they are among the top 12 and ties.

“That’s one of the goals for the week,” Vegas said. “So we’re going to try to go get it.”

Tiger Woods made little progress after a solid first round but avoided missing consecutive cuts for the first time as a pro. Woods shot 69 Friday and was at 5 under, four shots back.

Woods had more trouble reaching fairways on Friday. He found the water to the right on the par-5 17th for the second straight day, hit his golf bag with his driver in disgust, then nearly holed his 97-yard fourth shot and made par.

He salvaged his under-par round with a short birdie putt on the par-3 18th. He declined interviews afterward.

Langley is looking to become the third person to become a first-time PGA Tour winner by winning The Greenbrier in the tournament’s six-year history.

So, too, is David Hearn, who was among those in the group at 8 under. The Canadian is still looking for his first PGA Tour win in his 164th event. His best finish was second at the 2013 John Deere Classic.

“This would be a great place for me to win one, but I’ve got 36 holes of golf (left),” Hearn said. “I’m playing great right now and I look forward to the weekend.”

Hearn birdied six of his first eight holes and shot 64. He and Jonathan Byrd were tied for the lead on the back nine before late bogeys slowed their momentum. Byrd shot 69 and also was at 8 under.

Sixty-seven golfers made the cut at 2 under. Michael Putnam had an eagle and four birdies on the back nine to make the cut on the number.

Steve Stricker missed only his third cut since 2010.

Heavy rains stopped play for 18 minutes in the morning. Occasional thunderstorms are forecast through the weekend.

Graham DeLaet posted a round of 70 to make it to the weekend. 

Nick Taylor and Roger Sloan narrowly missed the cut by two strokes. Adam Hadwin was one shot back of the pair.

PARIS – Home favorite Victor Dubuisson was in a three-way tie for the lead after the second round of the French Open on Friday, while Ryder Cup teammate Graeme McDowell’s bid for a third successive title came to an early end.

Dubuisson and Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello had been part of a four-way tie for the lead after the weather-delayed opening round was completed in the morning and they both carded a 1-under 70 in the second to finish the day level with Martin Kaymer (69). They had a 4-under 138 total.

Kaymer made four birdies to go with a double bogey on the 15th.

McDowell missed the cut on 8 over after a round of 78 that contained two double bogeys, three bogeys and no birdies. It was his worst score in 32 rounds at Le Golf National.

HALIFAX, N.S. – Andrew Landry fired a 4-under par 67 Friday and maintained his lead after 36 holes of the Nova Scotia Open in Halifax. Landry’s two-day total of 11-under 131 is one better than Korea’s D.H. Lee (66) and two in front of Jamie Lovemark (64).

Brasil Champions presented by HSBC winner Peter Malnati is at 7-under 135 and tied for fourth place with Texan Mark Walker (65) and Michael Arnaud (64) of Louisiana.

Ten more players are knotted together at 6-under 136, including Harold Varner III (67), 2013 U.S. Amateur runner-up Oliver Goss (67) and recent Illinois grad Brian Campbell (66), who turned pro after qualifying and finishing T27 at the U.S. Open two weeks ago.

“It was another good round,” said Landry, who lives in Austin, Texas. “It was one of those days where I had a lot of good looks and made a lot of great putts.”

For the second straight day, Landry rolled in a monster birdie putt from about 60 feet, this one from the fringe on the par-3, 8th hole.

“My speed has been just awesome this week,” he said. “You can’t mess things up when your speed is on.”

Lovemark’s 7-under 64 matched was the best of the day, and later matched by Arnaud and put the former All-American from Southern California into contention.

“I feel good going into the weekend,” he said. “If I keep being aggressive and continue to drive it well, I should be able to give myself a bunch of chances.”

Lovemark is also handling the greens at the Ashburn Golf Club, witness his 54 total putts for two days rank him number two in the field.

Canadian Ryan Yip shot a 6-under 65 today to make the cut. He will be joined by Team Canada Young Pro Adam Svensson who carded a 2-under 69 and Eugene Wong who posted a 1-under 70.

Brad Fritsch narrowly missed the cut by a single stroke after rounds of 72 and 70. National Amateur Team member Austin Connelly finished 2 strokes shy of the cutline after a round of 68 yesterday. Canadian Young Pro member Taylor Pendrith also finished 2 back of the 1-under cutline.

SASKATOON, Sask. – Bear, Delaware’s Eric Onesi shot a 6-under 66 on Friday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to take the solo lead heading into the weekend at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, the fourth event of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 27-year old reached 14-under and led by one over Moscow, Pennsylvania’s Nicholas Reach and French Polynesia’s Vaita Guillaume through 36 holes.

“The course was setting up well for me, especially on the par-5s,” said the long-hitting Onesi, who has played the par-5s in 9-under through two rounds in Saskatoon. “There was a left-to-right wind, which is my favourable wind, so I was hitting 7- or 8-iron into them and taking advantage of those and making some easy birdies.”

The Old Dominion University graduate, who earned medalist honours at the British Columbia Qualifying Tournament earlier this season, is making a return as a touring professional this year after taking time away from the game over the past two seasons. Onesi earned Web.com Tour status in 2012, but said the expectations to succeed as a young professional got the better of him, and he worked as a caddie at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for parts of the last two years.

“I just put too much pressure on myself back then,” said Onesi of his season on the Web.com Tour in 2012, when he made just three cuts in seven starts and finished 210^th on the Money List. “I had a lot of success right out of college, and when I had Web.com Tour status I kind of thought I should have it every year. When you have early success I think you expect to have it all the time. I hit a little wall and I think I took it hard and the desire went down, but I’m still young in this game and I know I can play out there, so I keep telling myself ‘I belong.’”

Onesi, who has made two of his first three cuts to start the season on the Mackenzie Tour and sits 63^rd on the Order of Merit, said he’s felt at home on the 7,301-yard Dakota Dunes layout since he arrived earlier this week and is excited about the prospect of competing here on the weekend.

“I’m just comfortable out here. As soon as I got out of the car on Monday and was able to hit a few drivers on the range and the course, I was able to settle in and keep my composure and stay focused and positive,” said Onesi.

Earlier in the day, Reach carded the low round of the week with a 9-under 63 to post the clubhouse lead at 13-under, which Guillaume matched with a 65.

The 36-hole cut came at 6-under par, matching the 2013 SIGA Dakota Dunes Open and the 2008 ATB Financial Classic for the lowest cut in TOUR history.

Canadian Matt Hill is currently T11 after a second round 68.

CANADIAN LAKES, Mich. – Daniella Iacobelli, who was born in Detroit, shot an opening round 64 to take a one shot lead after the first round of the Tullymore Classic at Tullymore Golf Club.

“I just kept telling myself to keep giving myself chances,” Iacobelli said. “I made a 7-footer, a 7-footer and a 3-footer to start the day and I was like well if you keep it inside of 10-feet you’ve got a chance so I just tried to hit the greens and put myself in the right spots to give myself the best looks at it and I got on a pretty hot streak on the front, fizzled out a little on the back but it was a good day.”

Iacobelli, who sits a shot clear of Rachel Rohanna and Chie Arimua, was one of 66 players to shoot under par on the day.

“Honestly no,” Iacobelli said on if she thought the course would play this way on day one. “I thought they were going to set up the course to be where 72s and 74s win it but when I got out here today and the course was in such great shape that if you put yourself in position obviously it was feasible since I’m not the only one who went low today.”

Iacobelli is proud to be from the Great Lakes State and enjoys being back for the Symetra Tour’s Midwest swing.

“I just love Michigan golf,” Iacobelli said with a smile. “It’s some of the prettiest golf courses I’ve ever played on, including Tullymore. This place is awesome. I’ve never seen so many people with such attention to details ever. It feels like an LPGA event out here. They’re doing a great job.”

Second round play will begin off the first and tenth tees starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The 144 player field is competing for a share of a $100,000 purse with a top prize of$15,000. The top-10 on the year-end Volvik Race for the Card money list will receive their LPGA Tour cards for the 2016 season.

The Canadian trio of Samantha Richdale, Jessica Wallace and Sara-Maude Juneau all posted an opening round of 4-under 68. One shot back is Augusta James with a round of 69.

Clear skies set the stage for the first round of the CN Future Links Quebec Championship at Golf Château-Bromont located in Bromont, Que. Brandon Lacasse took full advantage of ideal conditions and leads the Junior Boys division by one stroke. Céleste Dao and Alexandra Naumovski finished strong to climb to the top of the Junior Girls leaderboard.

Lacasse posted the clubhouse lead with a 3-under 69. The Châteauguay, Que., native made the turn at even-par with two birdies and two bogeys on the card. He opened the back nine with a birdie on hole 10, then proceeded to make six straight pars before finishing with back-to-back birdies.

Lacasse, who finished T3 in the 2013 edition of this competition, was followed closely by Antoine Beaupré-Vachon of Montreal, Que., and Charles-David Trépanier of Québec, Que., who both carded rounds of 2-under 70. Beaupré-Vachon’s performance was highlighted by four birdies and a string of nine straight pars to finish the day. Trépanier concluded his round with an eagle on the final hole. The crowded leaderboard features five Junior Boys two shots back of the lead at 1-under 71.

In the Junior Girls division, Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., and Alexandra Naumovski of Hornby, Ont., captured the lead with rounds of 2-over 74. Dao kept herself in contention with a strong back nine performance that included two birdies. With a late birdie on 17, Naumovski claimed her share of the lead.

Two shots back in third place with rounds of 4-over 76 are Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., and Madeline Marck-Sherk of Ridgeway, Ont. The Junior Girls division is also tight at the top with four golfers tied for fifth place with a score of 77, including defending champion Alyssa Getty of Ruthven, Ont., and Annie Lacombe of Laval, Que., the reigning Quebec Junior Girls Champion.

The top six finishers in both the Junior Boys and Junior Girls divisions at the CN Future Links Quebec Championship will receive exemptions into their respective national championships. The 2015 Canadian Junior Boys will be contested from August 2-6 at Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., while the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship will be hosted by Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., from August 3-7. The CN Future Links Quebec Junior Girls champion will also receive an exemption into a 2016 Canadian Women’s Tour event of their choice.

The second round of the CN Future Links Quebec Championship will begin tomorrow morning with the first group of Junior Girls teeing off at 7:30 a.m. ET followed by the Junior Boys at 9 a.m. ET.

For full first round results from the CN Future Links Quebec Championship and Saturday’s pairings, please visit the tournament website here.

Gerry Nelson is blind.  “Completely black, no lights, no shadows.’” For a time, his ears didn’t appear to work either. In his early 20s, Nelson was working hard during the day and partying just as hard at night, for a stint “making bacon” on the assembly line of the Gainers meat plant in his hometown of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and another time hauling sheets of drywall and sacks of concrete around a lumber yard.

Even his drinking buddies told him he should cut way back.  They knew that diabetes and gallons of alcohol were a dangerous cocktail, especially for Nelson who took his insulin every morning, but otherwise didn’t take the disease too seriously.  He learned about drinking from his alcoholic father, but not much about managing his diabetes since his mother died of leukemia when he was 11.

By the summer of 1988, at the age of 25, his eyes were so bad he could no longer play fastball.  He had surgery to re-attach both retinas in November, but within a few days he suffered a “major bleed” in both eyes and his world went dark.

“Mismanaging my diabetes caused me to lose my eyesight,” he says.  “People told me this would happen but I didn’t listen.” What did he do?  “I picked up where I left off : party, party, party.”

Unfortunately, Nelson’s story to this point is not unique to people who grew up in hardscrabble circumstances.  These stories are often told at wakes or funerals, or around the local bar.

But Nelson’s story—or shall we say, the rest of the story—is among one of the most inspiring in the Everyone Has a Story series on: golfcanadagolf.ca that launched in April.

In the video, Nelson, holding a 7-iron, his short hair silvery at age 51, says that when he lost his eyesight, “I had no idea what I was going to do.  I had no idea what I could do.  I thought life was over.  Golf was the catalyst that really got me going again.”

Nelson introduces himself in the video as the Western Canadian Blind Golf Champion.  He fails to mention that he’s won the title 10 times, and that he finished third in the World Blind Golf Championship in 2012.  His passion led him to help found Blind Golf Canada, which he serves as president with assistance from many others, including multiple-winner Brian MacLeod.

While he’s proud of his championships and the organization, they do not provide his greatest joy as a golfer.  “With my love for the game, and the fact that my son (11-year-old Wyatt) can participate in it with me now, there’s no greater joy I’d rather experience.”

The connection he cherishes with his son on a golf course and the feeling of a flushed shot are just some of the reasons Nelson took part in the storytelling series, which is geared toward inspiring more people to take up the game and stay with it.

Nelson is also proud to note he’s been working with the CNIB for 21 years, where he currently helps connect new clients to service providers and those who can help them.

He credits the CNIB for helping stop his spiral as “a guy with a white cane who partied all night and slept all day.” Two CNIB workers knocked on his door and invited him to a three-week educational program on independent living.  He dutifully went to listen, but left after a few hours.

Six months later, he gave the program another shot.  “I was ready,” he recalls. “Those three weeks changed my life and gave me direction.”

Determined to work for the CNIB, he moved to Saskatoon in 1990 and entered the University of Saskatchewan where he taught himself to type and use various accessibility programs.  It not only got him away from his drinking buddies, but also “gave me a purpose.  I was now a somebody.” He finished his degree in 1998 with Athabasca University through a distance program and started working with the CNIB.

After moving to Saskatoon, he was encouraged to take up golf again, which he’d played as a kid, mostly whacking balls around a park.  He had also played hockey and baseball, but considered himself merely “mediocre,” which is how he came to define himself.

A retired member of the Saskatoon Lions Club, who was also a golfer, had been looking for a blind golfer to assist.  Richard (Dick) Achen contacted Nelson and an amazing friendship and journey began. Achen started guiding Nelson on the driving range and around golf courses, and became like a father.

The guide’s role is simple: “Your job is to put the club behind the ball aimed at the target and get the hell out of the way.” On the greens, the guide reads the break, aims the club and tells the golfer if the putt is up or downhill and how far it is.  That’s about it.

During university, Nelson had about five months off every summer, and played just about every day at Greenbryre G&CC thanks to professional Peter Semko, later inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

“I was a natural,” Nelson says with the cheeriness and lively energy that came down the phone line in a recent interview. “With Dick’s help, I got better and better.  I got a taste of tournament play and I was a cocky rooster.  I built confidence in my game and it rubbed off on me as a person.  I started thinking there’s a lot more that I could do.

“As a kid, I had no confidence,” he continues.  “At university, I started to believe in myself.  I had a new identity and I could do all these things such as golf. Golf started it all.  I could take things that I learned playing golf and apply them to situations in life.  I learned to leave out things that are negative for me.  Along the way, I became a very positive person, thinker and a better father.”

People saw what Nelson had and they wanted to share in it, which led to his frequent role as a motivational speaker.  Although The Golf Channel hums constantly when Nelson is home, he doesn’t pay attention to the barrage of technical instruction.

“It’s all about feeling,” he concludes. “Like a sighted golfer, you get into a groove. You’re feeling it.  It’s not any one thing. I’m actually very good at visualization and imagination.  When I’m on a golf course and the sun is shining, I don’t need to see to know it’s a beautiful day and I’m the luckiest guy to be alive doing this.”

Share your golf story by going to: golfcanadagolf.ca.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – In celebration of Canada Day, Golf Canada and RBC are proud to announce the first 15 Canadians, including 10 tournament exemptions, confirmed for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open taking place at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 20-26, 2015.

Leading the Canadian contingent at Glen Abbey will be Weyburn, Sask., native Graham DeLaet, fresh off a fourth-place finish this past weekend at the Travelers Championship. The finish moved DeLaet to No. 78 on the World Golf Ranking and secured his spot in the field for The Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Joining DeLaet will be fellow Canadian PGA TOUR players David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Abbotsford, B.C., natives Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor; Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C. and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., who will be making his 25^th appearance in Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

Golf Canada has also granted a tournament exemption to Web.com Tour player Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. who will make his eighth appearance in Canada’s National Open Championship.

Additional tournament exemptions were given to Team Canada Young Pro Squad members Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., as well as National Amateur Squad members Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas and Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont.

Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., won the 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title to earn his exemption into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. Leading into tournament week, Rank and Connelly will represent Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games golf competition, July 13-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

PGA of Canada professional Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont., earned his way into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open field as the No. 1-ranked player on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.

Earlier this week, former Team Canada member Richard Jung of Toronto shot a course-record, 10-under 62 at Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club to top the 144-player field to earn an exemption through the RBC Canadian Open Ontario Regional Qualifier.

“This is OUR Open and we’re proud to have these 15 deserving Canadians compete in the 106^th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “The depth of talent in Canadian golf has never been stronger and I’m sure each of them will feel the tremendous wave of Canadian pride and support from golf fans across the country.”

The 15 Canadian players announced today will look to become the first Canadian to capture the national title since Pat Fletcher claimed victory in 1954.

The Canadians confirmed for Glen Abbey will join a field of PGA TOUR and international stars that includes World No. 3 Bubba Watson, World No. 5 Jim Furyk, World No. 8 Jason Day, World No. 13 J.B. Holmes, World No. 16 Matt Kuchar, World No. 17 Chris Kirk, World No. 22 Brooks Koepka, World No. 26 Brandt Snedeker, World No. 30 Ryan Palmer, World No. 40 Hunter Mahan, World No. 48 Graeme McDowell, World No. 65 Luke Donald, and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els.

Celebrating Canada Day at the RBC Canadian Open….

For more than a century, our National Men’s Open Championship has been a celebration of Canada’s most talented golfers. This year, that celebration will be on full display as Friday, July 24 has been declared Canada Day at the RBC Canadian Open. Spectators are encouraged to wear red and white to proudly show their support for Canada’s top golfing talents. Players in the field will also be encouraged to wear Canada’s colours to help celebrate the day.

Pan Am golf champion to earn an exemption…

Golf Canada will also grant an RBC Canadian Open tournament exemption to the winner of the men’s Pan Am Golf Competition happening as part of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The golf competition will run July 13-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club with 32 players from 16 countries set to compete, including Austin Connelly and Garrett Rank who will represent Team Canada. Besides the champion’s exemption, the rest of the men’s Pan Am golf field will be exempt into the RBC Canadian Open Monday Qualifier happening Monday, July 20 at Heron Point Golf Links near Ancaster, Ont.

Canadian players confirmed to compete in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open include:

Graham DeLaet

• Currently the top-ranked Canadian on the World Golf Rankings (No. 78)
• Currently ranked No. 83 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 7^th RBC Canadian Open

David Hearn

• Currently ranked No. 177 in the world and No. 88 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 13^th RBC Canadian Open

Adam Hadwin

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• Topped the 2013-14 Web.com money list
• Currently ranked No. 174 in the world and No. 114 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open (finished T4 in 2011)

Nick Taylor

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship champion (first Canadian to win on PGA TOUR in six years)
• Former World No. 1 Amateur
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open

Mike Weir

• 8-time PGA TOUR winner
• 2003 Masters champion
• Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009
• Competing in his 25^th RBC Canadian Open

Roger Sloan

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• 2014 Web.com Tour Nova Scotia Open champion
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Brad Fritsch

• Currently ranked No. 81 on the 2015 Web.com money list
• Career-best PGA TOUR finish: T8 at 2014 Wyndham Championship
• Competing in his 8^th RBC Canadian Open

Corey Conners

• Member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad
• Runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Amateur to earn an exemption into the 2015 Masters
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Taylor Pendrith

• Member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad
• Low amateur at 2014 RBC Canadian Open
• Competing in his 2^nd RBC Canadian Open

Adam Svensson

• Member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad
• Two-time runner-up on the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Austin Connelly

• Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team
• Currently ranked No. 13 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Will represent Team Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games golf competition
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Blair Hamilton

• Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team
• Currently ranked No. 81 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• University of Houston (winner of the 2015 NCAA Border Olympics)
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Garrett Rank

• Former Team Canada National Team member
• 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion & 2015 Ontario Mid-Amateur champion
• Will represent Team Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games golf competition
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Billy Walsh

• Currently ranked No. 1 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC
• Competing in his 2^nd RBC Canadian Open

Richard Jung

• Winner of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open Ontario Regional Qualifier
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Additional player and tournament announcements will be made in the coming weeks. The final field for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open will be released on Friday, July 17, 2015 after 5 p.m. ET.

For information about tickets, FREE 17-and-under junior passes, volunteer opportunities or corporate hospitality for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.