Many outstanding golf clubhouses have been built over the past decade including the Hicks Partnership’s new masterpiece that opens to Whistle Bear Golf Club members July 31^st.

While a handful of newlywed couples have enjoyed a sneak preview of the jaw-dropping clubhouse interior for their wedding receptions over the last two-three weeks, Whistle Bear’s 600 golfing members will finally see what all the fuss is about at a special reception of their own highlighted by great food, speeches, tours of 40,000 square-foot work of art and fireworks on Thursday night.

“The vision for this project has been to create a stately clubhouse modeled after some of the great East Coast clubhouses of America such as Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, The Ocean Course in Kiawah and Maidstone in the East Hamptons, New York,” says renowned Canadian architect Bill Hicks. “It’s a remarkable multi-purpose facility that now ties majestically into the golf course landscape for members to enjoy, but it also will allow Landmark Group to capitalize on that enchanting setting to develop a picture-perfect atmosphere for its wedding and special event business.”

Hicks Partners have designed and/or renovated over 45 clubhouses in Canada including projects at Rosedale, St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Dundas Valley, Weston and Oakville Golf & Country Club, among many others. Current projects include the recent approval of a 10-year master plan for Credit Valley Golf & Country Club, as well as clubhouse renovations slated for The Badminton & Racquet Club in Toronto and The Toronto Lawn Tennis Club.

At Whistle Bear they tore down two-thirds of an existing clubhouse in the fall of 2013 and then rebuilt it from the ground up. As members and guests drive through the gates off Dickie Settlement Road in Cambridge, Ont. they are now greeted by a relaxed two-storey shingled styled clubhouse tailored after the Arts and Craft movement that started in England in the 1860s and was popular in North America from 1900 into the 1930s. In front of the building there’s a wonderful circular grass walkway with finely cut grass filling the interior and a pole with the Canadian flag waving brilliantly in the middle.

Entering through the wooden double-doors, one can only marvel at the stone fireplace in the center of the Grand Lobby, while a split staircase is a stunning backdrop that leads to the second floor. To the right is a reception area and down the hallway are two sales offices and a newly decorated golf shop with counter area at the center. Other main floor highlights include; a fitness center with a yoga/Pilates studio, an intimate boardroom and the members dining lounge with heated floors and a removable wall of windows that opens up to an outdoor terrace and the 18^th hole. There’s also the first of three banquet rooms with interior designs by Lori Morris Design. The Grandview Room and Garden accommodates a guest list of up to 220 with a 30-foot mirrored vaulted ceiling, with intricate wood-carved details and a beautiful crystal chandelier, while windows on two sides bring natural light into the room.

On the second floor, there’s the Rose Room that seats up to 170 guests and the 4,000-square-foot Forestview Room with 20-foot wood-framed ceilings that can accommodate 400-plus guests. All three areas feature individual private bridal suites, outdoor terraces overlooking different areas of the golf course and high-tech sound and visual systems.

To feed everyone, Hicks Partners designed two 3,500 square foot banquet kitchens, one on top of the other on the first and second floors, as well as a third kitchen area with its own line that opens up to the member dining lounge. “We have taken all of the best aspects of our kitchens in the Landmark Group and incorporated them into these state-of-the-art facilities,” says executive chef Bryan Gibson. Landmark Group owns Cambridge Mill, Ancaster Mill, Elora Mill Inn & Spa, Earth to Table Bread Bar, Earth to Table Farm and 50 per cent of Whistle Bear. They will be able to host upwards of six to eight weddings per weekend and feed upwards of 3,000 people including golf members.

Exterior highlights incorporated into the Hicks Partners design include fire pits, two waterfalls for wedding photos, a magnificent clock tower and a new starters’ hut. The lower level of the clubhouse is home to two small business offices for people who need a private area to get some work done, and well as men’s and ladies’ locker room facilities.

“I think our members are really going to enjoy their facilities, especially the new fitness center and the dining lounge is certainly going to be a focal point,” says General Manager, Brad Duench. “When it comes to weddings, banquets and special events we’re now second to none in Waterloo Region and beyond.”

Hicks Partners is also working with the Landmark Group to restore the Elora Mill and is in the process of developing a long range plan for a spa, meetings areas and a luxury hotel on the site.

Whistle Bear will play host to the LPGA Manulife Classic in 2015 and 2016, where they will certainly be able to wine and dine the local golf community and world’s top female golfers at a club with a clubhouse and course that gets better and better with each passing day.

Julia Henderson (Abercrombie) and Ruth Maxwell (Oakfield) both left with smiles on their faces at the Antigonish Golf and Country Club Tuesday. That’s because the pair combined to win the 2014 NSGA Women’s Two Ball event besting the field of 111 teams.

“It’s really special, there were a lot of good teams here and winning this is as good a feeling as winning the amateur, especially to do it with a partner like Ruth it was a memorable day,” said Henderson on the feeling of winning the NSGA Women’s Two Ball Championship.

“It was a thrill to play with Julia, she’s a great up-and-coming young player and her ability is something I enjoy watching. Today we really tried to feed off each other. If I had a bad shot, Julia would come back with a good shot, and vice versa,” added Maxwell.

For full results, please click here, click here.

The country’s best female professional and amateur golfer highlight the field of this year’s PGA Women’s Championship of Canada presented by Nike Golf.

Alena Sharp of Hamilton, the top ranked professional female golfer in the country, looks to capture her fourth PGA Women’s Championship of Canada later this week at FireRock Golf Club just outside London, Ont. However the No. 2-ranked female amateur golfer in the world, Brooke Henderson hopes to continue her summer of impressive play and add another championship to her resume.

Earlier this summer the 16-year-old from Smith Falls, Ont., earned low amateur (T10) at the U.S. Women’s Open, finished T26 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and T45 at the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic. The Team Canada member’s year has also included wins at the Canadian Women’s Tour Ontario stop, the Porter Cup, the Ontario Women’s Amateur, the Scott Robertson Memorial, the SALLY Tournament and the Junior Orange Bowl International.

Two years ago, Henderson became the youngest player ever (14-years-old) to win a professional event.

Sharp, who has previously won the PGA Women’s Championship in 2004, 2011 and 2012, has made seven cuts on the LPGA Tour this year, including a T18 at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, a T14 at the North Texas LPGA Shootout and a T31 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. She currently sits No. 81 on the Race to CME Globe standings. This past February, Sharp won the Symetra Tour’s season-opening event, the Visit Mesa Gateway Classic.

The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada was first played in 1987 and past champions include Cathy Sherk, Gail Graham, Nancy Harvey, Lorie Kane and Jessica Shepley.

The PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will count as the third and final stop on the Canadian Women’s Tour with points awarded toward the Jocelyne Bourassa Player of the Year at the conclusion of the championship.

Similar to past years, the champion of each Canadian Women’s Tour stop and the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada will receive an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open to be held Aug. 18-24, 2014 at London Hunt & Country Club in London, Ont. As well, following the conclusion of play at the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada, two (2) additional exemptions will be awarded to the top competitors, not otherwise exempt into the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open from the 2014 Canadian Women’s Tour Order of Merit

In addition, the top five (previously the top 3) players on the Canadian Women’s Tour season-ending Order of Merit will be awarded direct entry into LPGA Stage-2 Qualifying.

Other notable players in the field include past Canadian Women’s Tour winners Samantha Richdale of Kelowna, B.C., as well as Americans Michelle Piyapattra and Emily Childs.

LPGA Tour player Kris Tamulis, who is coming off T7 finish at the Marathon Classic, looks to win her first PGA Women’s Championship of Canada title.
Symetra Tour players Danilelle Mills of Montreal; Hamilton’s Ashley Sholer; Emma de Groot; Tessa Teachman; Hannah Jun and Michele Chun join Big Break competitors Lindsay Aho and Lindsey Bergeon.

In addition to Henderson, Team Canada members teeing it up at FireRock include Jennifer Ha, Anne-Catherine Tanguay and Taylor Kim.

Click here for first round tee times.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.-– Zack Sucher won the Midwest Classic on Sunday for his first Web.com Tour title, closing with a 1-over 72 in windy conditions for a three-stroke victory.

Sucher, the 27-year-old former Alabama-Birmingham player, finished at 19-under 265 at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate and earned $108,000 to jump from 20th to fourth on the money list with $247,318. The top 25 after the final four regular-season events will earn 2014-15 PGA Tour cards.

“I played really well last week and didn’t get it done the last two days,” said Sucher, coming off a tie for fourth last week in the Boise Open after sharing the 36-hole lead. “I’m headed to the PGA Tour and now I can finally stop worrying about it.”

Jarrod Lyle tied for 11th at 11 under after a 69 in his first U.S. event since his second bout with leukemia The 32-year-old Australian opened with rounds of 67, 69 and 68.

“Everything’s good,” Lyle said. “The body’s held up well. I’ve done a lot of good things. I think the biggest positive is the fitness side of it, that in the heat I got around four days and got around comfortably.

“The golf game’s been in good shape for a while, but we had to wait and see if it fared well in tournament golf. … I’m ecstatic with the way the week has gone. Better than expected.”

Traveling with wife Briony and 2-year-old daughter Lusi, he’s also set to play Web.com Tour events Aug. 7-10 in Springfield, Missouri, and Aug. 14-17 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

When Lyle returns to the PGA Tour for the start of the season in October, he will have 20 events to earn $283,825 and reach the equivalent of No. 125 on the money list in 2012, the year he suffered a recurrence. He returned to play in November in the Australian Masters and played in the Victorian Open in February.

Sucher opened with rounds of 66, 63 and 64.

“I saw the forecast last night and the wind was going to be in the opposite direction than it had been all week,” Sucher said. “We saw that wind on Wednesday and it makes almost every hole play harder. I knew that it was going to be hard for somebody to shoot a really good score. It was going to be tough.”

Former Kansas State player Aaron Watkins was second. He also finished with a 72.

Bill Lunde was third at 15 under after a 69.

Canada’s Roger Sloan finished at 6-under and tied for 41,  and Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Mackenzie Hughes carded 75 in the final round to tie for 64th.

ALBANY, N.Y. — Sadena Parks become the second black winner in Symetra Tour history Sunday, rallying to win the SEFCU Championship at Capital Hills.

Parks, the 24-year-old former University of Washington player from Tacoma, matched the course record with a bogey-free 9-under 62 for a one-stroke victory over Taiwan’s Min Lee. LaRee Sugg was the first black champion on the developmental tour, winning in 1998 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

Parks finished at 14-under 199 and earned $15,000 to jump from 14th to sixth on the money list with $36,213. The final top 10 will earn 2015 LPGA Tour cards.

Parks was second in the previous tour event, the Island Resort Championship on July 29.

Lee closed with a 70.

Brianna Do and South Korea’s Min Seo Kwak tied for third at 12 under. They each shot 66.

Quebec’s Maude-Aimee Leblanc claimed a top 10 finish at 7-under, while Sara-Maude Juneau finished right behind her with a 6-under 207 to claim 14th place.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Carlota Ciganda breezed to an early victory to set the tone and Spain won all four of its singles matches Sunday to capture the inaugural International Crown.

Sweden finished second in the tournament that began Thursday with 32 players from eight countries. The top-seeded United States was among three teams eliminated Saturday, leaving five countries and 20 players to compete for the trophy.

Fifth-seeded Spain began the final round tied for second behind Japan, but Ciganda immediately gave the Spaniards a boost by beating Na Yeon Choi of South Korea 8 and 6. Beatriz Recari followed with a 3-and-2 victory over Mikaela Parmlid of Sweden, and Belen Mozo clinched the tournament title with a 3-and-2 win over Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand.

That set off an impromptu celebration on the 16th hole that began with a jubilant Recari jumping into the arms of Ciganda.

Azahara Munoz completed the sweep by beating Ai Miyazato of Japan 2 and 1.

Points accumulated through Saturday were added to those amassed Sunday. Using the scoring system of two points for a win and one for a tie, the final order was: Spain (15 points), Sweden (11), South Korea (10), Japan (10), Thailand (9), United States (6), Taiwan (4) and Australia (3).

“Even though we were maybe the underdogs because of the seedings, I knew deep inside that what you need in a team championship is what we have,” Mozo said. “We have always played together, we have always won together. Coming in, we knew we had that advantage over the other teams.”

Japan entered the final round with a one-point lead but lost three of four matches, its lone win coming when Mika Miyazato beat Onnarin Sattayabanphot of Thailand 3 and 1.

Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg topped Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand 6 and 5, taking the lead for good at No. 1 and winning at 10, 11 and 12 to pull away. But the Swedes’ bid to win the tournament fizzled when Caroline Hedwall lost to South Korea’s Inbee Park, 4 and 2.

Although Sweden didn’t come home with the trophy, at least one team member left with a fond memory.

“I’ve gotten to show myself on the biggest stage that I’ve been on so far and it feels like I’ve really take advantage of that,” said Lindberg, 28, who was playing in her first match-play event. “It’s been so much fun, just over expectations for everyone.”

Park, meanwhile, rode the momentum generated by Saturday’s wild-card playoff win over the U.S. to breeze past Hedwall. That left South Korea with at least an outside shot of capturing the event.

“It was important to win the first match. It kind of gives everyone hope and some energy to play well,” Park said.

That’s how it worked for Spain. Alas, South Korea could not sustain the momentum.

Not long after Park won, Choi walked off the course after 12 holes in her mismatch against Ciganda, and South Korea’s chances grew even dimmer when I.K. Kim lost to Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand 1 up.

So Yeon Ryu’s 1-up win over Sakura Yokomine of Japan left South Korea at 2-2 for the afternoon.

MONTREAL – When Jim Furyk’s charge to a third RBC Canadian Open title stalled in the final round, Tim Clark decided to go for it.

The 38-year-old South African, whose wife Candice is Canadian, fired five birdies on the back nine to overtake Furyk on the 15th hole and hold on to win the US$5.7 million tournament at Royal Montreal on Sunday.

Recovering from a first-hole bogey that put him four shots off the lead, Clark shot a five-under-par 65 to finish at 17-under-par 263 and claim his second career PGA Tour victory and the $1,026-million winner’s prize.

“It looked like Jim wasn’t going to make any mistakes,” said Clark, who had moved into contention with a 64 on Saturday. “He was pretty solid, so I knew I had to make birdies.

“At that point, there was nothing to lose. Suddenly I got hot and I went with it.”

It was another frustrating defeat for Furyk, who has now lost seven tournaments in a row in which he led after 54 holes. He went into the final round with a three-stroke cushion but never found traction. He shot 69 to come second at 16-under 264.

“I kind of controlled my own destiny,” said Furyk. “I’ve got to shoot three or four (under par) and it would have been impossible to catch me, or darn near it.

“I left the door open with even par on the front nine and Tim took advantage and shot 30 on the back.”

Furyk has not won since a victory at the 2010 Players Championship that gave him the FedEx Cup title and PGA player of the year honours. He fell short in a bid to join elite company in Tommy Armour, Sam Snead and Lee Trevino by becoming the fourth player to win the Canadian Open three times after his victories in 2006 and 2007.

Instead, it went to the stocky Clark, the long putter user who needed a win after battling elbow trouble in recent years.

The win moved him from 85th to 27th in FedEX Cup standings and gave him entry into next week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio and into the PGA championship. He also gets fully exempt status on the PGA Tour through the 2015-16 season.

While Graham DeLaet’s bid to became the first Canadian to win his national open in 60 years fell short, the trophy went to a player with connections, and a history, in Canada.

Clark’s wife Candice is from Toronto and has family in Montreal. He won his first professional tournament at the New Brunswick Open on the Canadian Tour in 1998 and followed a week later with a win at the CPGA Championship.

“The irony of it is Canada could be the location of my first win and my last one,” he said. “To come back here, it’s full circle.

“That was 16 years ago when I was just cutting my teeth as a professional golfer and I was fortunate enough to be given some starts up here, so I have fond memories.

“It’s certainly one I’ve wanted to win for a long time. Any national championship to me is special. particularly to the people from that country. It’s an honour for me to be the open champion.”

DeLaet was in contention after he and Furyk tied the course record with 63s in the second round on Friday, but he went 70-68 in the last two rounds to finished at 10-under 270. He took the low Canadian honour by one stroke over Brad Fritsch of Ottawa, who closed with a 64 to end up at 9-under, tied for ninth with Kevin Kisner and Graeme McDowell.

“I fell a little short, but it was fun,” said DeLaet, Canada’s top-ranked player. “So many people were cheering for me.

“Now I know how Tiger and Phil and those guys feel all the time because it was pretty neat. Coming down 18 was a special moment.

Justin Hicks shot 64 to leap into third place alone at 13-under 267 in his best performance of the season.

Matt Kuchar (65), Michael Putnam (66) and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (66) finished tied for fourth at 11-under 269.

Golf Canada and the PGA Tour moved up the starting times by two hours and had the players go out in threesomes from both the first and 10th tees to try to fit in the final round between forecast rainstorms.

It almost worked to perfection. Most of the field had finished their rounds when a cloudburst halted play for 26 minutes with the final group – including Furyk, Clark and Kyle Stanley – had only four holes left to play.

Clark and Furyk were tied at 15-under when the rain came. When play resumed, Clark birdied to take the lead. Both players birdied the 17th to set up a dramatic final hole.

Clark left a 44-foot putt about six feet short, but Furyk missed left on a 12-footer and Clark sealed the win by holing a six-foot putt.

“Once he missed his putt, I didn’t want to have to go into a playoff, knowing he can take it over the water (off the 18th tee) and I have to play over to the right,’ said Clark. ”So it was huge for me to get it finished right there.

“I got hot with the putter on the back nine. To stand over that putt and still feel confident was really nice.”

DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., tied for seventh with Dicky Pride, who matched the course record with a bogey-free 63. He won the Rivermead Cup as low Canadian.

Pride had the course record at 64 the last time the event was held at Royal Montreal in 2001 only to see Scott Verplank and David Morland go one shot better the next day.

“I had to get my course record back,” said Pride, who birdied the 17th and 18th for the record. “So to tie them and go back and get it, I’m pretty happy about that.

“And I was thinking about it on 18 too, which is an idiotic thing to do, but I made the putt anyway.”

Fritsch had a 10-foot putt on the 18th in a bid for a share of the record, but missed by perhaps a centimetre.

But the 36-year-old in the Ottawa Senators golf shirt used his 64 to finish the event at 9-under. His bogey free round included three birdies and an eagle on the back nine. Fritsch just made the cut on Friday with a birdie on the 18th.

“We made the most of the weekend,” said Fritsch. “We felt like we were playing with house money this weekend just because we felt lucky to even be playing.”

“I played great today. On the back nine, I made a bunch of putts and made some good shots coming down the stretch.

Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., capped a strong first Canadian Open experience with a 69 to finish as the low amateur at 3-under.

David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. both shot 71s and finished at 2-under. Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. had 71 to finish at 2-over par.

Clark tied the tournament low total score of 263 with Johnny Palmer (1952) and Scott Piercy (2012).

OWINGS MILLS, Md.  — Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu both birdied the first playoff hole Saturday as South Korea eliminated the top-seeded United States and earned a wild-card berth in the final round of the International Crown.

The Koreans will join Spain, Thailand, Japan and Sweden on Sunday in a duel for title.

After the American team of Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson beat sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn 3 and 2, Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum and Onnarin Sattayabanphot edged the team of Paula Creamer and Stacy Lewis 1-up to leave the U.S. in third place in Pool A.

South Korea, the third-place finisher in Pool B, called upon Park and Ryu to face Kerr and Thompson in a wild-card playoff on the par-5 16th hole.

Thompson’s second shot hit the fringe of the green, sat for an instant and then rolled back down a hill. She attempted an uphill putt, which barely made it to the top of the hill.

Thompson subsequently missed her 10-foot putt, and the other three players made birdies. According to the unique wild-card format, that eliminated the U.S.

Spain won Pool A with seven points, earning the tiebreaker over Thailand, which also had seven points. The U.S. had six points and Taiwan finished with four.

Japan split with South Korea on Saturday to emerge atop Pool B with eight points, and Sweden swept Australia to finish with seven points. South Korea had six points and the Aussies had three.

Points accumulated over the first three days carry over to Sunday’s final round, when each country plays one singles match against every other country. The team with the most points wins the inaugural International Crown.

Spain eliminated Taiwan with a pair of contrasting victories. Carlota Ciganda sank a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 13 to seal a 6-and-5 win with teammate Azahara Munoz. The duo beat Yani Tseng and Phoebe Yao, who lost five of the first six holes and could not recover.

In the other match, Spain’s Belen Mozo and Beatriz Recari lost the first two holes and were 2 down after 11 holes before rallying for a 1-up win over Candie Kung and Teresa Lu.

It was a feel-good afternoon for the Spaniards, who lost twice Friday to the U.S. team.

“We learned from it,” Munoz said. “We talked about it this morning and we said that from the beginning, no matter what, we’re going to keep our heads up and just give it our best.”

Taiwan lost its final four matches after opening the tournament with a sweep of the Americans.

The Japanese team of Ai Miyazato and Sakura Yokomine beat Na Yeon Choi 3 and 2, and Park and Ryu bested Mamiko Higa and Mika Miyazato 4 and 3.

Yokomine made two eagles on the back nine to provide Japan with the win.

Sweden sent Australia packing with a lopsided sweep. Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist cruised past Minjee Lee and Karrie Webb 4 and 3, and Pernilla Lindberg and Makaela Parmlid beat Katherine Kirk and Lindsey Wright 7 and 5.

Parmlid, who is pregnant, came out of retirement to play in this event.

“Last year, I was one spot out of the Solheim Cup and I always wanted to play these team events,” she said. “Then they came up with this tournament, and I was one spot in.”

Australia won only one match over three days, fewest of any country.

BRIDGEND, Wales  — Bernhard Langer won his second Senior British Open championship on Sunday, finishing a record 13 strokes clear of Colin Montgomerie of Scotland.

The German added a closing 4-under 67 Sunday at sunny Royal Porthcawl to his earlier rounds of 65-66-68 for an 18-under 266.

Langer’s 13-stroke win is the largest margin of victory in a senior major, beating Hale Irwin’s 12-stroke win in the Senior PGA Championship in 1997, while he almost doubled Bob Charles’ record of seven strokes in the British event, set at Turnberry back in 1989.

Montgomerie shot 2-under 69 to finish at 5-under 279 after starting with a share of seventh place.

Tom Pernice Jr. of the United States, Barry Lane of England and Rick Gibson of Canada were three further shots back, tied for third on 2-under 282.

“The golf course is unbelievably tough,” Langer said. “To have this weather for four days is unreal, it’s like playing in Florida with a bit of wind.

“The secret was I didn’t make too many mistakes and my driver was very good and my long putting was excellent, although not quite today as I was lacking a little. Perhaps my lead was too big.”

While the stiff breeze sent many scores soaring, Langer displayed the same immaculate control that saw him lead throughout, going into the final day eight strokes ahead of Gibson.

At the turn Langer had stretched his lead to 13, going out in 3-under 32 to Gibson’s 2-over 37.

Langer birdied both the second, when he holed from eight feet, and the third from five feet. He dropped a shot at the fourth when his approach only reached the front edge and he putted up to three feet and missed.

He left his eagle putt at the long sixth on the lip, then bagged his fourth birdie at the seventh. He moved 14 clear when Gibson had a bogey at the 10th, but then Langer missed his par putt at 11, in what was only his fifth bogey of the week.

Langer claimed his fifth birdie of the day at the short No. 12, then posted five straight pars before finding the final green in two and two-putting for a closing birdie, his 23rd of the tournament.

Montgomerie’s closing 69 saw him win what he called “the other competition.” He dropped two strokes early on but then birdied the sixth and eighth to be level at the turn. He parred seven holes on the run from Nos. 9 through 16 before birdies at the last two to move clear of the rest of the chasers.

Gibson, second overnight, struggled on the final day, closing with a 4-over 75 while Pernice and Lane shot 70 and 72 respectively.

Americans Bob Tway (76) and Scott Dunlap (75) shared sixth place on level par 284, one ahead of Argentina’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Kirk Triplett (70) of the United States.

Tom Watson and Fred Couples struggled on the final day. Watson posted a 6-over 77 with fellow American Couples one worse, to finish on 286 and 288 respectively.

Watson finished in a share of 10th alongside countryman Russ Cochran. Couples was tied for 13th.

Also representing Canada on the field was Rod Spittle who claimed a 21st place finish carding 70 in the final round, and 291 for the tournament.