Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to extend three players exemptions into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club through Canada’s National Amateur Team program.

Among those extended tournament invites are Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont.

Pendrith, 23, is currently Canada’s highest ranked male amateur on the World Amateur Golf Rankings at No. 18. A recent graduate of Kent State University, Pendrith will make his first start at Canada’s National Open Championship after recently claiming the prestigious Monroe Invitational title and finishing tied for second at the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship.

At No. 27 on the WAGR, Svensson will make his second start at the RBC Canadian Open fresh off an outstanding sophomore year at Barry University. Last season in NCAA action the 20-year-old captured seven tournament titles and was awarded Jack Nicklaus Award as the most outstanding Division II men’s golfer.

Rounding out the list of exemptions at No. 39 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings is Conners, 22, who recently reached the finals at the North and South Amateur Championship earlier in July.

In addition to their title sponsorship of Canada’s National Open Championship, RBC is also a proud supporter of Canada’s National Amateur Golf Team program (Team Canada) as well as Golf Canada’s National Amateur Championships, assisting in the development of this country’s up and coming golf talents.

With the addition of Pendrith, Svensson and Conners a 15-player Canadian contingent (to date) will compete at The Royal Montreal Golf Club looking to become the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win Canada’s National Open title.

Leading the charge for the Canadian contingent are PGA TOUR players Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., Stephen Ames of Calgary and Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. Other Canadians set to compete include the Web.com Tour’s Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. and Roger Sloan of Merrit, B.C. who both earned exemptions. In addition, recently crowned 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque of Montreal and PGA of Canada Player Rankings leader Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont. will also join the field alongside the 2013 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, Kevin Carrigan of Victoria. PGA TOUR Canada’s Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. and Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal are also set to compete after winning the their regional qualifying sites.

The Canucks will join a field that includes PGA TOUR stars such as Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Chris Kirk and recent French Open champion Graeme McDowell as well as defending RBC Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker.

In addition, three exemptions will be awarded to the Top-3 finishers on PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit following the Stall Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel on Sunday, July 20th.

The final four exemptions into Canada’s National Open Championship will be determined following the Final Monday Qualifier for the RBC Canadian Open on July 21^st at Golf Saint-Raphaël in L’Île-Bizard, Que where four exemptions will be handed out to the Top-4 finishers.

Grounds tickets for all days of Canada’s National Open Championship as well as a limited number of premium ticket packages are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing, including the new Family Day package, is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com. Golf Canada and RBC are also please to offer free admission to children 17 year and younger who are accompanied by a ticketed adult.

HOYLAKE, England – Two down, one to go. And for Justin Rose, it’s the biggest one of all.

Rose heads into the British Open as probably the hottest player in golf after winning back-to-back titles for the first time in his career, at the Quicken Loans National at Congressional and the Scottish Open over at the links at Royal Aberdeen.

Back at his career-high ranking of No. 3, he is playing as well as he ever has, and the experience of being a major champion – at the U.S. Open at Merion in 2013 – makes his case even more persuasive at Hoylake.

But he has failed to crack the top 10 at his home major since memorably finishing tied for fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998, when he chipped in at the 18th at Birkdale. Rose missed the cut at three of the last four British Opens.

“Thousands of times I have won the Open Championship, in my mind,” Rose said. “This is probably the one I’ve dreamed about the most.”

For dreams to finally turn into a reality, Rose said he just has to stay in “the zone” and not get carried away with the expectations that predictably have been placed on him by a British public desperate for a triumph in an otherwise miserable sporting summer.

He doesn’t think that will be a problem – and he puts that down to winning at Merion.

“If I had been coming off a couple of wins and not won a major championship, I would be thinking, `Is this my opportunity to get it done?'” he said on Tuesday, appearing completely at home in his role as one of the big British Open favorites.

“It takes that little bit of pressure off me, the fact that it’s been done. I have one under my belt. The monkey is off my back … and I now have a model that works.”

Putting problems were once Rose’s weakness but if ever there was a demonstration to prove that is no longer an issue, it was on the front nine in the final round at the Scottish Open on Sunday.

Rose rolled in five birdies, from lengths varying from six to 25 feet, to pull away from the field and ease to his first victory in Europe in seven years. Playing partner Marc Warren said he watched on in awe.

“Justin has always been a great ball striker,” fellow Englishman Luke Donald said. “The only thing that has ever held him back is his putting, but he seems to be doing that a lot better now. He is a solid, solid player. World class.”

Rose was in the French holiday resort of St. Tropez the last time the British Open was staged at Hoylake, in 2006, when Tiger Woods claimed his third and most recent claret jug. Rose had failed to qualify for the third year in a row and was struggling to live up his promise.

It means the build-up to Thursday’s first round will be as much about familiarizing himself with the course than keeping his swing in shape.

Rose believes picking up shots on the par-fives will be one of the keys to success. But also just trusting the game that is closing him in on the No. 1 ranking.

“I was always trying to improve a part of my game to fit the golf course, where now I just build my strategy around what I’m good at,” Rose said.

“I am assuming if I did win this week, I’d go to No. 1. I’ve always said, for me, I’ve always focused more on winning major championships than chasing No. 1. That’s just a really nice by-product of your process.”

HOYLAKE, England – Tiger Woods was an early arrival to the British Open with hopes of avoiding an early departure.

Woods has played only two competitive rounds in the last four months because of back pain that led to surgery. That’s why he chose to get to England a day earlier than usual – Saturday – to get acclimated to links golf at Royal Liverpool.

It’s nothing like he remembers from his two-shot victory in 2006.

Hoylake was brown and dusty that year, and the ball was bouncing along at such speed that Woods hit only one driver the entire week. That was on the 16th hole, and the shot wound up on the 17th fairway. He still made birdie.

“The golf course is a little bit softer than what it was in `06,” Woods said on Tuesday. “I’ve played three practice rounds now and have had three different winds. So that’s been helpful to be able to see the golf course in different conditions.”

As an example of the change, Woods pulled out a driver on the par-5 fifth hole with the wind in his face. His tee shot landed in the fairway.

That he already has played three practice rounds has been encouraging.

Woods missed the cut at Congressional in his return to competition three weeks ago, though he was pleased that he felt no pain from March 31 back surgery. He even has been to the gym twice in the last couple of days.

Woods played 12 holes on Saturday and a full 18 on Sunday and Tuesday, taking a break Monday to work out and then go to the practice range.

“It’s one of the reasons why I came over a little earlier,” he said. ” I went to Geneva for a day with Rolex, but I came here a day earlier than I normally would to have an extra day in there, as well as possibly taking a day off, if need be. And it worked out.”

As for his goals? They haven’t changed.

When asked what would be a reasonable result in his first major of the year, Woods replied, “First.

“That’s always the case.”

The back surgery forced him to miss the Masters for the first time, and then the U.S. Open. The last time Woods had this much time off with so little competition before a major was in 2010 when he returned from the chaos in his personal life. He tied for fourth at the Masters.

It might help that he at least has won at Royal Liverpool, even if the course has changed dramatically.

Woods has changed, too.

His victory eight years ago produced more raw emotion than ever for Woods. It was his first major since the death of his father, Earl, two months earlier. He sobbed on the shoulders of his caddie and then his wife. Woods now has a different caddie and he is divorced.

“My life has certainly changed a lot since then,” Woods said. “That was a very emotional week. As you all know, I pressed pretty hard at Augusta that year, trying to win it, because it was the last time my dad was ever going to see me play a major championship. And then I didn’t play well at the (U.S.) Open – missed the cut there miserably. And then came here and just felt at peace. I really, really played well. On Sunday, I really felt calm out there.

“It was surreal at the time. I’ve had a few moments like that in majors where I’ve felt that way on a Sunday. And that was certainly one of them.”

The others were at the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12 shots; the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which he won by 15 shots; and 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, which he won by eight shots to complete the career Grand Slam.

Woods has won the career slam twice more since then, running his total to 14 majors by winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 despite not having played in two months because of torn ligaments in his left knee and a double stress fracture in his left leg.

He said that victory, with the odds against him, should be a reminder not to count him out.

And he’s not ruling out his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus and his 18 majors. Woods, who is 38, was asked if he would play well into his 40s and even his early 50s if it meant a chance to break the Nicklaus benchmark.

“Hopefully, I have it done by then. But I’m really looking forward to that cart,” he said, referring to Champions Tour players being allowed to ride in a cart.

Little Rapids, N.L. (Golf Canada) – The final CN Future Links championship of 2014 kicked off Monday at Humber Valley Resort in Little Rapids, N.L. Ian Lewis, 18, of Fall River, N.S. and Rachel Cormier, 18, of Rothesay, N.B. took the opening round lead in their respective divisions.

Lewis shot a first round 1-under-par 71 and sits a stroke ahead of Tyler Erb and Bobby Dunphy, who hold a share of second place. Erb, 17, of Toronto and Dunphy, 17, of Antigonish, NS. carded even-par rounds of 72, while Owen Patterson, 17, of Bedford, N.S. and Nathan Peters, 17, of St. John’s, N.L. sit in a tie for fourth after firing matching opening rounds of 1-over-73.

In the Junior Girls Division, Cormier leads by three strokes after a 7-over-par 79. Cormier is followed by Laura Jones, 15, of Berry Mills, N.B. who is second after a 10-over-82, while Charlottetown’s Bailey Carr, 17, sits third after an opening 11-over-par 83.

The Junior Boys champions will earn an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Boys Championship to be contested July 28 – August 1 at the Legends on the Niagara’s Battlefield Course in Niagara Falls, Ont.

The Junior Girls champion earns an exemption into the 2014 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, which runs July 28 – August 1 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club in Thornhill, Ont.

CN Future Links Atlantic’s second round begins tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. UTC. For complete scoring and information, click here.

GC:       What prompted Humber Valley Resort to host the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship?
HO:    With a recommendation from Greg Hillier of Golf NL, we felt it was a great opportunity to welcome youth from the Atlantic Provinces to our golf facility. We’re excited for them to see the beauty of the course and the region.

GC:    What preparations have went into hosting this championship?
HO:    Our management, staff, and course crew have been busy preparing the course and clubhouse to welcome the athletes and their parents to the resort. It’s been a great experience working with Golf NL and Golf Canada to make the event come together.

GC:    What can players expect when they arrive at your club?
HO:    Humber Valley is a scenic course that is both forgiving and challenging to all skill levels. They can expect some holes that will seem short and simple while others will test their ability to read and play the course.

GC:     What do you think will challenge competitors the most?
HO:    The elevation changes on the course will be a challenge for some golfers and the greens are very large. The golfers will need a day to get used to the overall feel of the course layout and how to play it to their advantage.

GC:     Are there any significant holes or sections of the golf course that should provide excitement for the tournament?
HO:    Our signature Hole #10 is beautiful par 5, it’s a real treat but it’s also very deceiving for even the best golfers. Hole #5 on the beach is one of my favorite holes as it’s a little shorter and very picturesque.

GC:    What does hosting an event like this do for your local community?
HO:     The tournament will be great for tourism in the region and it’s an opportunity to showcase Humber Valley, Western Newfoundland, and it’s true beauty.  

GC:    What sets your club apart from others in the area, in terms of both the course and/or its membership?
HO:    The course was designed by the one and only Doug Carrick, he really showcased all areas of the landscape. The mountain, lake and river views from most holes are incomparable to any course in Newfoundland. The resorts luxury chalets built around the course also add to the overall golf resort experience.

GC:    What does your club do to encourage and engage your junior membership each season?
HO:    We currently have a very small junior membership, since some younger athletes find the course very challenging. We’re working to increase interest and there are hopes in the future to complete a driving range and offer more programs to engage local juniors.

GC:      Why is hosting this championship important to the club?
HO:    It’s great exposure and it’s an important part of staying active with the golf membership in Canada. The future of golf lies in the athletes who compete in these tournaments and we want them to enjoy their golf experience here at Humber Valley.

GC:     What is your club looking forward to the most in hosting this championship?
HO:    We’re looking forward to welcoming both the athletes and their parents, who may not have normally traveled to Newfoundland if it hadn’t been for this event. We’re also looking forward to working with Golf Canada to put on a professional tournament. Our members have shown a great interest in volunteering and that’s a great feeling to know your local golfers are there to support these events. Overall we hope all athletes enjoy their rounds, form friendships with fellow competitors, and play the best they can.

Starting times, live scoring, and more information regarding the CN Future Links Atlantic Championship can be found online here.

There was a bit of a buzz in Canadian golf circles last week following an article in Maclean’s that ran with a headline, “Why Canadian Golf is Dying” which suggested the demise of Canadian golf.

I know sensational headlines are meant to grab attention but I took issue with the suggestion of golf’s demise in an article that I found confusing at times and misleading in some cases given a number of omitted facts about Canadian golf that would clearly dispute the writer’s narrative.

There’s no debating that rounds of golf are down from past years when our industry was really booming. The fact is all recreational activities – golf included – are dealing with a new normal in how consumers spend their recreational dollars. Competition from within the industry and among other sports or activities is as high as it’s ever been.

The article written by Chris Sorenson has generated discussion within the industry. Canadian golf journalists Robert Thompson and Ian Hutchinson were among those weighing in with thoughts on their respective blogs.

• Robert Thompson: Golf is dying: My take on Macleans story
• Golf’s Dead? Tell That to Wheat City Golfers and more

I shared my own comments on the article in the form of a letter to the Maclean’s editor. I wanted to stress that the game has gone through various up and down cycles over the past century and that I fully expect the game to weather this most recent down period. As John Gordon wrote earlier this year, we need to have more faith in the game, and I couldn’t agree more.

I invite you to read my response letter below and should you have your own comments, feel free to send to Maclean’s or share with me directly on Twitter @golfcanadaguy or email me at ssimmons@golfcanada.ca.

Letter to the Editor of Maclean’s:

Re: “Why Canadian Golf is Dying” article by Kevin Sorenson

Kevin Sorenson’s article “Why Golf is Dying” got it wrong.  While obviously provocative, your alarmist headline couldn’t be further from reality.

Like all recreational activities – golf is dealing with a ‘new normal’ in how consumers spend their recreational dollars. Overall rounds are down from an incredible boom period in the 90’s that saw a spike in interest and a subsequent surge in new course builds. This has resulted in healthy competition for the golfer’s interests. This being said, golf still remains the most popular sport in Canada, with more participants than any other sport, and more players per capita than any other country in the world.

The current competitive climate has validated golf’s current focus to welcome more youngsters and newcomers, to ensure a strong base of new players going forward. With an eye towards bringing in new enthusiasts, there are many options available to families through programs offered by Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada, and the golf course owners – Golf in Schools, CN Future Links, and Take a Kid to Course Week,  just to name a few.

I read an insightful comment earlier this year in that, “Golf, like the people who play it, is a living, breathing thing. Like us, its existence is typified by cycles.” We’ve experienced similar high and low points for golf over the past century, just like anything else in life. However, the game of golf – with its storied past, a present that has an abundance of rising Canadian stars, and a future that will see the sport return to the Olympic stage in 2016 – with Canada as defending champion from 1904 – is poised to see another growth cycle.

A Canadian Golf Economic Impact Study released in June measured our sport’s worth to the Canadian economy at more than $14 billion, which is a staggering figure that represents more than 1% of our nation’s total GDP. Direct revenues generated by golf courses and their facilities as well as stand-alone practice ranges ($5 billion) are more than the revenues generated by all other participation sports and recreation facilities combined ($4.8 billion) in Canada. The study reinforces the massive financial, charitable, tourism and positive environmental impact our sport has in communities across Canada. Our industry impacts hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in tax dollars. Consider the number of Canadians who plan golf vacations or the municipalities and golf destinations that drive tourism. Look no further than the massive charitable contribution of $533 million raised annually at 37,000 events held at golf courses.

Not only is golf the most practiced sport in Canada, with more golfers than hockey or soccer enthusiasts, it is a dynamic component of this country’s economic engine. These facts certainly do not support the writer’s “sky is falling” narrative and they hardly depict an industry in its demise.

Scott Simmons
CEO
Golf Canada

Since 2007 the RBC Canadian Open has been more than the third-oldest national open golf championship in the world and the lone Canadian stop on the PGA Tour. It’s had to get into the business of chartering flights for many of the players in the tournament field every year and it will be no different this month with the championship’s return to The Royal Montreal Golf Club. Tournament week is July 21-27.

Players like Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink as well as Canadians Graham DeLaet and David Hearn and others will board a charter flight for the trans-Atlantic journey to Montreal following the final round of the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Merseyside, England, July 20.

It’s an arduous extra step Golf Canada officials have had to take ever since the championship was reshuffled on the PGA Tour schedule from its previous date in early to September to the third week in July – following the British Open.

“When we got the (new) date I knew, at least I felt, the only chance we had to get a solid field for the championship was to put on a jet. So we did and it still holds today,” says RBC Canadian Open tournament director Bill Paul. “I think if we didn’t have the jet we’d have a much tougher time getting players to come here.

“We’re not talking about a lot of players, just some players,” says Paul. “But what we do is very important to them…it’s the convenience of it.”

Upward of 33 players, their caddies and some family members will be on the flight which is scheduled to depart from Manchester, England, at 8 p.m. local time for the trip to Montreal. There are 102 seats available.

Each player is allotted three seats and while mostly it will be just a player and caddie, additional spots usually go to players traveling with family members.

Players headed to Montreal will gather in a hospitality area set up for the purpose by officials from the Royal and Ancient Golf of St. Andrews (R&A) which oversees the British Open. Buses will then transport them to the airport where another hospitality area awaits them until the flight is ready to be boarded.

A Golf Canada staff member is on site to assist the procedure, while Paul and his team take care of other logistics and last-minute issues related to the flight on this end.

And if the British Open winner happens to be among those scheduled to play at Royal Montreal, Paul says, “We’ll wait for him for as long as we can.”

Els is the only British Open winner since 2007 to play the Canadian Open the following week. But it wasn’t before the personable South African threw a scare into tournament organizers when he said during his victory speech at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012 he planned to spend time with his family and celebrate his second Claret Jug in London rather than fly to Canada for the championship being held that year at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ont.

“I’m supposed to go to Canada but I think I’m going to blow that thing off,” Els laughed at time.

It turned out to be a joke as Els followed up by saying he would try to get the Canada by Tuesday of that week which he did only to miss the cut in Hamilton.

When it comes to chartering players around, since 2008 the RBC Canadian Open in a sense has partnered with the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, which is held the week before the British Open. Because organizers there want to secure the best field possible for it tournament, they charter a flight to take British Open-bound players overseas on Sunday night after final round of the John Deere.

“What we do is a little different from most tournaments on the PGA Tour, but the fact is it’s now part of what we do,” says Paul. “It’s unfortunately a given, and I don’t say that in a negative way, but we’ve accepted that and we do what I think is a first-class job organizing it and getting guys from that tournament site.

“I’ll probably have a 132 people that want on that plane on the Wednesday of British Open week,” he says. “It happens every year and somehow it gets down to between 90 and 102 people.”

For more information on the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, click here.

HOYLAKE, England – International Golf Federation officials confirmed today the qualification system that will be used for golf in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The announcement was made during a press conference at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, site of this week’s Open Championship, and follows ratification of the system by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

As outlined by IGF President Peter Dawson, Vice President Ty Votaw and Executive Director Antony Scanlon, the following will apply:

In both the women’s and men’s events a field of 60 players will compete in a 72-hole stroke play format competition for the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. The 60 positions available in each event will be allocated through an Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) list published on the IGF website, based on the player’s respective official world golf ranking as follows:

• Players within the top-15 on the respective women’s and men’s official world golf rankings as of July 11, 2016 will be eligible, except that there will be no more than four players from any one country eligible within the top-15.
• The balance of the field will be selected in order from 16^th place onwards on the respective women’s and men’s official world golf rankings as of as of July 11, 2016, up to a maximum of 2 players per country for those countries not already having more than 2 players within the top-15.

A provision has been included for the host country, Brazil, which will guarantee that at least one Brazilian female and male golfer will compete in the Games if not otherwise eligible, based on position within the respective official world golf rankings. Another provision has also been included that each of the five continents of the Olympic Movement (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) will be guaranteed at least one athlete in each of the men’s and women’s events, if not otherwise eligible, based on position within the respective official world golf rankings.  These provisions will not increase the field size beyond 60 athletes in each of the women’s and men’s competitions.

The two-year qualification period for the Olympic Golf Ranking will run from July 14, 2014 to 11 July 11,  2016. Throughout that time, an OGR list will be published each week using the current women’s and men’s official world golf rankings at internationalgolffederation.org (showing the mock field for the event as if played that week using the rankings system). The IGF will publish the final OGR list as of 11 July 2016 following the conclusion of all eligible events.

“This is an important milestone on the road to golf’s return to the Olympic Games in 2016,” Dawson said. “We are pleased to confirm the eligibility criteria and to give the athletes, National Olympic Committees and National Federations clarity on the qualification process. The world’s best players now know what they must achieve to be part of golf’s historic return to the Games in Rio de Janeiro.”

SANDY, Utah – Andres Gonzales shot a 2-under 69 in the final round Sunday to win the Web.com’s Utah Championship by four strokes.

Gonzales, who opened with a 62 in the first round and led after each day, finished at 21-under 263 for his second victory on the tour. He had four birdies in his last round to help overcome a double-bogey on the par-4 13th hole that dropped his lead from five shots to three.

When he stepped up for his tee shot on No. 18, he took a peek at the leaderboard – something he avoided doing all week.

“I saw I had a four-shot lead, so that kind of gave me goose bumps knowing I could do some stuff on the last green and win,” Gonzales said.

His first shot landed above the hole and he two-putted for par to complete the win that made him the first player in Web.com Tour history to win two titles while leading after every round. He also accomplished the feat at the Soboba Classic in 2012.

“I was a little more nervous here,” Gonzales said. “Soboba was the very beginning of the year. This is kind of getting down to crunch time, where we only have five tournaments left before the playoffs start.”

Adam Crawford shot a final-round 66 to finish tied with Sung Kang (68) and Travis Bertoni (68) at 267. Tony Finau was one shot back in fifth after a 68.

Justin Shin was the top Canadian finisher. He tied for 29th at 9-under 275. Following closely behind was Roger Sloan, who tied for 28th at 8-under 276.

Winnipeg – With a late chip-in birdie and a clutch three-footer for par at the 72^nd hole, Rio Rancho, New Mexico’s Tim Madigan claimed victory at The Players Cup on Sunday, securing his first PGA Tour Canada win.

Madigan’s even par 71 at Pine Ridge Golf Club gave him the title by a shot over Bright’s Grove, Ont.’s Matt Hill and Edmonds, Washington’s Ricky McDonald.

With the win, the 25-year old PGA Tour Canada rookie moved up to second on the Order of Merit with $53,460 and secured a spot in the top three through next week’s Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, earning a spot in the 2014 RBC Canadian Open.

“To be a winner on PGA Tour Canada, I mean, I dreamt about it. Did I think it would happen in my rookie year? Probably not. I knew it was possible, but to be out here is just a privilege,” said Madigan.

The New Mexico State grad began the day with a two stroke advantage over Fargo, North Dakota’s Josh Persons, who beat Madigan by a shot last month to win the Bayview Place Island Savings Open presented by Times Colonist in Victoria. It was Hill and McDonald who made a charge, however, with the trio tied late in the back nine at 8-under par.

Madigan came to the par-5 15^th facing a tough up-and-down to stay tied for the lead. Instead, he chipped it in, with the ball rolling around the cup before dropping for the last birdie he would need. He would go on to two-putt from 75 feet at the 72^nd hole, draining a nervy three-footer for the win.

“Making that three footer, that’s why I practice – to be in that moment, to have that chance to get a win,” said Madigan, who was determined to rectify a missed chance to win earlier this season. “I let it slip away from me in Victoria and I definitely wasn’t going to allow it to happen again.”

The win comes at an exciting time for Madigan, who said he thought of his fiancée, Deb Albo, when facing the biggest putt of his career on the 72^nd hole. The pair are scheduled to be married next May.

“That girl has stuck by me through thick and thin, through probably the worst lows of my career to the highest high, which is without a doubt right now,” said Madigan. “She’s an absolutely perfect woman in my eyes.”

Hill earned his best finish on PGA Tour Canada since winning the Order of Merit in 2012, while McDonald, who finished second at the Syncrude Boreal Open presented by AECON, moved to fifth on the Order of Merit. Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Clark Klaasen posted a career-best fourth place finish at 7-under par.

With a final round 67 to finish in a tie for second, Hill earns Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours, taking home a $1,500 prize.

At every PGA Tour Canada event, Freedom 55 Financial honours the top Canadian on the leaderboard, and will present Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $10,000 prize to the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end. Hill moved to 10^th on the Order of Merit, $4,127 behind North Vancouver, B.C.’s Eugene Wong at no. 7.

Next week, PGA Tour Canada heads east to Thunder Bay, Ont. for the inaugural Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, where NHL brothers Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared Staal will host the event’s first playing at Whitewater Golf and Country Club.

Tim Madigan also secured a spot in the RBC Canadian Open, mathematically assured of being in the top three through next week.

Five Canadians finished in the top 10 in Winnipeg. Joining Hill were Calgary’s Ryan Yip (T-5), Montreal’s Beon-Yeong Lee (8^th), Eugene Wong (T-9) and Dundas, Ont.’s Chris Ross (T-9).