BLAINE, Minn. — Taylor Pendrith shot a 7-under 64 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Matt NeSmith into the weekend in the 3M Open.

Playing in windier afternoon conditions, Pendrith made a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th and tapped in for another birdie on the par-5 18th. He had a 12-under 130 total at the TPC Twin Cities, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.

The 33-year-old Canadian won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May in Texas for his first PGA Tour title. He tied for fifth last week in the Barracuda Championship in California.

NeSmith had a 64 in the morning before wind gusts topping 20 mph hit the course in the afternoon and early evening.

Seeking his first PGA Tour victory, NeSmith lost in a playoff two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, his lone top-10 finish in 20 prior starts this season. He has missed 11 cuts.

First-round leader Jacob Bridgeman had a 70 to drop three strokes back at 9 under with Andrew Putnam (66). Doug Ghim (64), Lanto Griffin (66), Alex Smalley (65) and Jhonattan Vegas (66) were 8 under.

The event is the second-to-last tournament before the FedEx Cup playoffs begin, with some players near the 70-player cutoff failing to advance to the weekend. Nick Dunlap (64th in the standings), Luke List (71st) and defending champion Lee Hodges (73rd) missed the cut.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Xander Schauffele overcame a two-stroke deficit with a bogey-free final round 65 to win the Open Championship by two shots over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. It’s his ninth career PGA Tour win and his second major championship this year, becoming the first golfer in 10 years to win the British Open and PGA Championship in the same year. In the 90-year history of four majors, Schauffele became the first player to win two majors in one season with a final-round 65, joining Jack Nicklaus. Schauffele pulled away with three birdies in a four-hole stretch early on the back nine to go from two shots behind to leading by as many as three. It was the 11th straight year for a first-time British Open champion, tying a tournament record. Rose, who needed to go through 36-hole qualifying just to get into the field, finishes runner-up at a major for the fourth time in his career. Billy Horschel, the third-round leader, posted his best result in 43 career major starts. Schauffele’s win means players from the United States have won all four major titles for the first time since 1982. …Mackenzie Hughes, who got into the event after finishing tied for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open, posted his third-best career result in a major. It’s his fifth top-20 result of the season.  …Corey Conners‘ final round 68 equals his second-lowest score ever in five British Open starts. He has made the cut in all 20 events he has played this year.

PGA TOUR

Nick Dunlap overcame a nine-point deficit with a bogey-free final round worth 19 points to win the Barracuda Championship by two points. He becomes the first player in PGA Tour history to win as an amateur and a professional in the same calendar year. In January, Dunlap became the eighth amateur to win a Tour event – and the first in 33 years – at The American Express. He birdied six of his first 12 holes before making a 55-foot eagle putt on No. 15 to take the lead. The victory moved him up to 63rd on the FedEx Cup points list with two regular season events left to play. The top 70 advance to the playoffs. …Taylor Pendrith posted his fourth top-10 finish of the season and moved up to a season-high 29 in the FedEx Cup standings. …Ben Silverman was the leader after the first round, the first time in his career he has held the outright lead in a PGA Tour event.

NEXT EVENT: 3M Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith, Ben Silverman, Roger Sloan, Adam Svensson

LPGA TOUR

Chanettee Wannasaen birdied the final two holes to win the Dana Open for Children by one stroke over Haeran Ryu. It’s the second career LPGA Tour title for the Thai player who won the Portland Classic last year, giving her victories in the two oldest non-major LPGA tournaments. At 20 years of age, Wannasaen is the youngest player to win on the tour this year. Ryu birdied four of the final five holes but a bogey at No. 16 ended her chances at victory. Her runner-up finish is her best result of the year. It’s also her seventh top-10 finish of the year – the most by any player without a win. Defending champion Linn Grant of Sweden finished in a tie for third. …Alena Sharp, who eagled or birdied the final hole in each of the four days, posted her best result of the season and first top-20 finish on the LPGA Tour since August 2022.

NEXT EVENT: CPKC Women’s Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Vanessa Borovilos (a), Monet Chun, Katie Cranston (a), Savannah Grewal,  Brooke Henderson, Anna Huang (a), Lauren Kim (a), Yeji Kwon, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Mary Parsons, Brooke Rivers, Alena Sharp, Ellie Szeryk, Maddie Szeryk, Brigitte Thibault, Michelle Xing (a), Elizabeth Carr (reserve)

KORN FERRY TOUR

Matt McCarty birdied the opening two holes and four of the first nine on his way to a bogey-free final round 66 and a three-stroke win at the Price Cutter Charity Championship. It’s his first career victory and the result moves him up to seventh on the Korn Ferry Tour standings, securing his PGA Tour card for next season. McCarty is the 13th first-time winner on the Tour this season. Tommy Gainey, a winner on the PGA Tour, finished second for his first top-five and second top-10 result this season. Taylor Dickson finished in a four-way tie for third and also secured his PGA Tour card for next year.

NEXT EVENT: NV5 Invitational (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Wil Bateman, Myles Creighton, Jared du Toit, Étienne Papineau, Sudarshan Yellamaraju

PGA TOUR AMERICAS

Ryan Burnett rebounded from an opening hole bogey with four birdies in his next five holes en route to a course record-tying final round 62 and a two-shot win at the Bromont Open. It was the first career PGA Tour Americas title for Burnett who had to regain tour status at mid-season Q-school after finishing outside the top 60 following the Latin American Swing. He is also the 16th PGA Tour University alumni to win a professional event. Third-round leader David Pastore, who had two eagles in a front-nine 31, was one back and had a chance to tie with a birdie on the final hole but ended up making bogey to finish runner-up. …Matthew Anderson posted his fifth top-15 result of the season. …Brendan MacDougall notched his second top-15 result in his last three starts. …Drew Nesbitt recorded his best result of the season and second straight top-20 finish.

NEXT EVENT: Commissionaires Ottawa Open (Jul 25)

CANADIANS ENTERED: Matthew Anderson, Ty Celone, A.J. Ewart, Brad Fritsch, Claude Giroux, Thomas Giroux, Piercen Hunt, Jimmy Jones, Ki Taek Lee, Stuart Macdonald, Brendan MacDougall, Drew Nesbitt, Lawren Rowe, Joey Savoie, Jeevan Sihota, Noah Steele, Justin Towill, Chris Crisologo (alternate), Brady McKinlay (alternate), Brandon Lacasse (alternate), Xavier Marcoux (alternate)

EPSON TOUR

Lauren Stephenson, battling a cold all week, birdied the final hole for a wire-to-wire two-stroke victory at the Twin Bridges Championship. It was her first career win and moved her to No. 3 in the Race for The Card standings. Jessica Porvasnik started the final round five shots back and attempted to chase Stephenson down with a pair of birdies on the front nine but could only manage one more birdie over the final nine holes to finish runner-up. That result moved her to the top of the Race for the Card standings with just six tournaments remaining. …Leah John posted her best career result in her rookie season on the development tour as well as her first top-10 finish of the year.  …Brigitte Thibault notched her best career result and first top-20 finish on the tour.

NEXT EVENT: Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic (Aug 16)

CANADIANS ENTERED:  Selena Costabile, Leah John, Brigitte Thibault, Kate Johnston (reserve), Tiffany Kong (reserve)

St Andrews, Scotland: The ticket ballot for The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush is now open. Fans can submit ticket applications from today until 3pm BST on Wednesday 31 July 2024, with the results being announced in stages during August and September.

Apply for tickets to TheOpen

The ballot approach ensures all fans will have a fair opportunity to attend the Championship, which is taking place in Northern Ireland from 13-20 July 2025.

The ticket ballot is available exclusively to members of One Club, the free-to-join digital membership platform, designed to bring golf fans closer to the game. Fans can also upgrade to One Club Advantage, presented by Mastercard, for an enhanced chance of success in the ticket ballot.

Ticket prices for The 153rd Open will start from £100 for an adult on Championship Days and from £25 on Practice Days. The R&A is fully committed to encouraging more children and young adults to attend The Open and free tickets will be available to children through the successful “Kids go Free” programme, while half-price youth tickets are available for 16-24-year-olds. These tickets must also be applied for using the ticket ballot.

A range of premium hospitality experiences are available to purchase now when fans can guarantee their place at the Championship in luxurious surroundings with a fully inclusive dining and drinks package. Premium Experiences are selling fast, with some already sold out. A Ticket Plus option is also available, offering fans an elevated experience in which they can enjoy The Open in a relaxed environment with access to a private bar and gourmet food trucks.

The Open is returning to Royal Portrush for the first time since 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry lifted the famous Claret Jug to the delight of a jubilant home crowd. Tickets for the 2019 Championship sold out in record-breaking fashion and, at the time, set a record attendance for The Open outside of St Andrews with 237,750 fans attending throughout the week. It generated more than £100 million for the economy of Northern Ireland.

Visit TheOpen.com for further information or to enter the ticket ballot.

Corey Conners has been one of the most consistent Canadians on the PGA TOUR over the past couple of years. It’s that consistency that has earned him a spot on the Canadian Olympic team heading to the upcoming summer Olympics.

Golf Canada recently announced the two spots reserved for the men’s team will go to Conners and 2023 RBC Canadian Open champion, Nick Taylor. On the women’s side, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp will be representing Canada at the upcoming summer Olympics in Paris, France.

When the decision on the men’s team was announced on June 17^th, Taylor was 35^th and Conners was 37^th on the official World Golf rankings – they were the top two ranked Canadians.

After winning the RBC Canadian Open last June, Taylor carried that momentum towards another victory earlier this year at the TPC Scottsdale in February.

“The opportunity to represent my country at the Olympics has been a huge goal of mine for many years,” Taylor pointed out after the official announcement on June 17^th.

“To see the news become official is quite humbling and surreal. I’m excited to get to Paris to compete, proudly wear the Maple Leaf, and soak in what I know will be an incredible experience.”

Joining Taylor at the Paris Olympics on the men’s golf team is Conners – who has been posting some strong results recently also.  At the RBC Canadian Open in early June, he finished as the top Canadian in sixth spot.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” said Conners at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club about earning the distinction as the top Canadian. “Obviously disappointing not to win the big trophy but yeah it’s a cool honour (to be top Canadian in the field).”

Conners was again the top Canadian on the leaderboard at the U.S. Open – where he finished in a tie for 9^th spot.

“It was a solid week overall. I was certainly motivated to improve on my record at the U.S. Open. I feel like the challenging golf courses set up well for me, and I was comfortable with the course, and I felt good about my game,” said the long-time Canadian National Team member from Listowel, Ont.

“It would have been nice to get a little higher up the leaderboard, but it was a really solid week.”

While his last PGA TOUR victory came back in April of 2023 at the Valero Texas Open, consistency has been a key factor to Conners’ success since then. An example of this remarkable consistency is the fact that he has not missed a cut in over a year – the last time Conners missed a cut was at the 2023 U.S. Open in Los Angeles.

Conners’ consistency combined with his recent top 10 results at the U.S. Open and the Canadian Open allowed him to edge out Adam Hadwin, who was ranked one spot behind at 38^th in the world golf rankings when the Olympic team announcement was made.

“Huge honor to represent Canada at the Olympics again. It was a big goal of mine, since playing in Tokyo three years ago, that I really wanted to represent Canada again. I feel for Adam Hadwin, he was playing some really good golf as well and I was able to just sneak by him,” said the 32-year-old Conners at the recent Travellers Championship.

“Really happy and excited to get to go to Paris and it will be a lot of fun playing alongside Nick.

This marks the second time Conners will be representing Canada at the summer Olympics. The long-time Canadian National Team member from Listowel, Ont., will look to build on his strong performance at the Toyko Olympics in 2020 where he finished in 13^th spot.

It is interesting to note that the last Canadian to win a medal in golf at the Olympics is George Lyon, who captured a gold medal way back in 1904.

Conners and Taylor – along with Henderson and Sharp – will look put their names into the history books later this summer in Paris, France. The men’s Olympic golf tournament will take place from August 1^st to August 4^th at Le Golf National.  The women’s golf tournament will take place at the same venue from August 7^th to August 10^th.

The Memorial was arguably the toughest challenge on the PGA Tour so far this season and Adam Hadwin rode its ups and downs to his best showing of the year.

Only 11 players finished under par at the Memorial, with only six shooting under par in the final round at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Hadwin, from Abbotsford, B.C., finished third at the signature event to rocket up the FedEx Cup standings to 24th, leapfrogging Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor and Corey Conners to become the highest-ranked Canadian on tour. 

But the U.S. Open, traditionally the most punishing course setup on the men’s golf calendar, now looms.

“It’s going to be a very similar test, let’s be honest,” said Hadwin after finishing his round at the Memorial on Sunday after a 2-over round put him at 4-under overall. “You’re going to hit some good shots that don’t get rewarded and you’re going to have to scramble and stay patient and do all the things that I tried to do today.

“I’ve got to keep grinding, just keep doing what I’m doing and it will come.”

Hadwin’s showing at the Memorial moved him 24 spots up the official world golf rankings into an Olympic berth with one week before the men’s qualifying deadline. He also moved up to seventh for the Presidents Cup international team rankings, one spot out of an automatic berth for the prestigious international tournament.

He said that the challenges of the Memorial are good preparation for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., where the United States Golf Association typically prefers tight fairways and long rough to put an emphasis on accuracy.

“You could look at it one of two ways; either (the Memorial) is good prep for next week or we just got our butts kicked before going into next week,” said Hadwin. “I expect the USGA to do what the USGA does, make it very difficult on us, challenge us mentally more than anything. 

“I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot. I’m just going to have to rest up and, again, just keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

Seven Canadians are in the field at Pinehurst, tying the U.S. Open record set in 1912 and matched in 2023. 

Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Taylor of Abbotsford are the second and third highest-ranked Canadians on the PGA Tour, 35th and 36th on the FedEx Cup standings respectively. Conners (43rd) of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes (46th) of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson (87th) of Surrey, B.C., round out the pro contingent from Canada at the U.S. Open.

Svensson and amateur Ashton McCulloch of Kingston, Ont., qualified for the U.S. Open together at Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway, Ont., on June 3, a day after the RBC Canadian Open was completed at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Svensson finished in a tie for 51st at the Canadian Open while McCulloch missed the cut, giving him two days to rest before the U.S. Open qualifier.

“It was more mentally exhausting than anything,” said McCulloch, a junior at Michigan State University, about making his Canadian Open debut. “Playing in my first PGA Tour event, I didn’t know everything that came with it. There’s a lot of pressure when you do play for your first time. 

“That Saturday I was exhausted. I didn’t do a whole lot that day. It all worked out, and I ended up qualifying for the U.S. Open, so not a bad way to spend your weekend recovering before a U.S. Open qualifier.”

The 21-year-old McCulloch is the first Canadian amateur to qualify for the major since NHL referee Garrett Rank did it in 2018.

Canadians across major professional golf tours:

LPGA TOUR — Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is sixth in the Race to CME Globe standings heading into the Meijer LPGA Classic. She’s one of five Canadians in the field at Blythefield Country Club of Belmont, Mich. Savannah Grewal (81st) of Mississauga, Ont., Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (140th), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (143rd) of Sherbrooke, Que., and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont., will also tee it up.

KORN FERRY TOUR — Myles Creighton of Digby, N.S., is the highest ranked Canadian heading into this week’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open. He’s ranked 20th on the second-tier tour’s points list. He’ll be joined at Crestview Country Club by Etienne Papineau (45th) of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., Sudarshan Yellamaraju (94th) of Mississauga, Ont., and Jared du Toit (115th) of Kimberley, Ont.

EPSON TOUR — Brigitte Thibault of Rosemere, Que., is 107th in the Race for the Card, the points list for the second-tier Epson Tour. She’ll play on Friday when the Otter Creek Championship tees off in Columbus, Ind. Selena Costabile of Thornhill, Ont., Vancouver’s Leah John and Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., are also in the field but unranked.

Dublin, Ohio, USA – Adam Hadwin has qualified for The 152 Open at Royal Troon through the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.
 
The Memorial Tournament was the seventh event in the Open Qualifying Series and took place at Muirfield Village.
 
The Canadian was the leading player in the field not already exempt, finishing in third place at 4-under.
 
The next events in the Open Qualifying Series are the KOLON Korea Open and the KLM Open taking place from 20-23 June.

During a challenging Sunday at Muirfield Village, where only a few players managed to score below par, Hadwin quickly climbed the leaderboard with three birdies in his first seven holes. This brought him within striking distance of the 54-hole leader, Scottie Scheffler. However, Scheffler ultimately edged out Collin Morikawa by one stroke to claim his fifth win in eight starts.

In addition to punching his ticket to The Open, Hadwin’s chances of representing Team Canada at the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition in Paris this summer improved significantly. He jumped 24 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking, from No. 59 to No. 35, positioning himself as Canada’s second available spot with one week of qualification remaining.

At the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes represented Canada in men’s golf. In 2016, it was David Hearn and Graham DeLaet. Becoming an Olympian is a notable achievement missing from Hadwin’s impressive resume.

Olympic golf qualification depends on the Official World Golf Ranking, which will be finalized after the U.S. Open next week. Nick Taylor is likely to secure the first spot, leaving Conners, Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith, and Hughes in contention for the second spot.

All five Canadians will compete next week at Pinehurst No. 2.

Caledon, Ont., is preparing to welcome the world — through the RBC Canadian Open — to its rolling green hills.

TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley was announced as the host for the 2025 edition of the RBC Canadian Open, the men’s national golf championship and the only PGA Tour event north of the border, two weeks ago. 

Mayor Annette Grove said the success of this year’s event at Hamilton Golf and Country Club shows what it can do for a municipality’s international profile.

“It’s an opportunity to really put Caledon on the map globally,” said Grove on Tuesday. “I understand that over one million households across the United States, people from 140 different countries, viewed the tournament over the weekend in Hamilton, so this is an exciting opportunity for Caledon.”

The CPKC Women’s Open, Canada’s national women’s championship and the only LPGA Tour event in the country, travels across the country. It was at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club last year and will be at Calgary’s Earl Grey Golf Club at the end of July.

The men’s championship, however, stays in southern Ontario. St. George’s Golf and Country Club and Oakdale Golf and Country Club, both in Toronto, hosted in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Along with Hamilton and Toronto TPC, the four courses — and possibly a fifth to be announced at a later date — will comprise a rotation of locations in and around Toronto, Canada’s largest city.

Golf Canada’s chief operating officer Garrett Ball outlined the two tournaments’ economic impact at a news conference on Wednesday at the Canadian Open. He said the national sport organization had an $84-million economic impact on Canada as a whole, with $66 million of that in Ontario.

Although the final ticket sales data wasn’t yet released on Tuesday, Golf Canada estimated last week that 137,000 fans attended the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club between Wednesday and Sunday. The organization also estimated that more than 60,000 of them came from more than 40 kilometres away.

Neil Lumsden, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport, announced at the same news conference that the province would contribute $1 million to Golf Canada to support the event.

“The impact won’t just be for three or four days, it will be significant and it will be long lasting,” said Lumsden. “This touches all bases on what we are trying to do across Ontario. 

“So far, when we partner up (with Golf Canada), the expectations have been met and exceeded, and this will be no different at the RBC Canadian Open.”

Groves is excited to bring that kind of economic activity to Caledon, a regional municipality northwest of Toronto, that is stretched out over 700 square kilometres. That includes the unincorporated town of Bolton, the region’s largest community, as well as seven villages and 10 hamlets.

“I believe that this is a wonderful opportunity for our local businesses right across the town,” said Groves, who pointed to the villages of Alton and Cheltenham as well as the hamlet of Terra Cotta as communities that will benefit. 

“Right across the town, businesses will certainly benefit from this economically.”

Hosting a RBC Canadian Open is not without its challenges. Staff and fans arriving account for thousands of extra cars on roads and in parking lots in the area. The township also has a limited number of accommodations for visitors.

“One of the things that we we’re working on, certainly, is shuttling people. We’ve got other areas in Caledon and Caledon is a very big place,” said Groves. “We are working with our communities right across Caledon and with our partners to make sure that we can shuttle people safely to the Osprey Valley golf course.”

Groves also said that her town would be working with the neighbouring municipalities of Brampton, Ont., and Orangeville, Ont., for infrastructure support like hotels and shuttle points.

She also pointed to Caledon’s previous success hosting the equestrian competitions at the 2015 Pan American Games, which were held at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, Ont.

Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner to join Furyk in Montreal

MONTREAL, Quebec, Canada – U.S. Team Captain Jim Furyk announced Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and Kevin Kisner as captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup, which will be played at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, Sept. 24-29. Furyk has the option to name up to two additional assistants prior to the competition.

“I am excited to announce Stewart, Justin and Kevin as my captain’s assistants for the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal,” said Furyk. “The three of them have a tremendous history with this event, but more importantly, they will be trusted voices in the team room and on the course for our guys. I look forward to working with them closely as we build a 12-man U.S. Team that is ready to compete at Royal Montreal this fall.”

Cink, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner, has appeared in four Presidents Cups (2000, 2005, 2007, 2009), compiling a 9-7-2 record in four U.S. Team victories, including a 4-0-0 performance in his debut in 2000. The only time Cink and Furyk were paired together in Presidents Cup competition was in 2007 at Royal Montreal, where they notched a 2-up victory over Angel Cabrera and K.J. Choi during Saturday’s fourball matches. The 51-year-old will be making his first appearance as a captain’s assistant in 2024.

“Jim is a longtime friend and it’s an honor to be named as a captain’s assistant for the 2024 Presidents Cup. This event has meant so much to my career and it’s a thrill to get to return to Montreal, where I have such great memories from 2007,” said Cink.

Leonard, 51, has competed in the Presidents Cup five times (1996, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2009), compiling an 8-11-4 all-time record. The 12-time PGA TOUR winner, who currently plays on PGA TOUR Champions, was paired with Furyk four times between the 2003 and 2009 Presidents Cups, where the pair combined for a 2-1-1 record.

“It has been incredible to watch this U.S. Team grow and develop in team competition over the years, and I can’t think of anyone better than Jim to lead this talented group into Montreal in a few months,” said Leonard, who will be making his debut as a captain’s assistant. “My history with this event goes back nearly three decades, so I was honored to receive the call and I’m excited for a great week of golf in September.”

Kisner will also be making his debut as a captain’s assistant in 2024 after competing for the U.S. Team in 2017 and 2022. The four-time PGA TOUR winner, who owns a 2-2-3 career record in Presidents Cup competition, built a reputation as a tenacious match play competitor, winning the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in 2019 and finishing runner-up in 2018 and 2022.

“Match play is my favorite format in golf and I’m looking forward to adding some expertise and insight to our team room as we lead an incredible contingent of players into Montreal,” said Kisner, 40. “Jim is someone I’ve looked up to throughout my career and is naturally just a great leader, so it was a thrill when he called and asked me to serve as a captain’s assistant this fall.”

For more information about the Presidents Cup, or to purchase tickets, please visit PresidentsCup.com. 

HAMILTON, Ontario — Robert MacIntyre, with father Dougie at his side as his caddie, held on to win the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

Four strokes ahead entering the final round at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, MacIntyre shot a 2-under 68 to beat playing partner Ben Griffin by a stroke. On the par-4 18th, the 27-year-old Scottish left-hander two-putted for par from 12 feet, holing out from 1 1/2 feet.

“Goose bumps. It’s incredible,” MacIntyre said. “It’s a dream of mine to play golf for a living. It’s been a dream of mine to win on the PGA Tour. … I just can’t believe I done it with my dad on the bag. The guy’s taught me the way I play golf.”

MacIntyre finished at 16-under 264 for the breakthrough victory in his 45th career PGA Tour start. The former McNeese State player was a member of Europe’s winning 2023 Ryder Cup team and has two European tour victories, the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown and 2022 Italian Open.

“I was in a dog fight there,” MacIntyre said. “Obviously, Ben made it difficult coming in the stretch. He played well. It’s just incredible to do this with my dad on the bag and have my girlfriend here and I’m sure there’s a party going on back home in Oban.”

Griffin had a 65. He parred the 18th after birdieing the previous three holes.

“I fought hard,” Griffin said. “It felt like there was a lid on the cup for most of the day for me. I hit so many pretty good putts, I wouldn’t say like striped putts, but pretty good putts and just kept burning edges. A couple bad putts, but stayed patient.”

Victor Perez of France was third at 14 under after his second straight 64.

Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy also shot 64 to tie for fourth with Tom Kim (64) at 13 under. McIlroy won in 2019 the last time the tournament was in Hamilton and again in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto.

“Three really good rounds of golf, one not so good one,” McIlroy said. “Felt a little out of sorts on Friday. Did a good range session and sort of rectified it.”

Corey Conners was the top Canadian, shooting a 65 to reach 12 under.

“Definitely something to be proud of,” Conners said. “Yeah, obviously disappointing to not win the big trophy, but, yeah, it’s a cool honor.

Fellow Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, tied for second entering the day, was another shot back after a 70.

Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.

Mackenzie Hughes had the dream scenario of winning the RBC Canadian Open in his hometown within reach but then it all slipped away.

Hughes started the final round of the men’s national golf championship tied for second, four shots back of Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre. Hughes had three birdies on his first four holes and MacIntyre bogeyed No. 1 to lift the Canadian to the top of the leaderboard.

The final 10 holes were tough on Hughes, with three bogeys dropping him back down as MacIntyre found his rhythm and surged to his first PGA Tour victory.

“Pretty gutted,” said Hughes, pausing to collect himself. “Yeah, I wanted this one pretty badly.

“I don’t know. This one will sting for awhile. I obviously got off to the start I needed to get off to but I just didn’t.”

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., ended a 69-year drought for Canadians at their national championship last year after a thrilling four-hole playoff at Toronto’s Oakdale Golf and Country Club. It has been 110 years since Canadians won it in consecutive years, with Albert Murray (1913) and Karl Keffer (1914) the last to accomplish the feat.

Hughes spoke all week about trying to stay mentally present and shelve any pressure he might feel. Not just because he was aware of the importance of keeping the championship in Canada, but because this year’s event at Hamilton Golf and Country Club was essentially in his hometown.

Billed from Dundas, Ont., just eight kilometres away from the course in Ancaster, Ont., — both towns were amalgamated into the city of Hamilton in 2000 and 2001 respectively — Hughes allowed that the pressure of the final round did weigh on him.

“Today I felt sort of the enormity of a few of the putts I had and a few of the shots,” he said. “Kind of felt like I was running out of holes at times and that I needed to make something happen. 

“In this game you can’t really force things or feel like you need to start pressing, it’s kind of a hard game to be pressing.”

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., actually leapfrogged Hughes on the final leaderboard to win the Rivermead Cup, the trophy for lowest scoring Canadian at the men’s national championship. Conners shot 5-under 65 on the day to finish 12 under in sole possession of sixth.

“I guess it’s a nice consolation prize,” said Conners, who also won it in 2022. “Definitely something to be proud of but obviously disappointing to not win the big trophy. It’s a cool honour.”

There was a small silver lining for Hughes. His performance earned him a spot in the upcoming British Open at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.

“It’s a great, I guess, bonus after not getting what you want, but kind of hard to think about that at the moment,” said Hughes. “It’s always great to get a major start under your belt and to play at Troon.

“I’ve played there before, so it’s a really fun golf course and looking forward to getting there in July.”

Taylor Pendrith (69) of Richmond Hill, Ont., tied for 21st at 7 under. He is projected to move three spots up to 30th on the FedEx Cup standings, making him the highest ranked Canadian on the PGA Tour.

“A good step in the right direction,” said Pendrith, who went to Kent State University with Hughes and Conners. “I felt like I did a lot of good things, I putted awesome today, saved me a lot.”

Ben Silverman (68) of Thornhill, Ont., tied for 35th, Adam Svensson (70) of Surrey, B.C., tied for 51st. Myles Creighton (70) of Digby, N.S., tied for 57th. Edmonton’s Will Bateman (74) tied for 62nd, and David Hearn (76) of Brantford, Ont., finished 69th in his 20th Canadian Open appearance.