MONTREAL – Kyle Stanley took advantage of sunny weather and soft greens to take the early clubhouse lead with an opening round of 5-under 65 at the US$5.7 million RBC Canadian Open on Thursday.

Stanley was 5-under over his first nine holes, which was the back nine at Royal Montreal’s par-70 Blue Course, and held that score to take the lead with half the field still on the course.

“I love this golf course,” the Gig Harbor, Wash., native said. “It’s similar to the one I grew up with in Washington, so I felt pretty comfortable.

“I hit the ball well on my first nine today. I was able to make a few of the long range putts that got the round going for me.”

Six players were tied at 4-under 66, including Justin Hicks, Charlie Wi, Greg Chalmers, Nick Watney, Robert Allenby and Troy Merritt. Another 10 were at 3-under.

Heavy rains the previous day made for ideal scoring conditions, but Stanley said the 7,153-yard layout is still a challenge.

“I’m surprised that 5-under is leading right now,” he said. “But you can take advantage of a lot of these holes if you drive it in the fairway.

“That front nine is pretty difficult. There’s a couple of mid-irons into the greens and a 500-yard par-4, so it’s a kind of sneaky-demanding course.”

Stanley is best known for posting his only PGA Tour win a week after a memorable collapse.

In 2012, he blew a six-shot lead in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open and lost in a playoff to Brandt Snedeker, then bounced back with a victory at the Phoenix Open.

This season has been trying for the 26-year-old. He sits 164th in FedEx Cup standings with only one top-25 finish, which was in October.

He said it was premature to think about turning the season around after one good round.

“There’s a ton of golf left,” he said. “It’s nice to get a round like this because it shows I’m working on the right things.

“It hasn’t been my best year by any means but I’m starting to play a little bit better and that’s nice.”

Watney, who has also had a trying season, was glad to get in a solid opening round.

“You’re not playing behind the 8-ball to make the cut,” the 33-year-old said. “It’s only one round, but I’d much rather play well in the first round than not.”

It was a rough opening round for some. Both Stephen Ames of Calgary and one of the tournament favourites, Dustin Johnson, shot 4-over 74. John Daly had 6-over 76 and Scott McCarron turned in a 78.

Tee times for Thursday’s opening round of the RBC Canadian Open, held at the Royal Montreal Golf Club (all times Eastern):

Begins on Hole 1

7 a.m. – Andres Romero, Argentina, Nicholas Thompson, U.S., Justin Hicks, U.S.

7:10 a.m. – Stephen Ames, Calgary; John Daly, U.S. Tim Wilkinson, New Zealand.

7:20 a.m. – Troy Matteson, U.S.; Richard H. Lee, U.S.; Danny Lee, New Zealand.

7:30 a.m. – Matt Bettencourt, U.S.; Pat Perez, U.S.; Jeff Overton, U.S.

7:40 a.m. – Mark Wilson, U.S.; Johnson Wagner, U.S.; Y.E. Yang, South Korea.

7:50 a.m. – Nick Watney, U.S.; Tim Clark. South Africa; Retief Goosen, South Africa.

8 a.m. – Scott Brown, U.S.; Carl Pettersson, Sweden; U.S. John Huh, U.S.

8:10 a.m. – Ken Duke, U.S.; Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea; Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela.

8:20 a.m. – Tim Herron, U.S.; Andrew Svoboda, U.S.; D.H. Lee, South Korea.

8:30 a.m. – Heath Slocum, U.S.; Nathan Green, Australia; Mark Calcavecchia, U.S.

8:40 a.m. – Alex Prugh, U.S.; Jamie Lovemark, U.S.; Timothy Madigan, U.S.

8:50 a.m. – Miguel Angel Carballo, Argentina; Kevin Tway, U.S.; Kevin Carrigan, Victoria.

9 a.m. – Alex Aragon, U.S.; Oliver Goss, Australia; Kevin Stinson, Mission, B.C.

12:15 p.m. – Chad Campbell, U.S.; David Duval, U.S.; Steve Marino, U.S.

12:25 p.m. – Camilo Villegas, Colombia; David Hearn, Brantford, Ont.; Kevin Kisner, U.S.

12:35 p.m. – Ricky Barnes, U.S.; Josh Teater, U.S.; David Lingmerth, Sweden.

12:45 p.m. – Sean O’Hair, U.S.; Aaron Baddeley, Australia; Erik Compton, U.S.

12:55 p.m. – Derek Ernst, U.S.; Martin Laird, Scotland; Charlie Beljan, U.S.

1:05 p.m. – Matt Kuchar, U.S.; Jim Furyk, U.S.; Graham DeLaet, Weyburn, Sask.

1:15 p.m. – Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland; Luke Donald, England; Mike Weir, Bright’s Grove, Ont.

1:25 p.m. – D.A. Points, U.S.; J.J. Henry, U.S.; Ted Potter, Jr., U.S.

1:35 p.m. – Joe Durant, U.S.; James Driscoll, U.S.; James Hahn, U.S.

1:45 p.m. – Tim Petrovic, U.S.; Jason Allred, U.S.; Michael Gligic, Burlington, Ont.

1:55 p.m. – Billy Andrade, U.S.; Will Wilcox, U.S.; Joel Dahmen, U.S.

2:05 p.m. – Edward Loar, U.S.; Josh Persons, U.S.; Eugene Wong, Vancouver.

2:15 p.m. – Jim Herman, U.S.; Adam Hadwin, Moose Jaw, Sask.; Taylor Pendrith, Richmond Hill, Ont.

Begins on 10th Hole

7 a.m. – Charlie Wi, South Korea; Chad Collins, U.S.; Jim Renner, U.S.

7:10 a.m. – Jeff Maggert, U.S.; Brian Davis, England; Greg Chalmers, Australia.

7:20 a.m. – Scott McCarron, U.S.; Kevin Chappell, U.S.; Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Spain

7:30 a.m. – John Rollins, U.S.; Jerry Kelly, U.S.; Trevor Immelman, South Africa.

7:40 a.m. – Kyle Stanley, U.S.; Lucas Glover, U.S.; Jonathan Byrd, U.S.

7:50 a.m. – Ernie Els, South Africa; Stewart Cink, U.S.; Justin Leonard, U.S.

8 a.m. – Dustin Johnson, U.S.; Brandt Snedeker, U.S.; Hunter Mahan, U.S.

8:10 a.m. – Scott Piercy, U.S.; Geoff Ogilvy, Australia; Robert Allenby, Australia.

8:20 a.m. – Bryce Molder, U.S.; Daniel Chopra, Sweden; Tag Ridings, U.S.

8:30 a.m. – Martin Flores, U.S.; Luke Guthrie, U.S.; Troy Merritt, U.S.

8:40 a.m. – Eric Axley, U.S.; Andrew Loupe, U.S.; Adam Svensson, Surrey, B.C.

8:50 a.m. – Kevin Foley, U.S.; Patrick Rodgers, U.S.; Corey Conners, Listowel, Ont.

9 a.m. – Wes Roach, U.S.; Bronson La’Cassie, Australia; Bill Q. Walsh, Canada.

12:15 p.m. – Cameron Beckman, U.S. Chris DiMarco, U.S. Brice Garnett, U.S.

12:25 p.m. – Bo Van Pelt, U.S.; Dicky Pride, U.S.; William McGirt, U.S.

12:35 p.m. – Robert Garrigus, U.S.; Michael Putnam. U.S.; Robert Streb, U.S.

12:45 p.m. – Ryuji Imada, Japan; Roberto Castro, U.S.; Russell Knox, Scotland.

12:55 p.m. – Woody Austin, U.S.; Brian Gay, U.S.; Ben Curtis, U.S.

1:05 p.m. – Ben Crane, U.S.; Seung-Yul Noh, South Korea; K.J. Choi, South Korea.

1:15 p.m. – Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Stuart Appleby, Australia; Vijay Singh, Fiji.

1:25 p.m. – John Merrick, U.S.; Tommy Gainey, U.S.; Charley Hoffman, U.S.

1:35 p.m. – Jason Bohn, U.S.; Morgan Hoffmann, U.S.; John Peterson, U.S.

1:45 p.m. – Tyrone Van Aswegen, South Africa; Thomas Aiken, South Africa; Eli Cole, U.S.

1:55 p.m. – Doug LaBelle II, U.S.; Peter Malnati, U.S.; Robbie Greenwell, Georgetown, Ont.

2:05 p.m. – Hudson Swafford, U.S.; Benjamin Silverman, Thornhill, Ont.; Dave Levesque, Montreal.

2:15 p.m. – Brad Fritsch, Edmonton; Chris Hemmerich, Kitchener, Ont.; Beon Yeong Lee, Montreal.

To follow live scoring, click here.

MONTREAL – It was 60 years ago that Pat Fletcher won the Canadian Open.

No other Canadian has won the national open golf tournament since then, but that could change when the PGA Tour event returns this week to Royal Montreal, the tree-lined course that played host to the 2007 Presidents Cup.

Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn are among the 19 home-grown players looking to end the losing run.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 60 years,” Weir said Wednesday after playing only nine holes of a rain soaked pro-am event. “We have more capable players in the field now and I think we’re going to see it going forward.

“It’s going to end at some point, so hopefully, if not myself, it’s another Canadian that gets it done this week. It would be nice to get the streak over so we don’t have to talk about it any more.”

For Weir, an eight-time Tour winner, winning at home would be a dream.

“This is my 24th Canadian Open, so I’ve been at it a long time,” the 44-year-old Weir said. “But ever time you come back it’s special.

“It was the first professional event I watched live as a kid. I still remember doing a junior clinic with Andy Bean and Tom Kite and being one of the kids on the range that got to walk up there and get close to those guys. That really spurred my interest in professional golf.”

A strong showing would boost Weir’s chances of making the FedEx Cup playoffs. He is 128th with four weeks left in the playoff race and needs to get into the top 125.

It is also a special event for Hunter Mahan.

The American was the 36-hole leader of last year’s RBC Canadian Open when he got the call that wife was about to give birth to their first child, a daughter. Mahan immediately withdrew to fly home to Dallas to attend the birth.

Snedeker fired a 63 in the third round and held on to win.

“It’s one of those things you talk about with golfers, what if you were in the lead and you had to go home on Saturday or Sunday,” said Mahan. “It’s one of those crazy things you talk about and discuss with your family or your wife, but most of the time, it never happens.

“It’s kind of neat that we have the video of it all happening and then the newspaper clippings and all that, so it will be a fun story to show her and tell her about how she entered the world.”

Snekeder said he was on the seventh hole at Glen Abbey when he saw Mahan’s name come off the leader board.

“I started putting two and two together,” he said. “I was playing a great round of golf. It was a fortunate break for myself. Hunter was playing great. He would have been a tough guy to catch over the weekend.

“I did follow through and we made sure we sent a coupe of nice gifts to the Mahan’s for baby Zoe. It’s something we’ll probably both remember the rest of our lives.”

Mahan said he was happy to be back in Canada, especially at Royal Montreal where he and Furyk were part of a U.S. squad that thrashed Weir and the International team. Returning Internationals include Els, Vijay Singh, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvie and Stuart Appleby.

The Bodog gambling site has Johnson, Furyk and Kuchar as the betting favourites at 12-1, with DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., as the eighth favourite at 25-1.

DeLaet’s pro career may have been saved by a victory on the Canadian Tour in 2008 at St-Raphael, a short drive from Royal Montreal. Now he hopes to get a PGA Tour title in the same neck of the woods.

“My game feels a lot closer (to top form) than it probably looks,” said DeLaet, currently 31st in FedEx Cup standings. “You always know deep down when you’re playing well, and hopefully I can just clean that up a little and this can be the breakout week.”

Furyk, who won in 2006 and 2007, is coming off a 65 on Sunday to finish fourth in the British Open, but now has to play on a different continent and a very different course.

While Royal Montreal is often called “traditional,” Furyk said that only fits the tees and the fairways. The recently redone greens he considers modern and could be a key factor once play begins.

With heavy rain on Wednesday, the course will be soft and scores may be low.

“What this golf course requires of you is the dead opposite of what you’d see in links golf,” said Furyk. “And the rain is going to spread the gap even farther.”

Brandt Snedeker began the final round of the 2014 RBC Canadian Open with a one-stroke lead over David Lingmerth at 14-under-par. After making three birdies and two bogeys through the first 15 holes of the final round, he would go on to make birdie at the par-5 16^th to reach 16-under par, a score that Dustin Johnson had previously reached before making a triple bogey at the par-4 17^th to fall out of contention. Snedeker safely made par at the final two holes for his sixth career PGA Tour victory and his second of the 2013 season (AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am). His win moved him to third in the FedExCup standings, where he would finish the Regular Season before going on to finish 12^th.

More on Brandt Snedeker

• The 2013 RBC Canadian Open was the sixth time Snedeker has held at least a share of the lead heading into the final round, and the third time he converted the lead into victory.
• In 19 starts so far in 2014, Snedeker has made 16 cuts and has 16 top-25s and two top-10s.
• The 2014 RBC Canadian Open will be Snedeker’s third consecutive start at Canada’s national open and his first at Royal Montreal. Prior to his 2013 win, he finished T-34 in 2012. Snedeker also missed the cut in 2010 and posted a pair of top 10s in 2009 (T-5) and 2007 (T-7).

Notes on the field

• Three players that finished inside the top 10 at last week’s Open Championship: Jim Furyk (4^th), Charl Schwartzel (T7) and Graeme McDowell (T9).
• Six of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings led by No. 3 Dustin Johnson and No. 4 Matt Kuchar and, who both finished tied for second at the RBC Canadian Open in 2013 along with William McGirt and Jason Bohn.
• Matt Kuchar will be looking to make it an RBC sweep after claiming the RBC Heritage in April. Kuchar has eight other top-10 finishes in 2014 ncluding a tie for fifth at The Masters and a playoff loss at the Shell Houston Open.
• Five of the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking and 10 of the top 50: Matt Kuchar (7), Jim Furyk (10), Dustin Johnson (15), Graeme McDowell (16), Luke Donald (24), Charl Schwartzel (22), Brandt Snedeker (35), Kevin Na (37), Graham DeLaet (38), and Hunter Mahan (44).
• Ten past RBC Canadian Open champions; Brandt Snedeker (2013), Scott Piercy (2012), Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Nathan Green (2009), Jim Furyk (2006 & 2007), Mark Calcavecchia (2005), Vijay Singh (2004), John Rollins (2002), Dudley Hart (1996).
• Team RBC members in the field: Brandt Snedeker, Graeme McDowell, Graham DeLaet, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Graham DeLaet, Luke Donald, Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Hunter Mahan and David Hearn.
• Hunter Mahan returns to the RBC Canadian Open one year after taking the 36-hole lead, then withdrawing before the third round with his wife Kandi going into labor. The Mahans welcomed a baby girl, Zoe, before Sunday’s final round. In nine starts at the RBC Canadian Open, Mahan has never missed the cut and has two top-five finishes (T4, 2004 and T5, 2007).

RBC Canadian Open and the FedExCup

With just four weeks remaining before the start of the FedExCup Playoffs, the RBC Canadian Open will once again play a pivotal role in the shaping of the Playoff fields:

• 2013 winner Brandt Snedeker solidified his spot in the FedExCup standings, moving from No. 3 to No. 4 and qualified for all four Playoff events including the season-ending TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.
• 2012 winner Scott Piercy jumped from No. 36 to 13 in the standings and qualified for all four Playoff
• events.
• 2011 winner Sean O’Hair jumped from No. 147 to No. 43 and qualified for the first three Playoff events.

2007 Presidents Cup team members in the field

11 participants from the 2007 Presidents Cup, which took place here at Royal Montreal Golf Club, are in the field this week. Below are the members of the United States and International teams from 2007.

Player                          Team 

Ernie Els                       International (South Africa)
Vijay Singh                   International (Fiji)
Geoff Ogilvy                 International (Australia)
Retief Goosen               International (South Africa)
Trevor Immelman       International (South Africa)
Stuart Appleby             International (Australia)
Mike Weir                     International (Canada)
Jim Furyk                      United States
Stewart Cink                 United States
Lucas Glover                 United States
Hunter Mahan              United States

Tournament notes

• Prior to the 2013 RBC Canadian Open, the tournament had been decided either by one stroke or in a playoff for four consecutive seasons and 10 of the last 11. Snedeker’s three-stroke margin of victory was the largest since Scott Verplank won in 2001 by three over Bob Estes and Joey Sindelar.
• Since 1997, just two players have made the RBC Canadian Open their maiden victory on the PGA TOUR: Nathan Green (2009), Chez Reavie (2008) and John Rollins (2002).
• 2014 marks 60 years since a Canadian won the RBC Canadian Open (Pat Fletcher, 1954).
• Since Sam Snead in 1940 and 1941, Jim Furyk is the only player to successfully defend his title at the RBC Canadian Open, doing so in 2006 and 2007. Here are how defending champions have fared since 2000:

Year                          Defending Champion                  Finish

2013                             Scott Piercy                                          T52
2012                             Sean O’Hair                                          CUT
2011                             Carl Pettersson                                     CUT
2010                             Nathan Green                                       T37
2009                             Chez Reavie                                          CUT
2008                             Jim Furyk                                              T14
2007                             Jim Furyk                                              WON
2006                             Mark Calcavecchia                               T29
2005                             Vijay Singh                                            T7
2004                             Bob Tway                                              T26
2003                             John Rollins                                         CUT
2002                             Scott Verplank                                      CUT
2001                             Tiger Woods                                          T23

Canadians in the RBC Canadian Open field (19):

PGA TOUR members from Canada:

• Graham DeLaet – Weyburn, Sask. native is in his fifth season on the PGA TOUR and the highest Canadian in the Official World Golf Ranking at No. 38.
• Mike Weir – Bright’s Grove, Ontario native is making his 24^th start at the RBC Canadian Open and finished second here in 2004
• David Hearn – Brantford, Ont. native is making his 12^th start at the RBC Canadian Open and coming off his first career start at The Open Championship and fifth career major.
• Stephen Ames – Calgary, Alta. resident is making his 17^th RBC Canadian Open start and owns two top-10s. Ames is making his 18^th start of the 2013-14 PGA TOUR season but also made his Champions Tour debut at the 2014 Senior PGA Championship.
• Brad Fritsch – Manotick, Ont. native is making his 7th RBC Canadian Open start and his 16^th PGA TOUR start of the season, coming off his second top-25 result of the 2013-14 campaign at the John Deere Classic (T-13)

Players in the field with Quebec connections:

• Beon-Yeong Lee – Montreal resident moved to Canada from South Korea eight years ago and is in his second year on PGA TOUR Canada, where he is currently 23rd on the Order of Merit. Lee was the medalist at a regional qualifier.
• Dave Levesque – Montreal native was offered an exemption after his victory at the PGA Championship of Canada.

Other Canadians:

• Adam Hadwin – Abbotsford, B.C. native won his first Web.com Tour event at the Chile Classic this season and will make his fourth RBC Canadian Open start. Finished T4 at Shaughnessy in 2011.
• Michael Gligic – PGA TOUR Canada member from Burlington, Ont. won a regional qualifier to earn his second RBC Canadian Open start.
• Eugene Wong – Two-time PGA TOUR Canada winner and former Jack Nicklaus Award winner at the University of Oregon will make his fifth RBC Canadian Open start. Currently top Canadian on PGA TOUR Canada’s 2014 Order of Merit.
• Billy Walsh – Markham, Ont. native earned an exemption as the No. 1 player on the PGA of Canada rankings following the PGA Championship of Canada.
• Taylor Pendrith (a) – Richmond Hill, Ont. native won the prestigious Porter Cup this summer and recently finished a standout career at Kent State University. Currently 15^th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Corey Conners (a) – Semi-finalist at 2013 U.S. Amateur also recently finished collegiate career at Kent State. Currently 28^th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Adam Svensson (a) – Barry University student and Golf Canada National Amateur Team member was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner as NCAA Division II player of the year. 30^th in World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Chris Hemmerich (a) – University of Guelph Gryphon will make first RBC Canadian Open start. Recently won 2014 Ontario Amateur Championship.
• Kevin Carrigan (a) – Full-time financial planner from Victoria, B.C. won his second Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship in 2013 to gain entry.
• Robbie Greenwell – Georgetown, Ontario native played his way into the field through open qualifying with a 5-under 67.
• Kevin Stinson – Mission, British Columbia native played his way into the field through open qualifying with a 5-under 67. Has successfully Monday qualified three times on PGA TOUR Canada this season
• Ben Silverman – Thornhill, Ontario native played his way into the field through open qualifying with a 5-under 67. Has three top-15 finishes on PGA TOUR Canada this season to sit 30^th on the Order of Merit.

MONTRÉAL (Golf Canada) – Jason Allred of Ashland, Oregon; Kevin Stinson, of Mission, B.C.; Ben Silverman of Concord, Ont.; and Robbie Greenwell of Georgetown, Ont. have all earned spots into this week’s RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club via Monday’s Final Qualifier at Club de golf St-Raphael.

Allred, 34, topped the leaderboard at the Monday qualifier thanks to a 6-under par 66. The Web.com Tour member who has two top-25 finishes on the PGA TOUR’s development circuit this season carded an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys en route to earning medalist honours.

Canada’s Stinson, Silverman and Greenwell finished in a 3-way tie for second after firing matching 5-under 67s.

After Monday’s Final Qualifier, a total of 19 Canadians are set to compete in the 2014 RBC Canadian Open.

A full list of Final Qualifier scores is available by clicking here.

If you don’t think golf is a team sport, think again.

Eleven players in the field for the RBC Canadian Open at the Royal Montreal Golf Club will be sporting the distinctive blue, gold and white shield logo as members of Team RBC.

They are Canadians Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet, David Hearn and Stephen Ames, Americans Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan and defending Canadian Open Brandt Snedeker, England’s Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, and South African Ernie Els.

“The 11 are among the best professional golfers today and are fantastically important for the RBC brand,” said Jane Broderick, chief brand and communications officer for RBC. “Team RBC golfers are chosen because their values and what they stand for is totally aligned with the RBC brand.

“The three elements are integrity, trust and responsibility. Those are things that we stand for,” said Broderick. “Having those brand attributes ourselves and their brand attributes so aligned is wonderful.

“These are roles models,” she added. “We all know that these are the good guys in golf. The fans love them and they do things on and off the course that are really differentiated.”

Team RBC is actually 12 members strong with the inclusion of LPGA Tour veteran Morgan Pressel of the United States. As members they showcase the RBC logo on their golf bags and clothing and are featured in company marketing and advertising campaigns in Canada, the U.S. and international markets.

Team RBC is a major component in the bank’s commitment to golf as the title sponsor of the RBC Canadian Open as well as the RBC Heritage, held annually at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

“The concept began as a complement to our golf portfolio back in 2008. We determined that they could provide us with some additional brand exposure,” said Broderick. “We started with three brand ambassadors (Weir, Ames and American Anthony Kim) and between 2008 and today we now have our current roster of 12.

“Our unique aspect for Team RBC is their commitment to philanthropy and community,” said Broderick. “I can’t speak to other organizations, but I can tell you that within RBC they have been really great in building our brand. We show them in our advertising campaign and as the cornerstone of our Make Your Mark campaign, so again…perfectly aligned.

“Through the #RBCGolf4Kids charity challenge we’ve engaged very large communities because these golfers have communities, followers and influencers. They’re telling their stories and they’re telling the charity’s story, and they’re doing it under the brand of RBC.

“We’re really proud about that and proud of the work they do with the charities that they support.”

Broderick cited Snedeker’s commitment and involvement with Dustin Barr, a young cancer patient from Toronto, while Snedeker was enroute to winning the 2013 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont.

“These are things that these guys do. It’s built into their values. It’s in their DNA. They think, act and behave like RBCers,” said Broderick. “They place great importance in their role and being active. They use this status to do that so we’re really pleased with them.”

What they do on the course is important as well in terms keeping the RBC brand in the spotlight.

Four of the 11 currently are in the men’s top 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings; Kuchar (5), Furyk (11), McDowell (17) and Donald (20).

They have a combined total of 72 career victories on the PGA Tour, including seven majors, of which four belong to Els.

Kuchar was the first member Team RBC to record a victory this season, winning at the RBC Heritage in March for his fifth career PGA Tour title. And while the team’s newest members DeLaet and Hearn have yet to win on tour, the fast rising Canadians have combined for seven top-10 finishes this season so far.

Pretty good team, eh?

HOYLAKE, England -Rory McIlroy had to work a little harder and sweat a little more. No matter. Just like his other two majors, this British Open was never really in doubt.

With two key birdies around the turn, and a powerful tee shot at just the right moment, McIlroy completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday at Royal Liverpool and captured the third leg of the career Grand Slam.

The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland joined some elite company beyond the names on the silver claret jug.

Jack Nicklaus (23) and Tiger Woods (24) are the only other players to capture three different majors by the time they were 25. McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional and the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, both by eight shots.

“It feels incredible,” McIlroy said before heading out to collect the oldest trophy in golf. “Today wasn’t easy. A few guys were making runs at me. I just needed to stay focused and stay in the present and really concentrate on what I was doing out there.”

This could have been another romp except for a shaky stretch early for McIlroy, and solid efforts from Garcia and Fowler.

Garcia pulled within two shots with four holes to play until he put his tee shot in a pot bunker just right of the 15th green. His first shot failed to get over the 4-foot sodden wall and rolled back into the sand. He made bogey, and two birdies over the final three holes were not enough. Garcia shot 66 and was runner-up in a major for the fourth time.

Fowler, playing in the final group for the second straight major, never got closer than three shots. He played bogey-free for a 273.

It was the first time ever that two straight majors were won wire to wire. Martin Kaymer did it last month at Pinehurst No. 2, winning the U.S. Open by eight shots.

McIlroy, who finished at 17-under 271, wasn’t the only big winner Sunday.

Ten years ago, his father three friends each put up 100 pounds ($170) at 500-1 odds that McIlroy would win the British Open before he turned 26.

Boy Wonder made good on the bet with a brand of golf that had him marked early on as golf’s next great player. The victory moves him to No. 2 in the world, perhaps on his way to regaining the No. 1 ranking that two years ago looked as if would be his for years to come.

Ontario-born David Hearn shot 71 in the final round to finish at 3-under and tie for 32nd along with the likes of Hunter Mahan, Jordan Spieth and Louis Oosthuizen.

Montreal (Golf Canada) – The final four spots into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set for Club de Golf St-Raphaël near Montreal.

Notables in the field include two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen along with Canada’s Derek Gillespie who will look to make his eighth start at the RBC Canadian Open and Rémi Bouchard who has played in Canada’s National Open Championship six times.

A total of 60 competitors will challenge for one of four spots into the field for Canada’s National Open Championship.

The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption directly into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open field.  If necessary, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted immediately following the conclusion of play.

Click here for pairings, start times and results for RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifying on Monday, July 21. Results will be available here as players complete their rounds.

HOYLAKE, England — With a thunderous drive down the middle of the fairway, Rory McIlroy began the final round of the British Open with a commanding lead Sunday and a keen sense of history.

McIlroy knew that a victory at Royal Liverpool would give him the third leg in a career Grand Slam. He already won the U.S. Open in 2011 and the PGA Championship in 2012.

“I’ve got a lot to play for,” he said beforehand. “This is a huge day for me.”

Not backing off a bit, he pulled out the driver at No. 1 and rocketed it more than 300 yards, straight as can be. Then, after sticking his approach to 15 feet, he rolled in the birdie putt to take his score to 17 under – just two shots away from matching Tiger Woods’ scoring record for any major in relation to par. Woods won the 2000 Open at St. Andrews with a `19-under total.

The 25-year-old McIlroy began the day with a six-stroke lead. Barring an unprecedented collapse, he would head to Augusta National next spring looking to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen as the only players to win all four of golf’s biggest events.

Only Woods and Nicklaus won three of the majors at 25 or younger.

McIlroy posted three straight rounds in the 60s on the way to a 16-under 200. He teed off in the final group with Rickie Fowler, knowing that a victory would also mean a big payday for his dad.

British media reported that Gerry McIlroy and three of his friends placed a combined bet of 400 pounds (now $680) in 2004 on McIlroy winning the British Open before he turned 26.

McIlroy was 15 at the time.

The odds were 500-1, so they would win 200,000 pounds ($340,000) if McIlroy lifted the claret jug.

They had to like their chances. No player had surrendered such a big lead on the final day of the Open.

Fowler was at 206, while Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia were another shot back. The only other players closer than 10 shots to the lead were France’s Victor Dubuisson (208) and Italy’s Edoardo Molinari (209).

Storms rumbled through Hoylake after the third round, which the R&A wisely started early off two tees because of the forecast, but there was plenty of sunshine for the early starters Sunday and a freshening breeze off the Irish Sea.

Sixty-four-year-old Tom Watson, playing what is likely his next-to-last British Open, showed he’s still got plenty of game by shooting a 4-under 68. He finished at 1-over 289 for the tournament.

“It was a good day,” said Watson, a five-time Open champion who will be the U.S. captain for the Ryder Cup this fall. “I played a real solid round of golf.”

No so for Tiger Woods. Playing only his second tournament since back surgery, he had hoped to give Watson a strong reason to be included on that American team. Woods sure didn’t impress at Royal Liverpool, finishing five shots behind the captain.

Woods made another double bogey – his third of the week, to go along with two triple bogeys – and struggled to the finish with a 75. That left him at 294 for the week and a staggering 22 shots behind McIlroy before the leader even teed off.

“I just made too many mistakes,” Woods said, “way too many mistakes.”

Representing Canada, Brampton native David Hearn sits tied for 36th and at par.