OAKVILLE, Ont. – Canada’s Ben Silverman was having a great round. His shots had been solid all week. His putter was finally rolling. When he spotted a small rain cloud off in the distance, he didn’t think twice about it.

The 30-year-old from Thornill, Ont., shot a 65 in his final round to tie his career low at the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship, finishing in a tie for 12th place finish.

But ahead of this week’s RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, the Canadian was still lamenting the rain storm that interrupted what he believed was a run to victory. Silverman was one shot back through 10 holes in Kentucky when a thunderstorm interrupted the fourth round, postponing its completion to Monday.

“I saw a little rain cloud rolling in in the distance, but I didn’t think it was going to be anything severe, and we still had over an hour of daylight, so I’m ready to line up my putt, and they blow the horn, and it’s like ‘Come on!”’ Silverman said, laughing. “I made the putt anyway right after they blew the horn.

“And the next morning it just wasn’t the same feel. It’s like I tried focusing, I tried remembering the same feels I was having on the green or setting up to all my shots, but it was slightly different, it wasn’t quite there, couldn’t quite get it going again.”

Three-time RBC Canadian Open champ Lee Trevino kicked off Tuesday’s festivities in fine fashion. Trevino had the crowd roaring at the RBC Hall of Fame Day celebrations with a stab at U.S. President Donald Trump. Born in the U.S. to Mexican parents, he joked he had to leave last week to get to Oakville on time, because of “a guy building a fence.”

Silverman, meanwhile, is one of 21 Canadians playing in this week’s US$6.2 million tournament and so naturally finds himself a headliner in what’s become an annual story: when will a homegrown player win the RBC Canadian Open?

Pat Fletcher, who was born in England, was the last Canadian winner, taking the 1954 event at Point Grey in Vancouver. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914.

Mike Weir came close to ending the drought in 2004 at Glen Abbey, but lost a playoff to Vijay Singh.

“There hasn’t been anybody that’s still living, so I want to be the first for sure,” Silverman said.

Pressure?

“No, it’s just one of my goals. My career is not going to be riding on it, whether I win this or not,” he said. “But it’s just one of my goals that I want to do and I feel like it would put me on a platform amongst Canadian golfers to be recognized the way Mike Weir is.”

Silverman believes he has the game to do it this year, a far cry from his one previous appearance at Canada’s annual PGA TOUR stop. He was a Monday qualifier at the tournament in Montreal in 2014, and was a “nervous wreck.”

“I wasn’t even thinking about scores, I was at the time trying to come up with a mental plan to just get through the tournament,” he said. “So it’s so different now. I feel comfortable. I feel like I belong. Ready to come out here and try to win. Totally different feel.”

Among the other Canadians in the field are fellow PGA TOUR regulars Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., as well as Weir.

Silverman rocketed nearly 1,000 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking in early 2017, his victory at the Price Cutter Charity Championship last August earning him PGA TOUR status for the 2017-18 season.

Now at No. 135 on the FedExCup standings, a good week will lock up Silverman’s PGA TOUR card, which would mean a less frantic life for he and his wife Morgan.

“It allows me to plan my schedule next year, so I don’t have to travel like a crazy man, I can play maybe 22 events a year, instead of 32, which would be fantastic,” he said.

Their son, Jack Palmer, just turned one, so it’s been a whirlwind existence for the young family.

“Every week is a new week and new experience it seems,” he said. “Morgan and I had a little birthday thing for (Jack) last week, I wasn’t in New York for her family and his birthday, I’m seeing some of my family this week, so you’ve just got to adjust,” he said. “That’s why I was saying 22 weeks on the road would be great instead of 32 so we could have some time to relax, go home, because it can be kind of hectic. But you just kind of roll with it.”

Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela is the tournament’s two-time defending champion and will be looking to become the first player to win three straight titles when the event officially gets underway on Thursday, July 26.

Tickets and other information on the RBC Canadian Open can be found at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – The final four spots into the 2018 RBC Canadian Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set to tee off at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.

The 75-player field is comprised of touring professionals, top amateurs and 47 regional qualifiers as part of the two-stage RBC Canadian Open qualification process.

“We look forward to welcoming these talented golfers to our Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links for an opportunity to earn an exemption into the 2018 RBC Canadian Open,” said Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s Director, Rules, Competitions and Amateur Status. “The course is in great condition and will provide an excellent test for this impressive field of golfers vying for a spot into the 109^th playing of 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 2018 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 23. Results will be available as players complete their rounds.

Monday of RBC Canadian Open week at Glen Abbey kicks off with the Canada Day Pro-Am in support of the Golf Canada Foundation. Click here for a list of Canadian golfers and other notable athletes competing in the shot-gun Pro-Am beginning at 12:15 pm.

The 2018 RBC Canadian Open will be contested at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 23-29, 2018. Ticket and corporate hospitality info is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com.

Glen Abbey Golf Club hosts the RBC Canadian Open for the 30th – and possibly final – time next week. Here are five of the top moments at the club, which first hosted Canada’s lone PGA tournament back in 1977.

2000 – Tiger’s towering drive

The biggest moment of them all from the biggest golfer of the last 25 years. Woods hit a towering six-iron more than 200 yards from a bunker, over water, on 18 to win by a shot over Grant Waite. It was his ninth win of the year and his only Canadian Open triumph. He joined Lee Trevino as the only two golfers to capture the Triple Crown, winning the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the Canadian Open in the same year.

2004 – So near for Weir

Canadian golfer Mike Weir lost the 2004 Canadian Open in a playoff to Vijay Singh after knocking his approach in the water on 18. The native of Bright’s Grove, Ont., came into the tournament as one of the biggest athletes in the country after his Masters victory in 2003 – the first, and only, time a Canadian male golfer has won a major.

1984 – Valet service

Greg Norman’s win in 1984 was made more memorable by his unique path to victory. In the final round, Norman hit an approach over the 17th green and it came to rest under a parked car. A volunteer moved the car and Norman caught a break. He’d go on to win by two shots over Jack Nicklaus.

1985 – Don’t be a stranger

Strange won his eighth PGA Tour event at the 1985 Canadian Open. He was paired with Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman for the final round and told The Canadian Press it was “one of the thrills” of his life and added the Canadian fans “adopted” him after that win. Nicklaus would never win the Canadian Open, but would finish runner-up seven times.

1977 – Grand debut

Lee Trevino won the first event at Glen Abbey when he bested Englishman Peter Oosterhuis by four shots. It was Trevino’s second Canadian Open (he also won in 1971), and was the first golfer in history to win the Triple Crown.

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Canadians Nick Taylor and Ben Silverman were the top Canadians after the first round of the Barbasol Championship on Tuesday, sitting five strokes off the lead at 5 under.

Brittany Lincicome has a huge hole to climb out of if she hopes to make golf history.

Lincicome shot a 6-over 78 in the first round of the Barbasol Championship on Thursday, leaving the LPGA Tour pro’s goal of making the cut likely out of reach.

Lincicome was hoping to become the second woman to make the cut in a men’s event and the first since Babe Zaharias in 1945. She’s the first woman to get a PGA Tour start since Michelle Wie a decade ago.

Troy Merritt surged to the first-round lead with a 10-under 62, equaling the course record on the Champion Trace course at Keene Trace Golf Club, which is hosting the event for the first time.

However, much of Thursday’s attention centred on Lincicome, whose eight LPGA Tour victories include two majors.

Although Lincicome expected to struggle with the length of the golf course, her worst holes were two par 3s. She missed her tee shot well right on the 191-yard seventh _ her 16th hole of the day _ leaving her a difficult pitch from a downhill lie in the rough. That came up short of the green and she ultimately made a triple-bogey 6.

“Probably one too many clubs,” Lincicome said of her tee shot. “Hit it short of there in case I do miss the green, because over that green was absolutely dead.”

On the 205-yard 18th, her tee shot came up short in the water, leading to double bogey.

She played the other 16 holes in 1 over, making her only birdie on the par-4 third.

Lincicome ended up in a three-way tie for 129th and would likely need a round in the mid-60s on Friday to make the cut.

“If I can drive it like I did today and just make a few putts here and there, I think I’ll be back in good shape,” Lincicome said.

“It’s out there. I was much calmer than I thought I was going to be. I love playing with the guys. It’s so much fun being inside the ropes with them. Hopefully, I can get a good one tomorrow.”

Lincicome was cheered while being introduced on the 10th hole. Her gallery was among the largest and encouraged playing partners Sam Ryder (68) and Conrad Shindler (72).

Initially concerned about nerves, Lincicome got off to a solid start with pars on her first three holes. She appeared unfazed by a bogey on No. 13 after her 10-foot par putt edged the cup.

“She’s a very solid player,” Ryder said.

Lincicome bogeyed the par-4 16th, but her quest became tougher after the double-bogey 5 on 18. She hung in and was able to post her only birdie before unraveling on the seventh.

Lincicome’s goal now is remembering what she did well and using it to salvage what’s left of her PGA Tour debut.

“Pretty happy with my game overall,” she said. “I had two bad holes, but I drove it well. I did all the things I said I needed to do, but my putter let me down today.”

Playing in the afternoon and using a new putter, Merritt surged into the lead by shooting 6 under on his second nine. He holed a 34-footer for eagle on the par-5 sixth, and his four other birdies on the side were from inside 11 feet.

“This is a week where you might have to get up to 20 under to win this thing,” said Merritt, who got his only tour victory in 2015. “We were just fortunate enough to make a lot of birdies and didn’t make any mistakes.”

The golf course was firm on Thursday, but that may change with thunderstorms in the forecast Friday.

Andres Romero, Billy Horschel and Joel Dahmen shot 65s and were three shots back. Hunter Mahan was one of eight players to shoot 66.

Eleven years ago, the last time the British Open was played at Carnoustie, Romero finished alone in third, one shot out of a playoff won by Padraig Harrington. But the up-and-down Argentinian hasn’t won in the U.S. in a decade and didn’t qualify for the Open this year.

He tied for seventh last week at the John Deere Classic in only his third PGA Tour start of the season.

In a recent video posted to Instagram, Adam Hadwin was preparing for this week’s British Open by hitting balls in his backyard in Phoenix.

It may seem counterproductive, climate-wise, except it was during an Arizona monsoon – and the Canadian golfer was there in full rain-gear, smiling away.

The state’s monsoon season runs from mid-June to September, which lined up perfectly for Hadwin as he prepared for the third major of the year.

“I do have more understanding about links golf and what to do where and when. I feel more confident that I’ll be able to adjust my game over there going over this time (better than he did) last year,” the 30-year-old Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., said.

.@ahadwingolf grew up in Canada, so naturally he is calm, cool, and collected in any weather condition ??☀️❄️⛈? – ? @ahadwingolf

A post shared by Golf Canada (@thegolfcanada) on Jul 12, 2018 at 5:23pm PDT

“Certainly there’s lots still to learn, but I definitely learned a lot playing last year.”

Not only did 2017 mark Hadwin’s debut at the British Open, it also was his first trip to Europe.

He missed the cut, and despite enjoying being tourist-for-the-day in Liverpool with his wife Jessica, he’s eager for more this year at Carnoustie Golf Links.

Scotland has experienced a heat wave the last few months, meaning the course is ripe for long, running shots along baked-out turf.

Hadwin, the lone Canadian in the field, said he has worked on some specific links golf strategies.

“I dialed in the basics but also added some of those unique shots I might face, and tried to fly the ball a little bit lower, especially off the tee,” said Hadwin.

“If you hit good golf shots, it doesn’t matter what kind of golf course you’re playing. It’s really just golf in the end.”

Hadwin plans to add a few different clubs to his bag that he hasn’t used since last year’s British Open.

Hadwin admitted he doesn’t know much about Carnoustie, but has been told repeatedly it will be a stern test of golf.

“Everyone seems to be calling it ‘Car-nasty’ so my understanding is it’s going to be a very difficult golf course, especially if the conditions make it more so,” he said.

He planned to play 18 holes on Monday after walking the course over the weekend. He’ll play another full round on Wednesday as, from experience, he knows a major-championship venue changes drastically from the beginning of the week to Thursday’s opening round.

“I’ll ease my way into it,” he said. “I know I’m arriving an extra couple days (early) versus a normal week, but the biggest thing is to get adjusted .”

As Canada’s highest-ranked male golfer, Hadwin has earned more than US$1.4 million this season, with three top-10 finishes.

He missed the cut at last month’s U.S. Open, ending a streak of cuts-made that was one of the longest on Tour, but feels confident he’ll begin to score well again sooner rather than later.

Although Hadwin sits 60th on the FedEx Cup season-long points race (more than twice as high as the next-closest Canadian), he admitted his putting – long considered his strength – has let him down slightly this year.

He told The Canadian Press in December his objective for 2018 was to improve his iron play, which he said he’s done. But because of how much Hadwin practised that aspect of his game, his putting work tapered off.

He said he has spent more time on the putting green recently to work on speed, alignment and feel.

Hadwin hasn’t notched a top-20 finish since May. He said he is in a “birdie-bogey cycle,” but feels he’s playing well overall.

“I’m driving it well enough and keeping it in play. I’ve hit my fair share of bad shots but overall I’m hitting it pretty well, I’m just not scoring,” he said. “And in golf, it’s not about how, it’s about how many.”

After the British Open, Hadwin will fly back to Oakville, Ont. for next week’s RBC Canadian Open, where his best finish is a tie for fourth in 2011.

SILVIS, Ill. — David Hearn and Mackenzie Hughes were the top Canadians, finishing T16 at the John Deere Classic on Sunday.

Brampton’s Hearn was one to watch this weekend. The 39-year-old recorded third place and second place performances during the first two rounds but finished tied for sixteenth alongside Hughes after a fourth round 1 under.

Hughes moved up 18 spots to end tied with Hearn and five other players after firing 6 under to finish at 14-under-par 270.

Michael Kim didn’t just win his first PGA Tour event on Sunday. He dominated in a fashion never seen at TPC Deere Run.

Kim’s prizes? A little over a million bucks, a two-year exemption on tour and a trip to the British Open.

Kim shot a final-round 66 on Sunday to win the John Deere Classic by a record-setting eight strokes. Kim, who turned 25 on Saturday, finished at 27-under 257 to break Steve Stricker’s tournament record from 2010 by one shot.

Kim also qualified for next week’s Open at Carnoustie _ an unexpected bonus for a player who had missed five of his last six cuts before his breakthrough in the Quad Cities.

Kim also made 30 birdies for the week, a season high on tour in 2018.

“To be able to finish out in style like this, it means a lot,” said Kim, who nearly quadrupled his season earnings with a winner’s share of $1.044 million. “To be sitting here with a trophy, I’m at a loss for words.”

Bronson Burgoon, Francesco Molinari, Joel Dahmen and Sam Ryder all finished at 19 under.

Kim took all the drama out of the final round with birdies on his first three holes and secured the largest margin of victory during the tournament’s stay at the course, which began in 2000. J.P. Hayes (2002) and Vijay Singh (2003) won the event by four strokes.

Kim, who had previously had just one top-10 finish in 84 career starts _ a third at the Safeway Open two years ago _ entered play with a five-shot lead. It was the biggest edge for a third-round leader at the John Deere Classic since Stricker’s six-stroke advantage eight years ago.

Kim, a former star at Cal who had struggled to find his footing as a pro, made it obvious from his first swing that he wasn’t about to let anyone catch him.

Kim knocked in a 13-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, and then holed two more from 15 and 24 feet to give him seven straight birdies dating back to the end of Saturday’s round _ and a seven-shot lead.

The field might have felt a glimmer of hope when Kim dumped his tee shot into the greenside bunker on the par-3 seventh hole.

But Kim got his bunker shot to within 7 feet and made the downhill par putt, and he walked to the next tee with an eight-shot edge.

“Even the last couple of weeks, I felt like my game was getting there,” Kim said. “I just felt like I needed just a couple of good starts to the rounds.”

Kim surpassed Stricker’s mark with a 21-foot putt on No. 16. The understated Kim finally let loose, holding his hand to his ear in a nod to a cheering gallery.

Kim’s day ended on No. 18 in emotional fashion when he saw his brother, father and mother _ all of whom had made a surprise trip in hopes of seeing him get his first win _ on a video screen.

“I teared up a little bit on the green,” Kim said. “To see my parents here … it made me even more nervous.”

SILVIS, Ill. – David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., entered the day tied for second but a rougher round saw him settling for a round of 1-under 70 at the 2018 John Deere Classic after three rounds.

Hearn will be looking for the rebound on Sunday as he heads into the final round in a tie for seventh at 14 under.

Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is 10 under, while Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., stands at 8 under. Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., is 6 under, while Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., rounds out the Canadian contingent at 4 under.

Michael Kim took a five-shot lead Saturday at the John Deere Classic in a third round delayed twice for a total of roughly four hours because of bad weather and concerns over lightning.

Kim, who has just one top-10 finish in 84 career PGA Tour starts, shot a 7-under 64 _ closing with four straight birdies _ for a three-day total of 22-under 191.

Bronson Burgoon (66) is 17 under and Australian Matt Jones (66) is 16 under.

Harold Varner III (66) is alone in fourth place at 15 under. Andres Romero of Argentina is 14 under after shooting 64, as is Sam Ryder (67).

Tyler Duncan had the day’s best round with a 63.

SILVIS, Ill. – David Hearn shot a 7-under 64 in the morning and held a brief lead until Kim took over in the afternoon, but finished the day sitting T2 at the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities on Friday.

If Hearn can win this tournament, he’ll gain entry into the British Open next week.

Michael Kim took a four-shot , which was suspended twice because of weather concerns.

Kim, who is winless in 84 career PGA Tour starts, was 16 under through 35 holes, with the second round to be completed Saturday morning.

Kim birdied eight of his first 14 holes without a bogey to race past first-round leader Steve Wheatcroft, who shot 68. Wheatcroft was 12 under along with Canadian David Hearn (64) and Johnson Wagner (66).

The 39-year-old from Brantford, Ont., had four birdies on the back nine to vault up the leaderboard.

Canadians Nick Taylor (71), Mackenzie Hughes (65), Corey Conners (72) and Ben Silverman (67) will also continue to play this weekend.

SILVIS, Ill. – Nick Taylor took an early lead on Thursday at the opening round of the John Deere Classic. He recorded a 7-under 64 and sits just one stroke back of the lead. Taylor, from Abbotsford, B.C., had eight birdies and a bogey.

Johnson Wagner, Andres Romero and Joel Dahmen all also shot opening-round 64s

Steve Wheatcroft shot a career-best 9-under 62 to take a one-shot lead.

Wheatcroft birdied seven of the last nine holes to finish a shot ahead of Michael Kim.

Francesco Molinari, who won the Quicken Loans National two weeks ago, was among a group of players three strokes back.

Zach Johnson shot 69 and three-time John Deere winner Steve Stricker finished at 1-under 70.

Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, the highest-ranked player in the field, withdrew because of a right shoulder injury.

DeChambeau, who won the Memorial Tournament earlier this season, first tweaked his shoulder on a shot out of the rough on the second hole. He pulled out after an awkward tee shot on No. 16.

“Look, I’m 24. I’m not that old. But I’ve used my body quite a bit. I’ve hit a lot of golf balls,” DeChambeau said. “I’ve just got to take care of my body a little better.”

Wheatcroft hasn’t had a top-10 finish this season, and he’s 209th in the FedEx Cup standings. But Wheatcroft caught fire on the back nine, finishing with six straight birdies – including a 13-foot putt on the par-4 18th – for just his third round in the 60s this season.

Wheatcroft’s previous best scores on the PGA Tour were 64s at the 2012 Greenbrier Classic and the 2016 Canadian Open.

“I tried to keep the round going. I asked if we could just go to the first tee and start round two,” Wheatcroft said. “No, I don’t know if I’ve ever done that to finish a round. It was great. Yeah, I would just try to keep doing what I’m doing.”

Although he hasn’t done it on the PGA Tour, the 40-year-old Wheatcroft has a history of going low. He shot an 11-under 60 and set what was then the 72-hole Web.com Tour scoring record in his runaway 2011 victory at the Melwood Prince George’s County Open.

Kim, who like Wheatcroft is buried deep in the standings at 161st, notched six birdies on the back nine. The 24-year-old former Cal star is also seeking his first career win.

“Been struggling with the putter a little bit, but (I) got a good mental note from the morning warmup (Thursday) and rolled it great,” said Kim, who holed three putts of at least 20 feet, including a 41-footer on No. 18.

Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., matched each other with 5-under 66s, while Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., (72) and Ben Silverman, from Thornhill, Ont., (72) are both 1-over.

Johnson completed his 38th straight round of par or better at TPC Deere Run. But he knows he’ll need to do better than 2 under on Friday at a course known for low scores.

“I mean, I can’t take this course for granted. That’s the one thing I don’t ever want to do. Just because I’ve had success here or I’ve had low rounds here, doesn’t mean it’s just going to happen,” Johnson said.–

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Commissionaires, the largest private employer of veterans in Canada, has announced a renewal partnership with Golf Canada to once again host Canadian Armed Forces Day on Saturday July 28, 2018 as part of the RBC Canadian Open.

“We are very pleased to renew our relationship with Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian open” says Benjamin Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Commissionaires Great Lakes. “Last year’s event was very well received within the Veteran community. With our expanded involvement to host selected members of the Veteran community to play in the Championship Pro-Am, this year promises to be a memorable event for those who serve our country”

All current and former members of Canada’s Armed Forces who register at www.commissionaires-cgl.ca will be entitled to complimentary access into the Military Outpost, a hospitality area hosted by Commissionaires.  Within the Military Outpost, guests of Commissionaires along with their immediate family will receive a complimentary lunch and an invitation to engage with a PGA TOUR Player in an exclusive engagement event.

“We are very proud to renew our partnership with Commissionaires and once again celebrate Canadian Armed Forces Day at the RBC Canadian Open,” said Golf Canada Chief Championship Officer Bill Paul. “We believe in honouring our veterans and are pleased to join Commissionaires in welcoming the brave men and women who served our country to enjoy a meaningful day at Canada’s National Open Championship.”

The 2018 RBC Canadian Open will be contested at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 23-29, 2018. Ticket, volunteering, sponsorship and corporate hospitality info is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com.