Looking back on the Sunday morning hype that surrounded the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

HAMILTON, Ont.  — Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson sit in a three-way tie for the lead at 13-under par heading into the final round of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

McIlroy catapulted to the top of the leaderboard with a 6-under 64. He was bogey free, while knocking in six birdies and says he has been enjoying the atmosphere during his first visit to Canada’s National Open Golf Championship.

“It’s probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in in a long time,” said McIlroy. “The Canadian fans really come out and support this event. That 13^th hole there [The Rink] is pretty cool. I think what they’ve been able to do here is right on the limit of fun, but still in keeping with the traditions of the game, so I think it’s been awesome. I’ve had a wonderful reception from everyone and just excited to get to play in front of them again tomorrow.”

Kuchar started the day with a share of the lead and remained steady, shooting 1-under-par 69 Saturday. Currently sitting No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, Kuchar was atop the leaderboard for most of the day, but a bogey on No. 15 pulled him back into a tie with McIlroy and Simpson.

”It was a tough day out there,” said Kuchar. “It took a lot of good scoring to stay in the position I’m in. The support out here has been fantastic. The crowds have been great. The energy has been great. The Rink is completely unique.”

Simpson had a bogey-free 67 that helped him grab a share of the lead with 18 holes remaining.

Canadian Adam Hadwin is one-shot back, sitting T4 after moving day. A bogey on No. 2 made for an unfavourable start, but Hadwin clawed his way back into contention with three back-nine birdies. He is tied with Shane Lowry and Brandt Snedeker, a stroke behind the leaders at -12.

“I certainly got a lot more out of this round,” added Hadwin. “I really struggled with that left-to-right wind off the tee – couldn’t really figure it out. I’m just proud of the way I battled today. You know you have to go out and shoot a low one tomorrow.”

Mackenzie Hughes enjoyed his third straight round in the 60s – a 1-under par 69 – that dropped him one-spot into a share of 8^th.

Nick Taylor started the day tied for third but carded a 73 to slip into a tie for 9^th.

The final round of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open tees off at 8:25 a.m. on Sunday, June 9. Pairings and tee times and be found here.

Canada’s Roger Sloan takes a tour through the Hamilton Fare Way and the Titleist Fitting Zone

ANCASTER, Ont. – As Roger Sloan walked up the 14th fairway at Hamilton Golf and Country Club he thought about how he could be doing better with his approach shot.

After opening the par-4 hole with a 294-yard drive the product of Merritt, B.C., knew that to stay competitive in the third round of the RBC Canadian Open on Saturday he’d have to get as near to the pin as possible.

“I’d been thinking all day ‘I haven’t hit it close, I haven’t hit it close,” said Sloan, whose 152-yard shot with his eight iron landed within eight feet of the hole.

“To be able to hit that eight iron in there within a couple of feet was definitely nice.”

With the green slightly elevated from his position on the fairway, it was the cheers from red-clad Canadian fans that let him know he was in position to birdie.

“I’ve always enjoyed this tournament,” said Sloan. “It’s our national championship, golf is obviously a huge part of Canadian culture and Canadian golf fans are very passionate.

“As a Canadian it’s so thrilling to be out there and hearing the cheers and hearing the support.”

Sloan had three birdies on the back nine in a 2-under 68 round. Although not a very low score, the entire field struggled on the rapidly drying course, helping him climb 17 spots up the leaderboard.

“You’ve got to stay patient out there with the wind being a little more severe, it’s in the same direction it has been,” said Sloan, who teed off at 9:10 in the morning. “It’s out there for the guys in the afternoon but I’m very pleased with how I played today.”

Toronto’s Richard Jung had a 5-over 75 round to drop down the leaderboard to 63rd.

Sloan, who has played in five Canadian Opens and made the cut three times, is excited to be playing on the Saturday and Sunday of the only PGA Tour event on home soil.

“Anytime you can play all four rounds here at the Canadian Open, it’s great being a Canadian,” said Sloan. “I’m excited for the opportunity to go out there and play well tomorrow.”

HAMILTON, Ont.  —  Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., as well as Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., all sit within the top 10 after two-rounds of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Taylor carded a second-round 65 Friday and finds himself tied for third with 2013 RBC Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker at 11-under par. His 5-under par performance included three birdies on his final four holes.

“I felt good, to be honest,” said Taylor. “Early on, I was hitting good shots, but putts weren’t dropping. Then I hit four great shots on the last two holes. It was nice to make that putt on the last hole.”

Snedeker matched the lowest single-round score ever at the RBC Canadian Open by carding a 10-under par 60. Carl Pettersson shot 60 in 2010 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club.

“I didn’t really think about it until I got to the 17^th tee,” said Snedeker, whose scor of 60 is also a new Hamilton Golf and Country Club course record. “I was hitting the ball so well off the tee and making so many putts. It was one of those rounds where everything comes together.”

Hadwin holds sole possession of 6^th at 9-under. Hughes and Silverman share 7^th spot at 8-under.

Silverman handed in a scorecard of 9-under-par 61 Friday, which is the lowest round ever recorded by a Canadian at Canada’s National Open Golf Championship.

“It’s great, it’s where I want to be,” added Silverman. “I was hitting fairways and it’s almost impossible to score around here if you’re missing fairways. “

Americans Scott Brown and Matt Kuchar both shot 7-under to finish the day as co-leaders at 12-under.

The shot of the day belonged to Kramer Hickok. The Austin, Tex., native made an albatross on No. 4 – only the fourth albatross in RBC Canadian Open history and the first since Guy Hill in 1996 at Glen Abbey Golf Club. This was the sixth albatross on the PGA TOUR this season.

Toronto’s Richard Jung was tied for 33rd at 4-under and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., was tied for 55th at 2-under.

The third-round of the RBC Canadian Open gets underway at 8:25 am, while the final pairing tees off at 2:10 pm. Tee times for the third round can be found here.

HAMILTON, Ont. – Mackenzie & Ebert Ltd. will lead a significant golf course improvement plan to the historic Harry S. Colt layout at Hamilton Golf & Country Club starting in the fall of 2019.

Noted English Golf Course Architect, Martin Ebert, a partner in the firm, will oversee the re-investment in the course assets to all 27 holes as the club modernizes its bunkers, greens and irrigation system over a two-year period.

“When Harry Colt visited Hamilton G&CC in the spring of 1914 he developed the brilliant layout that you see before you today, but he never returned during construction or to see the finished project,” says Ebert, who was first hired as HGCC’s consulting architect in 2014. “As part of the renewal of the golf course assets, our goal is to strengthen the character and original design philosophy of this wonderful Colt masterpiece for members and all golfers to enjoy.”

The club has an original set of hand sketched Colt drawings that have been used as a guideline for the changes and will draw on Mackenzie & Ebert’s vast knowledge of other Colt courses to fine-tune the holes. The firm currently advise seven of the 10 current Open Championship venues including Royal Portrush, which will host The Open later this summer.

“The improvements that will be implemented acknowledge that the course is a private members’ facility for the vast majority of life and the adjustments are designed to enhance the overall member experience,” says Ebert. “We would also like to create a fitting test for the finest players when they come to compete at the Canadian Open and other championships.”

Important to the membership and the project is the commitment by the club to keep 18 holes open for play at all times through the use of temporary greens. One of the championship nines will close in September, while the other 18 holes will remain open throughout the fall. Construction will progress continuously through the remaining nines and is expected to be completed by the spring of 2021 to allow for grown-in. The RBC Canadian Open is slated to return to HGCC in 2023.

The Golf Course Improvement Plan is the No. 1 priority within the club’s Long-Range Master Plan – Vision 2030 – the document will be finalized and presented to the membership later this year. As part of the Golf Course Improvement Plan, a 30-year-old irrigation system will be replaced with leading edge technology. The Poa Anna turf greens will be converted to Bentgrass and constructed to modern standards with multiple pin placement opportunities. The bunkers will be constructed using the latest techniques and in the spirit of the original Colt design with adjustments for today’s modern era.

Rhod Trainor will retire as the Superintendent at the end of 2019. He will stay on as a consultant as Project Manager throughout 2020 and focus on implementing the Golf Course Improvement Plan immediately after the RBC Canadian Open. Associate Golf Course Superintendent, Jordan Kitchen has been named Interim Superintendent. He will be responsible for day-to-day golf course and turf maintenance through the end of 2020.

“We believe this approach is in the best interest of the club and in the best interest of the project. Team continuity and course knowledge throughout the project is key for its success as well as for member and guest experience over the next 18 months,” says Sean McDonough, Club President.

Canadian Nick Taylor stops in at Hambrgr, one of 8 restaurants delivering a unique culinary experience to fans at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open from June 6-9.

Arriving at 4:30 a.m. to the serenely quiet Hamilton Golf & Country Club, I was greeted with only the hum of the fairway mowers in the distance, and the birds slowly waking up to a sun hidden behind stormy clouds.

If you haven’t already heard… Summers Open, and Wednesday means Pro-Am day.

I wanted to arrive on site early to document the full experience of the Pro-Am Caddie, probably one of the best volunteer experiences one can have at a professional golf event. An early morning indeed, but worth it through and through.

As you arrive at the course, you get on the sign-up list, first come first serve style, for the jobs available. As you wait around the practice area, both professional and amateur players begin to trickle in, and you are greeted by growing anticipation of who’s group you’re going to loop.

The pro’s play with their own caddies (trust me you don’t want to carry their staff bags anyway), and some of the amateurs bring their own people, but one-by-one the names on the list get called up and given their caddie bibs. You cheer for your brethren in dawn waking, excited for their inside the ropes experience with their prospective playing partners, but you’re also excited that your name is one closer to the top.

Eventually, too, my name was read, and I stepped up. I ended up on the bag of a lovely and local father/son duo, who live for the pro-am setting and the cheer of the crowd for their shots, it’s not their first rodeo. The players, including my own, were on the range early and so were the fans, ooh-ing and aww-ing as wedges zipped backwards and drives cracked through the stately oaks of Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Standing on the practice tee, next to the best players in the world, holds an unimaginable sense of importance to it. The elusive inside the ropes experience. Everyone outside the ropes wants to get inside, and everyone inside wants to stay inside. Narrowed down to the exclusivity of cardinal essentialism, the inside the ropes pass to the range, the course, and the proceedings of a PGA TOUR tournament are second to none in “coolness.” It really must be on everyone’s tournament to-do list.

We were paired with J.J. Spaun, recent Web.com grad and Mackenzie Tour alum. Spaun could not have been more friendly, right from the start of the day, he was approachable, talkative, and ready to answer any question or laugh at any joke. Quick to say “Great shot!” I only wish there were more holes. Spaun and his caddie Zeke were as interested in us enjoying our time on the course, as they were with preparing for a PGA TOUR Tournament. It is truly an amazing phenomenon. You can spend hours shoulder to shoulder with one of the best golfers in the world, just by signing up, and there is nothing you can’t ask about, or get his opinion on, or hear some of his amazing stories from his life as a professional golfer. Just to watch these guys and girls hit a ball up close is phenomenal. To bring back the “These guys are good” saying would be an understatement.

The experience transcends Spaun as well, as everyone on the course today had a mirrored encounter. The way the PGA TOUR and the tournament directors instil the level of importance and appreciation for the fans in their players is amazing. It is a one of a kind experience, going shot-for-shot with a pro, and you won’t get it in any other sport in the world.

I only wish I could have played! But it’s the new age of golf, and growing the game through accessibility is king. Anyone with a basic understanding of golf can register to be a pro-am caddie, and although you don’t get to hit the shots, you get to be right there, walking up the fairways with an amazing and idolized golfer, some new amateur friends, and a swarm of happy patrons, who just like you, love to see great golf.

The Canadian flag over the clubhouse whipped as the wind started to pick up and the rains came this afternoon, but the crowds were still there all Wednesday long. It’s not even competition play, but that fans are ready to see some golf, and starting tomorrow morning after the D-Day Memorial Ceremony, some amazing golf, played by amazing professionals, on an amazing course, is exactly what they’ll see.

June 6, 1944 is remembered as a historic day and one of the most important dates of the Second World War. Considered the turning point in the Allied victory in World War II, nearly 150,000 troops including 14,000 Canadians landed or parachuted in Normandy off the coast of France. On Thursday, June 6^th, the RBC Canadian Open will pay tribute to the 75^th anniversary of D-Day with a 6:30am opening ceremony at the 10^th tee War Memorial. The HMCS Star Navy Band and Colour Guard will perform the national anthems and a bugler will also perform just before the first group tees off. At 12:10pm, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum will perform a WWII ceremonial fly over including a Lancaster Bomber, Dakota Paratroop Plane and B25 bomber—all three of which served as part of D-Day. As a thank you for their service, all active duty and veteran members of the Canadian Armed Forces will receive FREE admission on Thursday and discounted admission throughout the week.