The 108th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship gets underway Thursday with 156 of the world’s best golfers, including 17 Canadians and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson set to compete for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open trophy and their share of the $6 million (US) purse.

Johnson leads the PGA TOUR in wins this year with three, and was the runner-up at the RBC Canadian Open in 2013 and 2016.

“I’ve played well here the last couple years, and you know, I’m looking forward to it this year,” said Johnson. “I enjoy playing this golf course.”

Johnson went on to talk highly of the host city, and the support he receives from the Canadian fan base.

“The fans have been great since the first time I came,” said Johnson. “When I’m out there on the course, I’ve always got a lot of fans and they are always supporting me a lot.”

When asked about the condition of Glen Abbey, the world’s No. 1 golfer had high praise for the work superintendent Andrew Gyba and his team have done to get the course ready for the RBC Canadian Open.

“It’s in perfect condition. You can’t find anything wrong with it,” added Johnson. “The greens are perfect. The fairways are perfect.”

The first round of the RBC Canadian Open starts at 7:10 a.m. with players teeing off on the first and 10th tees.

Click here to view the pairings for the first round on Thursday July 27, and the second round on Friday July 28.

Click here to view images from Wednesday’s Championship Pro-Am.

When Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor begin the opening round of the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday afternoon, it’s going to feel more like a trip down memory lane than a national championship on the PGA Tour.

They’re paired up in the first round of a tournament for the first time since their teenage years when they sometimes played together at Ledgeview Golf and Country Club. Just six months apart in age, Hadwin and Taylor grew up together in Abbotsford, B.C., and have become two of Canada’s top professional golfers.

“It might feel like just a casual round, a round around Ledgeview for us as a 15- and 16-year-old,” said Hadwin on Wednesday after playing in a pro-am at Glen Abbey Golf Course. “We’ll just hopefully go out and have some fun. Maybe have a few side bets or two. But don’t tell anybody that.”

Taylor laughed when he heard about the side bets. “Yeah, I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

Taylor won his first PGA title at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. Even though Hadwin’s the older of the two, it took him a few more years to earn his first victory on the Tour, winning the Valspar Championship in March. He also shot a 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge in January.

“We definitely have a comfort level playing with each other,” said Taylor. “I don’t think that will be a huge deal playing together, it’s playing together at the Canadian Open that will make it a little more fun, a little more memorable.”

Hadwin and Taylor are two of 17 Canadians competing in the tournament at Glen Abbey this weekend. No Canadian has won the national championship since amateur Pat Fletcher did it at Vancouver’s Point Grey Golf Club in 1954.

It’s a drought that all the Canadians are well aware of.

“We’re all trying our best. Yes, we know that Pat Fletcher was the last one to win,” said Hadwin with a smile. “We know that. So we’re all trying our best to be moving forward. If one of us wins then it’s only been a couple years since a Canadian’s won.”

Hadwin is the highest rated Canadian on the PGA Tour right now, ranked 13th in the FedExCup standings. Coming just four days after the Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, it will be a depleted field on Thursday with only No. 2 Dustin Johnson above Hadwin in the standings.

Johnson feels that going from the United Kingdom to Canada isn’t that hard because the jet lag that comes from travelling westward isn’t as taxing on his sleep schedule. He’s looking forward to playing at Glen Abbey, where he tied for second last year.

“It’s in perfect condition,” said Johnson of the course. “You can’t find anything wrong with it. The greens are perfect. The fairways are perfect.

“If I drive it straight, I’m going to have a good week.”

Other Canadians in the field are Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who will also be paired together on Thursday, as well as Ottawa’s Brad Fristch, Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., Jared Du Toit, of Kimberley, B.C., Matt Hill of Sarnia, Ont., Vancouver’s Ryan Williams, Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C., Bryn Parry of North Vancouver, B.C., Drew Nesbitt of Shanty Bay, Ont., and Toronto’s Daniel Kim.

Three Canadian amateurs will also be playing: Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., Hugo Bernard of Mont-Saint Hillaire, Que., and Austin James of Bath, Ont.

Last season Du Toit took the tournament by storm as an amateur, sitting second heading into the final round of play before dropping into a tie for ninth. He’s since completed his senior year at Arizona State University and turned professional.

“I don’t like setting numerical expectations,” said the 22-year-old Du Toit. “I’m just going to go out, try and play great golf and if it’s a great finish than that’s awesome and if not, that’s OK too. I’m not too worried.”

As a uniquely Canadian touch, the tee of the par-3 No. 7 hole has been surrounded by hockey boards with a hockey net, pucks and hockey sticks kept on one of the forward tees so players can stop to take slapshots before making their way around a large pond to the green.

“I hope they leave it during the tournament so we can keep taking shots,” said Hadwin. “You hit one in the water and you can kind of relax and take up slapshots or something or cross-check the caddie into the boards or something.”

Golf legend and 73-time PGA TOUR winner Jack Nicklaus was on hand at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., on Tuesday to help kick off the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

Following a ceremonial airshow and opening remarks, amateur champion Judy Darling Evans and legendary golf club maker Bob Vokey were officially inducted as the 78th and 79th honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Nicklaus, who was inducted into the Hall in 1995, joined 16 other legends of Canadian golf as part of the celebration.

After the opening ceremony, the Golden Bear made a quick stop at The Rink on the par-3 7th hole to try his hand at hockey.

Jack Nicklaus grabbed a hockey stick for the first time during Tuesday’s opening ceremony at the @RBCCanadianOpen. pic.twitter.com/8AFgaWu6Z4

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 25, 2017

For nearly a decade, the name Judy Darling Evans was synonymous with amateur golfing success. She was born on October 6, 1937 in Montreal and was first introduced to the game at Whitlock Golf Club where her grandfather, J.A. Darling—a Quebec Amateur champion himself— served as the club’s first president… Read more on Judy Darling Evans here.

Bob Vokey was born in 1939 in Montréal, Québec. and credits his early inspiration in club design to the summers he spent with his father, a fine tool and die maker who had a penchant for golf and enjoyed tinkering with equipment… Read more on Bob Vokey here.

A special thanks to our honoured @CGHF members for helping kick off today’s opening ceremony of the @RBCCanadianOpen! #OurOpen #RBCCO pic.twitter.com/r4ecYon0Ak

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) July 25, 2017

Photos from Tuesday’s Opening Ceremonies can be found on the RBC Canadian Open Facebook page here.

Click here for more information on what’s happening at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

Valiant efforts by Canadian golfers resulting in close calls have come to define the RBC Canadian Open in recent years.

Amateur Jared du Toit’s remarkable performance through three rounds last year before tying for ninth, conjured up some of those memories.

The national championship was last won by a Canadian in 1954 but since 2001 players such as David Morland IV, Adam Hadwin, David Hearn and most famously, Mike Weir, have come close to breaking the drought.

Weir’s close shave came in 2004 at Glen Abbey. The lefty from Brights Grove, Ont., was at the height of his powers back then and so too was Vijay Singh. Singh came to Oakville the No. 1-ranked player in the world and was enjoying one of the most successful seasons in the modern era by someone other than Tiger Woods. Weir, about 18 months removed from his Masters win, nursed a two-shot lead to start Sunday action and appeared in control as he made the turn, especially when he made birdie on the 10th hole.

“Oh, boy, this is crazy,” said a bemused PGA Tour official surveying the crowds that had gathered around Weir’s group as he was about to tee off on 16.

The crowd was sensing history being made. And it would have been perfect timing  — 50 years since Pat Fletcher’s win, days after Canadian legend Moe Norman had died, and a day before Team Canada was about to win the World Cup of Hockey a short distance away in Toronto.

It wasn’t meant to be. Not long after that PGA Tour official voiced his concern, Weir made bogey on No. 16 and failed to birdie No. 18 in regulation. That set the stage for Singh’s triumph on the third extra hole when Weir found water playing the 18th for the third time in less than an hour.

Weir, but also Hadwin and Hearn, who have had their own brushes with winning, have all voiced little in the way of overriding regret. Recent conversations with all three men said that the biggest takeaway from their experience was the sheer excitement, tinged with a bit of disappointment.

“None,” said Weir, when asked if he had any regrets, “just that I didn’t win but it was a great week.”

Hearn’s tournament two years ago was very much like Weir’s but also different. He was in the driver’s seat playing No. 16 too but Jason Day reeled off three birdies playing a group ahead — as Singh was with Weir 11 years earlier. While Day wasn’t yet the top-ranked player in the world, his run that started at Glen Abbey soon landed him there.

Hearn, who wound up in third place, and Weir were veteran PGA Tour pros when they almost won the national championship.

Adam Hadwin was just a second-year pro who was little known outside the Canadian golf community. Playing at Shaughnessy G&CC not far from where he grew up in Abbotsford, B.C., Hadwin had sole possession of the lead on Sunday before four-putting the par-3 eighth hole. The two shots he dropped there cost him a spot in a playoff eventually won by Sean O’Hair.

Looking back, for Hadwin it was the newness of the experience that made it so unique, surreal even.

“Nothing was expected of me,” he recalls “I wasn’t even a tour member at that point . . . I really had nothing to lose.”

Though not quite as close, other Canadians have contended as well. David Morland IV was in contention all four days at Royal Montreal GC in 2001. After firing a 66 on Sunday, Morland needed the leaders to falter but Verplank was steady with a 67 and eventually won by three shots. Morland was another two strokes back in a tie for fifth.

Though they never seriously contended for the title, Graham DeLaet (T7) and Brad Fritsch (T9) both posted top-10s three years ago, also at Royal Montréal. Eight years ago at Glen Abbey, two Canadians — Stephen Ames and Chris Baryla — also had top-10s, both tying for eighth.

Stretching back further, Dave Barr had his best RBC Canadian Open showing in 1988 when he tied for fourth, with fellow Canadian Gordie Smith tying for seventh. Barr’s showing matched Richard Zokol’s performance five years earlier, which to that point was the best performance by a Canadian during the Glen Abbey era of the tournament.

This article was originally published in the Summer Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

The 2017 RBC Canadian Open features the strongest collection of homegrown talent ever. So is this the year the drought ends?

Two years ago, shortly after standing in the 18th fairway watching Jason Day bury a 22-foot birdie putt on the final green up ahead of him to win the RBC Canadian Open, David Hearn sat down in the media centre at Glen Abbey in front of a throng of reporters. He knew what they were going to ask, but still found it difficult to articulate his emotions.

Entering the final round with a two-shot lead, Hearn and pairing mate Bubba Watson — who will rejoin the field for this year’s national men’s open championship after a year off — traded momentum throughout the day only for the superstar Day to string three birdies together on the final three holes and leap past them into the winner’s circle, capped by that emphatic putt on the last green. It was the start of a torrid stretch for the Aussie, who two weeks later won his first major at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Falling two shots short of Day’s mark and settling for solo third, Hearn, the Brantford, Ont., native, was appreciative of the thousands of fans that came out hoping to witness history. Had he succeeded in winning, Hearn would’ve become the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954. But he also acknowledged that the intensity of the moment and pile of pressure on his shoulders was difficult to manage.

“It’s going to take a special performance for (a Canadian) to win this tournament one day,” he relented.

Fortunately, an extremely deep crop of Canadians is ready to take on the task in the 2017 edition. Spearheading the group is Adam Hadwin, who’s enjoyed a stellar season thus far and ascended to Canada’s No. 1 player. The recently married 29-year-old won his maiden PGA Tour title at the Valspar Championship in March, just seven weeks after posting a career-low 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge. A series of strong results and several final rounds in contention — which thrusted him as high as 44th in the world — have provided him with a boatload of confidence to lean on while trying to execute in crunch time. The B.C. boy would love to rekindle the magic he conjured up at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open at Shaughnessy G&CC (see sidebar).

Two Canadians behind him who also happen to have PGA Tour victories under their belt are Mackenzie Hughes and Nick Taylor. Each won in their respective rookie season, Hughes this year and Taylor in 2014, and along with Matt Hill, who secured a spot in the field by winning the Ontario Regional Qualifier in mid-May, they represent the fruits of Golf Canada’s labour when it comes to its national development program.

The infusion of homegrown talent in the event includes newly minted professional Jared du Toit (a recent Team Canada member and in on a sponsor’s exemption), who sprung to national fame with a ninth-place finish last year. Just as Hearn was in 2015, du Toit was in the final group on Sunday. Another Canadian on the rise is 2016 Canadian Men’s Amateur champ Hugo Bernard, who will tee it up in his second straight RBC Canadian Open.

Not to be forgotten are the more grizzled golfers that sport Canada’s colours. Hearn, Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir and Brad Fritsch have all battled down the stretch with big tournaments on the line, including in this event for Hearn and Weir (see sidebar). As for DeLaet and Fritsch, they shared top-10 honours at the 2014 event at Royal Montreal.

In years past, the national contingent featured only a few legitimate threats to win, such as Weir, Stephen Ames and Ian Leggatt in the 2000s and Dave Barr, Dan Halldorson and Richard Zokol in the 1980s and early ‘90s. The latest offering of promise and experience speaks to the depth of Canadian players currently competing at golf’s various levels.

“This will be an exciting year for Canadian golf fans for sure,” said Brent McLaughlin, RBC Canadian Open tournament director. “We’ve come close in recent years with David Hearn in 2015 and du Toit’s terrific run last year. This may be the year the drought finally comes to an end.”

The tournament has been dominated lately by some of golf’s long bombers bullying their way around Glen Abbey, such as Jhonattan Vegas in 2016, Watson and Day in 2015 and Dustin Johnson in 2016 and 2013. The latter, now the World’s No. 1 player, has already committed to tee it up this July and will be the favourite to clinch a championship that he’s been close to winning before.

On the other end of the spectrum, one of the shorter hitters in this year’s field, and one who’s no stranger to being an underdog, believes the Canadian contingent can overcome the odds too.

“It’s a matter of time,” said Jim Furyk, the 2006 (Hamilton G&CC) and ’07 (Angus Glen – North) Canadian Open champion after Hearn’s narrow miss. “There are so many good Canadian players. I feel bad Mike Weir never won this golf tournament. But Graham DeLaet, David, there are a bunch of fine young players, so I’m sure it’s going to happen.”

“I think every Canadian wants to see it so bad and we want to do it so bad that it does make it hard,” explained Hearn. “At the same time, I believe it will happen. I believe we have enough talent.”

This year, more than ever perhaps, the depth of Canada’s talent is certainly undeniable.

This article was originally published in the Summer Issue edition of Golf Canada Magazine. Click here to view the full magazine

ANCASTER, ONT. (Golf Canada) – Drew Nesbitt of Shanty Bay, Ont., Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C., Lee McCoy of Tampa, Fla. and Jhared Hack of Homestead, Fla. have all earned entry into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open through today’s Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links.

Nesbitt and Wheeldon carded matching rounds of 5-under-par 66 to share medallist honours.

Nesbitt, who will make his PGA TOUR debut at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, is thankful Canada’s National Championship is truly an open event.

“That’s the nature of the game that they have these open qualifying events. It allows amateurs and pros that aren’t full status and mini tour players like myself, to get to the next level,” said Nesbitt. “It will be a good experience to test my game against the best players in the world.”

Wheeldon will be playing in his third PGA TOUR event. He played in the 2013 RBC Canadian Open and advanced through Monday Qualifying into the 2014 Farmers Insurance Open.

“I feel lucky as a Canadian that I get to play in our National Championship,” added Wheeldon. “It’s great to be one round away and know that you have that opportunity to get into that tournament.”

Six players shot 67, which forced a playoff that decided the last two spots. McCoy advanced on the second playoff hole while Hack outlasted Team Canada’s Stuart MacDonald from Vancouver on the sixth playoff hole.

Team Canada graduate Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), Nyasha Mauchaza (Port Saint Lucie, Fla.) and Hunter Stuart (Lexington, Ky.) were the other playoff participants who failed to qualify.

Click here for full scoring.

Click here for more information on the RBC Canadian Open.

The final four spots into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open field will be determined Monday as the Final Qualifier is set to tee off at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.

The 57-man field is comprised of touring professionals, top amateurs and 43 regional qualifiers from the as a part of the two-stage RBC Canadian Open Qualification process.

“We’re very happy to have the Final Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links,” said Adam Helmer, Golf Canada’s Director, Rules, Competitions and Amateur Status. “The course is in great condition and it should provide an excellent test for this impressive field of golfers vying for a spot in the RBC Canadian Open.”

The Final Qualifier features 18 holes of stroke play with the low four competitors receiving an exemption directly into the 2017 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 24.

On Tuesday, July 25 at 10 a.m. ET at Glen Abbey Golf Club, golf icon Jack Nicklaus will be on hand to officially open the 2017 RBC Canadian Open during a public outdoor ceremony at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

The Opening Ceremony for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open will be immediately followed by the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where amateur champion Judy Darling Evans and legendary golf club maker Bob Vokey will be officially inducted as the 78th and 79th honoured members. Nicklaus, who was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995, will join 16 other legends of Canadian golf as part of the celebration.

Spectators are invited to join the celebration (FREE for all attendees) that will officially kick off the 2017 RBC Canadian Open. Both the induction and ceremony will take place on stage in the Coors Light 19th Hole Beer Garden.

Click here for more information on what’s happening at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to announce the final field of competitors vying for the US$6.0 million purse at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, July 24-30 at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

World no. 1 Dustin Johnson will be challenged by a stellar field of PGA TOUR stars including world No. 18 Matt Kuchar, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, two-time RBC Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk, world No. 33 and 2013 RBC Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker, three-time PGA TOUR winners Ryan Palmer and Graeme McDowell, as well as World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els.

Other notable additions to the field for the 108^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship include defending champion Jhonattan Vegas, Ian Poulter, 34-time PGA TOUR winner Vijay Singh, eight-time winner K.J. Choi, six-time winner Hunter Mahan, world No. 28 Kevin Chappell, world No. 39 Charley Hoffman, world no. 48 Gary Woodland and rising-star Tony Finau, who sits 27^th on the FedEx Cup Point Standings.

“The field is nearly set and we’re ready to tee-up the 108^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship starting next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club,” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “It’s a big year for Canada celebrating 150 years and with a tremendous mix of international stars and the deepest field of Canadian talent ever, we couldn’t be more thrilled to treat fans to a world-class showcase of golf steeped in Canadiana.”

In total, 156 players will compete for the US$6.0 million purse next week in Oakville when Canada’s National Open Championship returns to Glen Abbey for a record 29^th time.

Past Champions….

Defending champion Jhonattan Vegas will be joined by seven other former champions including Team RBC members Brandt Snedeker – who won in 2013 at Glen Abbey Golf Club – and Jim Furyk who claimed back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007. Other confirmed past champions include Scott Piercy (2012), Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Chez Reavie (2008) and Vijay Singh (2004).

PGA Tour In-Year Winners….

A total of nine in-year PGA Tour winners will compete at Glen Abbey including Cody Gribble, Mackenzie Hughes, Harris English, Matt Kuchar, Hudson Swafford, Dustin Johnson, Adam Hadwin, D.A. Points and Kevin Chappell.

13 Canadians to compete for National Men’s Open Title….

World no. 54 Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., will lead a 13-member Canadian contingent into Canada’s national Open championship. The 29-year old is in the midst of his finest season with a win at the Valpsar Championship and a 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge. Hadwin will be joined by fellow recent PGA TOUR winners Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. as well fellow Canadian fan favourites Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont.

Other Canadians confirmed include Jared du Toit, the 22-year old Team Canada member played in the final pairing at the 2016 RBC Canadian Open. The Calgary native returns to Glen Abbey as a professional hoping to recapture the magic that made him the story of last year’s championship.  Team Canada National Amateur Squad members Hugo Bernard of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., the reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur champion along with Austin James of Bath, Ont., will also compete.

Former Team Canada member Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., has earned his third consecutive RBC Canadian Open exemption by winning his third straight Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. PGA of Canada professional Bryn Parry of Vancouver earned his way into the 2017 RBC Canadian Open by claiming the No. 1 position on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC, while former Team Canada member Matt Hill of Brights Grove, Ont., won the 144-player Ontario Regional Qualifier to earn an exemption.

The Canadians in the field have their sights set on becoming the first Canadian to capture the national title since Pat Fletcher claimed victory in 1954.

Final Tournament Exemptions to be Named…

The top three players on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit following this weekend’s Mackenzie Investments Open in Mirabel, Que. will earn exemptions into the field for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

The final four exemptions into the field for the 2017 RBC Canadian Open will be handed out at the Monday Final Qualifier on July 24 to be played at Heron Point Golf Links near Ancaster, Ont.

Click here for the full list of competitors competing in the 2017 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club from July 24-30.

TICKETS:

Grounds tickets for all days of the 2017 RBC Canadian Open, as well as, a limited number of premium ticket packages are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com/tickets.

Golf Canada and RBC are also pleased to offer FREE admission to juniors 17 and younger—Click here to download a FREE Junior Pass.