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?

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.

Montreal – Golf Canada and RBC announced today the final field of competitors set to challenge for the $5.7 million (USD) RBC Canadian Open, July 21-27 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.

Defending champion Brandt Snedeker will be challenged by a world class field of PGA Tour stars that includes World No. 5 Matt Kuchar, World No. 16 Dustin Johnson, World No. 17 Graeme McDowell, World No. 18 and two-time Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk, World No. 20 Luke Donald, World No. 26 Charl Schwartzel, World No. 46 Hunter Mahan and World No. 58 Ernie Els.

The field of players will also include eleven past champions who will challenge for Canada’s National Open title including Snedeker, 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), Billy Andrade (1998) and Dudley Hart (1996).

In all, 156 players will compete for the $5.7 million USD purse next week in Montreal when Canada’s National Open Championship returns to The Royal Montreal Golf Club for the 10th time.

The RBC Canadian Open will once again feature a strong international contingent as 16 countries will be represented including the United States, Scotland, Argentina, Brazil, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Venezuela, South Africa, Fiji, Sweden, Australia, England, Colombia and Canada.

Leading the charge for the Canadian contingent are PGA Tour players Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., Stephen Ames of Calgary and Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont.

Other Canadians set to compete include the Web.com Tour’s Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. who won the 2014 Web.com Tour’s Chile Classic as well as fellow Web.com Tour player Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C. who was offered an exemption.

In addition, recently crowned 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque of Montreal and PGA of Canada Player Rankings leader Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont. will also join the field alongside the 2013 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, Kevin Carrigan of Victoria. PGA Tour Canada’s Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. and Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal are also set to compete after winning the their regional qualifying sites. Additionally, Team Canada’s Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. earned exemptions into Canada’s National Open Championship.

“The field is set and we’re ready to kick off the 105th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship,” said Bill Paul, Tournament Director of the RBC Canadian Open. “The golf course is in tremendous shape and ready to challenge the world’s best golfers for the 10th time. Our team of nearly 1,500 volunteers is ready and there is no doubt that Canadian golf fans will be treated to a terrific showcase next week at The Royal Montreal Golf Club.”

Three additional exemptions will be confirmed on Sunday evening following the conclusion of PGA Tour Canada’s Stall Foundation Open in Thunder Bay, Ont. The top three players on the PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit at the conclusion of the Stall Foundation Open will earn an exemption into the RBC Canadian Open.

Click here to view the full field.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

It means the more things change, the more they stay the same. And in a sense it’s applicable to what has transpired at The Royal Montreal Golf Club and on its famed Blue course since it last held the RBC Canadian Open in 2001.

The historic and picturesque layout, which is set to host this year’s championship July 24-27, has undergone changes since 2001 when the club hosted the championship for the second time in four years. Changes that were part of a major renovation of the Blue course by renowned course designer Rees Jones and completed ahead of the 2007 Presidents Cup which was the first time the biennial match play championship between the International and United States teams was played in Canada.

The course on which American Scott Verplank won for the first time in 2001, a victory which assured him a spot on the U.S. team for that year’s Ryder Cup which ultimately was postponed for a year because of the September 11^th terrorist attacks in the U.S., and the same course where 1997 saw Tiger Woods miss the cut for the first time as a professional, is different in a number of respects from what players will see this time.

The Blue course remains a par 70 in total, but it has been lengthened by nearly 300 yards to 7,153 yards and the most notable change has been the switch of the 12^th and 13^th holes, previously a par 3 and a par 5, respectively. The former is now a par 5 at 570 yards, and the latter a 224-yard par 3.

At the time of this writing only nine of the players in the field for this year’s tournament have a familiarity with the new-look Blue course – Stewart Cink, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Lucas Glover, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Hunter Mahan, Vijay Singh, and Canada’s Mike Weir – because of having played for their respective International and U.S. squads in the Presidents Cup.

“I don’t think the players who were there in 2001 or even in ’97 will really notice the changes,” says RBC Canadian Open tournament director Bill Paul. “There is a little more yardage than in ’01, but I think those who were there then, or even in ’97, or have heard of it, will know how the course played and now plays: an old and traditional style where the course is all right in front of you. That will be the appeal more than anything.

“Obviously the greens will be the biggest change from the previous Canadian Opens in terms of their size and the movement within them,” says Paul. “And the setup for this year’s Open will be a bit more difficult than it was for the Presidents Cup. We’ll have more rough.

“By in large it’s the same kind of course as in 2007, but I think as a player how you play match play and how you play stroke play are two different things.”

Upon completion of the renovation, Jones expressed satisfaction with the changes and felt the players headed to the Presidents Cup would be called upon to create opportunities to score with each swing of the golf club.

“The players will have to make a lot of decisions in the course,” Jones said at the time.

No doubt the same will be true this time for the RBC Canadian Open.

A glance at the Blue course hole by hole:

No. 1 – par 4, 444 yards

It’s a slight uphill dogleg left where a 300-yard plus drive is needed to carry a fairway bunker in the left. The green is kidney-shaped, narrows at the front while the back left slopes away.

No. 2 – par 4, 385 yards

This is a dogleg right that rolls slightly downhill and is driveable from the tee especially with help of the prevailing wind. The green runs perpendicular to the fairway and in addition to being guarded by deep bunker on the left, features several distinct spines and slopes to the right.

No. 3 – par 4, 437 yards

A dogleg to the right, it requires an accurate second shot to an elevated green which slopes to the back and guarded by bunkers on both sides.

No. 4 – par 4, 501 yards

The most difficult hole on the front nine usually plays into the prevailing southwest wind. The dogleg left uphill has a narrow landing area between fairway bunkers and a green protected by bunkers on the left and right front sides.

No. 5 – par 3, 203 yards

Another kidney-shaped and elevated green, there are bunkers left and right.

No. 6 -par 5, 570 yards

The dogleg right has a large green which sits on a plateau and is angled toward the fairway. Deep bunkers guard the front and there is a series of more at the back on this the first of only two par-5s on the entire course.

No. 7 – par 3, 153 yards

It’s the shortest par 3, but the green is small, narrow and protected extremely well.

No. 8 – par 4, 394 yards

It’s a short dogleg left that and usually plays downwind. The green is generous, but not entirely visible from where players hit approach shots.

No. 9 – par 4, 437 yards

Similar to No. 1 as a slight dogleg left although not uphill, a carry of 320 yards off the tee is needed to take a bunker out of play on the left side of the fairway near the landing area. The elevated green is narrow at the front and has deep bunkers on both sides.

No. 10 – par 4, 460 yards

A large pond on the left side starts 160 yards from the green and continues all the way to it. Trees line the right side and the green features a “waterfall style surface” with the height increasing from front to back.

No. 11 – par 4, 476 yards

The drive from the tee is through a column of trees poised like sentries on either side. The hole doglegs slightly to the right and flows uphill to a sneaky green with ridge running down the centre of it.

No. 12 – par 5, 570 yards

The first of two new holes and a dogleg left, it plays downhill but has a generous landing zone bordered by bunkers on either side. The green is perched and protected by a complex of bunkers on the left side.

No. 13 – par 3, 224 yards

It’s the second of the two new holes created during the renovation before the 2007 Presidents Cup. It’s also the longest of four par-3s on the course and plays downhill to another narrow and well-bunkered green.

No. 14 -par 4, 369 yards

Water on the left and extends all the way to the green and trees line the right side of the fairway which narrows into a small landing area bunkered on the right. The approach shot is in to a green that also is narrow, small in the front and bunkered on the right.

No. 15 – par 4, 448 yards

Water again is a factor on the left side of the fairway and in front of and around the green. Bunkers on the right and a pot bunker at the back left between the green and the pond guard a long and narrow putting service.

No. 16 – par 4, 456 yards

Driver off the tee might not be the best option on a hole with a large pond that runs all along the left side. The approach shot is played over water to an elevated green that is protected by a huge bunker.

No. 17 – par 3, 160 yards

The prevailing wind blows across the green toward the pond on the right. The green is narrow and bunkered on the left side.

No. 18 – par 4, 466 yards

The 18th is the most challenging green on the course. Water is in play on the left side off the tee and the landing area where the fairway shifts to left and move slightly uphill to a plateaued green.

This is the hole where Weir in dramatic fashion won his Sunday singles match against Tiger Woods at the 2007 Presidents Cup.

CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, is set to host the second of three national stops at the 2014 RBC Canadian Open in Montreal from July 21-27 as part of the interactive, safety-inspired Community Tour.

Together, CN and Golf Canada host the Community Tour events to provide the opportunity for juniors to engage in friendly putting, chipping and driving activities while continuing to practice a safety-first mentality.

The first stop on the Tour took place last month at the Sarnia Kids Fun Fest, in Sarnia, Ont. Attendees included Mike Bradley (mayor of Sarnia), CN and Golf Canada staff, as well as hundreds of local juniors and parents. Among the juniors were students from 15 local schools which CN recently adopted into the Golf in Schools program to coincide with the Community Tour launch.

“The success of the first Community Tour event goes a long way in showing CN’s support and commitment to getting golf into communities and exposed to Canada’s youth,” said Jeff Thompson, Chief Sport Officer at Golf Canada. “We are looking forward to extending our shared values once more at next week’s Community Tour stop.”

The CN Future Links Community Tour is also open to adults to test out their skills and earn a chance to win unique prizing courtesy of CN.

Claude Mongeau, President and CEO of CN, is thankful for the opportunities CN Future Links and junior golf have provided.

“Youth golf has provided us a valuable platform to make a significant impact in the communities in which we operate,” he said. “We are pleased to take an active role in helping Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada grow junior golf across the country.”

The third and final stop on tour this season will take place at the Saskatoon Exhibition from Aug 5-10.

Click here to learn more about CN Future Links Community Tour.

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to extend three players exemptions into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club through Canada’s National Amateur Team program.

Among those extended tournament invites are Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont.

Pendrith, 23, is currently Canada’s highest ranked male amateur on the World Amateur Golf Rankings at No. 18. A recent graduate of Kent State University, Pendrith will make his first start at Canada’s National Open Championship after recently claiming the prestigious Monroe Invitational title and finishing tied for second at the Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship.

At No. 27 on the WAGR, Svensson will make his second start at the RBC Canadian Open fresh off an outstanding sophomore year at Barry University. Last season in NCAA action the 20-year-old captured seven tournament titles and was awarded Jack Nicklaus Award as the most outstanding Division II men’s golfer.

Rounding out the list of exemptions at No. 39 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings is Conners, 22, who recently reached the finals at the North and South Amateur Championship earlier in July.

In addition to their title sponsorship of Canada’s National Open Championship, RBC is also a proud supporter of Canada’s National Amateur Golf Team program (Team Canada) as well as Golf Canada’s National Amateur Championships, assisting in the development of this country’s up and coming golf talents.

With the addition of Pendrith, Svensson and Conners a 15-player Canadian contingent (to date) will compete at The Royal Montreal Golf Club looking to become the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win Canada’s National Open title.

Leading the charge for the Canadian contingent are PGA TOUR players Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., Stephen Ames of Calgary and Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont. Other Canadians set to compete include the Web.com Tour’s Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. and Roger Sloan of Merrit, B.C. who both earned exemptions. In addition, recently crowned 2014 PGA Championship of Canada winner Dave Levesque of Montreal and PGA of Canada Player Rankings leader Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont. will also join the field alongside the 2013 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion, Kevin Carrigan of Victoria. PGA TOUR Canada’s Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont. and Beon Yeong Lee of Montreal are also set to compete after winning the their regional qualifying sites.

The Canucks will join a field that includes PGA TOUR stars such as Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Charl Schwartzel, Chris Kirk and recent French Open champion Graeme McDowell as well as defending RBC Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker.

In addition, three exemptions will be awarded to the Top-3 finishers on PGA Tour Canada’s Order of Merit following the Stall Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel on Sunday, July 20th.

The final four exemptions into Canada’s National Open Championship will be determined following the Final Monday Qualifier for the RBC Canadian Open on July 21^st at Golf Saint-Raphaël in L’Île-Bizard, Que where four exemptions will be handed out to the Top-4 finishers.

Grounds tickets for all days of Canada’s National Open Championship as well as a limited number of premium ticket packages are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing, including the new Family Day package, is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com. Golf Canada and RBC are also please to offer free admission to children 17 year and younger who are accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Since 2007 the RBC Canadian Open has been more than the third-oldest national open golf championship in the world and the lone Canadian stop on the PGA Tour. It’s had to get into the business of chartering flights for many of the players in the tournament field every year and it will be no different this month with the championship’s return to The Royal Montreal Golf Club. Tournament week is July 21-27.

Players like Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink as well as Canadians Graham DeLaet and David Hearn and others will board a charter flight for the trans-Atlantic journey to Montreal following the final round of the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Merseyside, England, July 20.

It’s an arduous extra step Golf Canada officials have had to take ever since the championship was reshuffled on the PGA Tour schedule from its previous date in early to September to the third week in July – following the British Open.

“When we got the (new) date I knew, at least I felt, the only chance we had to get a solid field for the championship was to put on a jet. So we did and it still holds today,” says RBC Canadian Open tournament director Bill Paul. “I think if we didn’t have the jet we’d have a much tougher time getting players to come here.

“We’re not talking about a lot of players, just some players,” says Paul. “But what we do is very important to them…it’s the convenience of it.”

Upward of 33 players, their caddies and some family members will be on the flight which is scheduled to depart from Manchester, England, at 8 p.m. local time for the trip to Montreal. There are 102 seats available.

Each player is allotted three seats and while mostly it will be just a player and caddie, additional spots usually go to players traveling with family members.

Players headed to Montreal will gather in a hospitality area set up for the purpose by officials from the Royal and Ancient Golf of St. Andrews (R&A) which oversees the British Open. Buses will then transport them to the airport where another hospitality area awaits them until the flight is ready to be boarded.

A Golf Canada staff member is on site to assist the procedure, while Paul and his team take care of other logistics and last-minute issues related to the flight on this end.

And if the British Open winner happens to be among those scheduled to play at Royal Montreal, Paul says, “We’ll wait for him for as long as we can.”

Els is the only British Open winner since 2007 to play the Canadian Open the following week. But it wasn’t before the personable South African threw a scare into tournament organizers when he said during his victory speech at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2012 he planned to spend time with his family and celebrate his second Claret Jug in London rather than fly to Canada for the championship being held that year at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ont.

“I’m supposed to go to Canada but I think I’m going to blow that thing off,” Els laughed at time.

It turned out to be a joke as Els followed up by saying he would try to get the Canada by Tuesday of that week which he did only to miss the cut in Hamilton.

When it comes to chartering players around, since 2008 the RBC Canadian Open in a sense has partnered with the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, which is held the week before the British Open. Because organizers there want to secure the best field possible for it tournament, they charter a flight to take British Open-bound players overseas on Sunday night after final round of the John Deere.

“What we do is a little different from most tournaments on the PGA Tour, but the fact is it’s now part of what we do,” says Paul. “It’s unfortunately a given, and I don’t say that in a negative way, but we’ve accepted that and we do what I think is a first-class job organizing it and getting guys from that tournament site.

“I’ll probably have a 132 people that want on that plane on the Wednesday of British Open week,” he says. “It happens every year and somehow it gets down to between 90 and 102 people.”

For more information on the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, click here.

All is set for The Royal Montreal Golf Club to again stage one of the most successful editions of the RBC Canadian Open.

Tournament chair Tom Quinn says everything is ready for the return of the world’s third oldest national open golf championship to the Montreal area for the first time since 2001 and the 10^th time overall on the Canadian Open’s 110^th anniversary.

The only Canadian stop on the PGA Tour is July 24-27 on Royal Montreal’s 7,153-yard, par-70 Blue Course. It has a total purse of $5,700,000 U.S. with $1,026,000 to the winner.

“At this stage we’ve got over 1,200 volunteers, so we will be able to deal with all the issues we have in the different committees,” Quinn said this week of preparations for the 105^th edition of the tournament.

“It would be nice if we had another hundred volunteers or so, but we’re okay to do what we have to do.

Everything is basically organized from player transportation all the way through to the hospitality end of it, so that’s very positive.

“In addition all the corporate properties are gone, with the exception of one or two clubhouse tables that are left,” said Quinn. “But they’ll move this week so that’s a positive, too.”

Royal Montreal was the first permanent golf club in the Western Hemisphere, founded in 1873, and staged the first Canadian Open in 1904 won by John H. Oke of England who earned $60.

This year marks the third time in two decades the championship is at Royal Montreal after previously being played in 1997 and 2001.

The 2001 edition won by PGA Tour veteran Scott Verplank of the United States is remembered as the most successful in the history of the tournament. Upward of 110,000 spectators attended the entire week, including more than 25,000 for final round and the championship recorded an unprecedented response from the corporate community.

While it remains to be seen if that level of interest and response can be surpassed or at least duplicated this time around, Quinn is confident the table is set for Royal Montreal to once again shine.

Quinn said the response from the club’s membership has been steadfast from the time it first considered the prospect of holding another Canadian Open, and seven years after having played host to a hugely successful event in the Presidents Cup (the biennial match play between the International and U.S. teams). He’s extremely grateful for that because support is a key to success.

“That (support) was one of the really fortunate things because when I walked in to do this (position) there was already a base of people who had gone through it two or three times,” said Quinn, who succeeded Mike Richards as tournament chair. “So getting the core committees together and that, everyone stepped up right away. It was really good.”

As for the next step is the days left before many of the best golfers in the world descend on Royal Montreal, Quinn said the task is crystal clear.

“The focus now is trying to ensure we get enough spectators come out and get the opportunity to see these great players. The course can support up to 25,000 people per day, so I think if we end up throughout the course of the week with as much as we’ve done in past opens, it will be fine. It will be a good event.

“And I’m doing all I can to try to make sure we don’t get any rain,” he added.

Oakville, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Dave Levesque of Montreal and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C. have been extended exemptions into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open being contested July 21-27, 2014 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Île Bizard, Que.

Levesque recently won the PGA of Canada’s PGA Championship of Canada contested at Wyndance Golf Club in Uxbridge, Ont. With the win, he climbed into the No. 2 spot on the PGA of Canada’s Player Rankings presented by RBC.

Levesque will join fellow PGA of Canada professional Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont. in the field for the 2014 RBC Canadian Open. Walsh, who lost to Levesque in the match play final of the PGA Championship of Canada, earned his own exemption into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open by topping the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC following the conclusion of the PGA Championship of Canada.

Levesque, who teaches the game at Pure Golf Experience, also captured the Quebec Open this past weekend. The 40-year-old picked up his second prestigious professional golf title in just two weeks at Golf de La Faune in Charlesbourg, Que. The 2014 RBC Canadian Open will be Levesque’s second PGA TOUR appearance (missed cut in 2000), an experience made even more special being contested in his home province.

Levesque wasn’t the only Canadian to pick up a winners’ cheque over the weekend and punch a ticket into Canada’s National Open Championship.

Roger Sloan earned his first Web.com Tour title with a playoff victory at the inaugural Nova Scotia Open in Halifax, N.S. The 27-year-old former Texas-El Paso player topped the field at Ashburn Golf Club’s New Course to move from No. 80 to No. 14 on the Tour’s money list through 14 of 21 regular season events.

The exemption into this year’s championship will mark Sloan’s third RBC Canadian Open appearance. In 2013 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. he tied for 52^nd at 2-under 286 after missing the cut in 2011 at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver.

“Together with our partners at RBC we are pleased to welcome Dave Levesque and Roger Sloan into the field for the 105^th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Bill Paul. “Both of these talented players are riding the momentum of tremendous results and are deserving of an exemption to compete for Canada’s National Open title.”

Levesque and Sloan join a slew of other Canadians already confirmed into the 2014 RBC Canadian Open field. They are Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Brad Fritsch and Adam Hadwin; regional qualifiers Michael Gligic and Beon Yeong Lee; PGA of Canada Player Rankings leader Billy Walsh; and two-time Canadian Mid-Amateur champion Kevin Carrigan.

The Canucks will join a field that includes PGA TOUR stars such as Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan, Ernie Els, Charl Swartzel, Chris Kirk and recent French Open champion Graeme McDowell as well as defending RBC Canadian Open champion Brandt Snedeker.

Additional player announcements for the 2014 RBC Canadian Open will be made in the coming weeks.

For a full listing of players confirmed for the 2014 RBC Canadian Open, click here.

For six grueling rounds of golf over four days at the Wyndance Golf Club, Dave Levesque had an exacting and unwavering game plan with one definitive goal in mind – win.

On a picture perfect Friday afternoon in Uxbridge, Ont., he reached that goal, capturing the 2014 PGA Championship of Canada.

“For so many years I’ve had so many close calls so this feels awesome,” the Montreal native admitted. “It was very tiring out there this afternoon and I made a few mental mistakes early on in the match, but I tried to stay patient because I knew eventually things would happen.”

In the championship’s final match, Levesque the No. 3 seed squared off against the No. 1-seeded Billy Walsh, who in 2013 won the PGA Assistants’ Championship of Canada and reached the finals of the PGA Championship of Canada. Walsh jumped out to an early lead, going 2-up thru the first three holes. Levesque would claw back to square the match by the eighth hole, but made bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10, falling back to 2-down with eight to play.

Birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 brought the match back to square, while three more birdies on Nos. 14, 16 and 18 clinched the 2-up victory for the 40-year-old.

Levesque becomes the third PGA of Canada member from Quebec since 2011 to capture the championship. Vincent Dumouchel won in 2011 at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club in Calgary, while Eric Laporte won the following year at Country Hills Golf Club, which is also in Calgary.

“As PGA of Canada member from Quebec, I feel very proud today of Dave Levesque,” said PGA of Canada President Constant Priondolo. “I congratulate Dave on the win here today, but I also congratulate Billy on a wonderful week as well.”

And while it was the second-straight year Walsh walked away from the PGA Championship of Canada with second-place honours, narrowly winning the prestigious P.D. Ross Trophy, this time around won’t sting quite as bad.

“If you told me at the beginning of the week I’d be second place and earn the RBC Canadian Open exemption I probably would have taken that over winning,” Walsh said. “It’s really a dream come true for me and give me two good days on Thursday and Friday and let’s see where I am.”

By virtue of his second-place finish and the 50-rankings points, Walsh earns an exemption into next month’s RBC Canadian Open at The Royal Montreal Golf Club as the No. 1-ranked player from the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.

In the third place match, Chris Barber, the No. 15 seed bested the No. 60 seed Christophe Belair.

With the championship win, Levesque not only takes home the P.D. Ross Trophy and a $15,000 winner’s cheque, he also earns 60-ranking points moves to No. 2 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings.

Past champions of the PGA Championship of Canada include Moe Norman, George Knudson, Al Balding, Bob Panasik, Wilf Homenuik, Stan Leonard, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer.

The next PGA championship takes place July 29-31 at FireRock Golf Club in Komoka, Ont., for the PGA Women’s Championship of Canada.