Robert Garrigus holds one stroke lead heading into final round of 2012 RBC Canadian Open
07/28/2012
Hamilton, Ont. (Golf Canada)
– Robert Garrigus carded a third round 6-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the 2012 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Garrigus, a 1-time winner on the PGA TOUR with a victory at the 2010 Children’s Miracle Network Classic, sits at 16-under 194 for the championship, one shot ahead of William McGirt.
With his score of 194 through three rounds, Garrigus bested the previous low score over 54 holes (195) set by Arnold Palmer in 1955 and matched by Dean Wilson in 2010.
“I kind of started off a little slow and then I hit a perfect tee shot on the par 5. Hit it in a couple of feet, made eagle and started swinging really well,” said Garrigus, whose round on Saturday included four birdies in addition to the abovementioned eagle at No. 4. “Got my distances dialed in and made a couple long putts. You know, it was a fun day.”
After opening the 103rd playing of Canada’s National Open Championship with a course-record 8-under 62 on Thursday, Scott Piercy shot 3-under 67 for the second consecutive day. Piercy is in sole possession of third place at 14-under 196, two shots off the lead.
Scott Stallings, Chris Kirk and Bo Van Pelt are T4 at 12-under 198, four shots back of Garrigus.
David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. are tops amongst the five Canadians remaining in the field, both of whom sit T50 with a 54-hole tally of 2-under par 208. Hearn shot 2-over 72 in round three, while DeLaet shot even-par 70.
“Obviously, I had a bad day, and I'm looking forward to a better one tomorrow,” said Hearn. “Made a lot of mistakes out there today, but my game's still very close. If I have a nice day tomorrow, I can still have a nice finish.”
Toronto’s Albin Choi, a member of Team Canada’s National Squad and the lone amateur remaining the field, shot 2-over 72 on the day to sit T58 at 1-under 209 for the championship.
Bright’s Grove, Ont.’s Matt Hill is T62 at even-par 210, while Kingston, Ont.’s Matt McQuillan is 78th at 4-over 214. Hill was 1-over 71 on Saturday, while McQuillan struggled to a round of 7-over 77.
In addition to competing for Canada’s national title, the five Canadians in the field are all vying to win the prestigious Rivermead Cup as the low Canadian of the tournament.
In addition, as the lone amateur remaining in the field, Albin Choi is assured of claiming the Gary Cowan Low Amateur award.
Although he failed to make the cut at the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, reigning Open champion Ernie Els will be in Toronto Sunday at the Rogers Centre to throw out the first pitch of the Toronto Blue Jays game against the Detroit Tigers.
The following are third round scores for the five remaining Canadians in the 2012 RBC Canadian Open field. (6, 966 yards, Par 70)
T50 - Hearn, David, Brantford, Ont. 68 – 68 – 72 – 208 (-2)
T50 - DeLaet, Graham, Weyburn, Sask. 69 – 69 – 70 – 208 (-2)
T58 - Choi, Albin, (a), Toronto, Ont. 69 – 68 – 72 – 209 (-1)
T62 - Hill, Matt, Bright’s Grove, Ont. 70 – 69 – 71 – 210 (E)
78 - McQuillan, Matt, Kingston, Ont. 70 – 67 – 77 – 214 (+4)
CUT - Markle, David, Shelburne, Ont. 69 – 71 – 140 (E)
CUT - Hadwin, Adam, Abbotsford, Ont. 66 – 74 – 140 (E)
CUT - Renfrew, Cory, Victoria, B.C. 70 – 70 – 140 (E)
CUT - Ciesielski, Victor, Cambridge, Ont. 74 – 66 – 140 (E)
CUT - Fritsch, Brad, Manotick, Ont. 68 – 73 – 141 (+1)
CUT - Ames, Stephen, Calgary, Alta. 70 – 71 – 141 (+1)
CUT - Hughes, Mackenzie, (a) Dundas, Ont. 71 – 71 – 142 (+2)
CUT - Gligic, Michael, Burlington, Ont. 72 – 72 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Weir, Mike, Bright’s Grove, Ont. 72 – 72 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Doherty, Greg, Mississauga, Ont. 74 – 70 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Parr, Andrew, London, Ont. 75 – 69 – 144 (+4)
CUT - Couture, Rob, (a) Trenton, Ont. 73 – 72 – 145 (+5)
CUT - Mills, Jon, Oshawa, Ont. 77 – 69 – 146 (+6)
CUT - Wong, Eugene, North Vancouver, B.C. 76 – 71 – 147 (+7)
CUT - Ferguson, Ben, Ancaster, Ont. 78 – 69 – 147 (+7)
CUT - Ross, Christopher, Dundas, Ont. 74 – 73 – 147 (+7)
CUT - Taylor, Nick, Abbotsford, B.C. 75 – 74 – 149 (+9)
CUT - McCann, Brian, Mississauga, Ont. 75 – 75 – 150 (+10)
(a) – denotes amateur
ABOUT THE 2012 RBC CANADIAN OPEN
Part of the FedEx Cup, stars of the PGA TOUR will compete for $5.2 million (US) at the RBC Canadian Open, July 23-29, 2012 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ont. Established in 1904, the tournament is the third-oldest national open golf championship worldwide next to the British Open and the U.S. Open. The RBC Canadian Open is proudly sponsored by RBC, Bell, BMW Group Canada, C.F.F Stainless Steels, Molson Canadian 67, TaylorMade adidas Golf, The Glenlivet, PepsiCo, The Globe and Mail, Reader’s Digest and the City of Hamilton, with funding provided by the Government of Ontario. For tournament information please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com or call 1-800-571-6736.
RBC GOLF
RBC proudly supports golf around the world through high profile relationships with the PGA TOUR, the PGA of America and Golf Canada. RBC is the Official Banking and Financial Services partner of touring professionals Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Matt Kuchar, Mike Weir, Stephen Ames, Fred Couples, Hunter Mahan and Morgan Pressel. As the Official Bank of the PGA of America and title sponsor of both the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open, RBC also supports emerging Canadian golfers through Golf Canada’s grassroots developmental programming, their Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and high performance national team. Outside of golf, RBC sponsors amateur sport, from grassroots to national sport associations. RBC is one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization.
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Golf Canada is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing more than 340,000 members at close to 1,500 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sport Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game.
A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada conducts championships, programs and services to help shape the present and future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, Golf in Schools presented by Callaway, Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, CN Canadian Women’s Tour and CN Future Links – Canada’s national junior golf program – are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. As the authority for golf in Canada, the association also administers the Rules of Golf, amateur status and handicapping and course rating. In addition, Golf Canada conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships provide world class competitive opportunities for Canada’s top golfers to showcase their talents.
For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit us online at www.golfcanada.ca.
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