Multi-year deal will deliver a premium tequila hospitality experience to the RBC Canadian Open through 2024
(November 22, 2021) Golf Canada and Maestro Dobel® Tequila announced today a multi-year partnership that will see Maestro Dobel featured as the Official Tequila of the RBC Canadian Open.
Maestro Dobel will become Golf Canada’s first-ever exclusive tequila partner for the RBC Canadian Open. As part of the integrated partnership—which begins in 2022 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club and runs through 2024— Maestro Dobel will be poured at RBC Canadian Open hospitality and concession locations with sampling opportunities and fan engagement activations planned around Canada’s lone stop on the PGA TOUR.
“We are thrilled to welcome Maestro Dobel as Golf Canada’s first-ever Official Tequila Partner for the RBC Canadian Open,” said John Sibley, chief commercial officer of Golf Canada. “Maestro Dobel’s mastery blend and craftsmanship in their award-winning tequila will deliver a premium product for spectators and hospitality guests to enjoy at the RBC Canadian Open.”
Founded by 11th generation tequila maker Juan Dobel, Maestro Dobel is known for consistently pushing the category forward, blending tradition and innovation to craft its award-winning tequilas. Since March 2021, Maestro Dobel has served as the official Tequila of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, activating at select tournaments across the United States.
“We are excited to embark on this new journey with Golf Canada and the RBC Canadian Open,” said Peter Hottmann, General Manager at Proximo Spirits Canada. “The RBC Canadian Open has become a premier event on the PGA TOUR and we are proud to be aligning our award-wining tequilas with excellence in Canadian golf.”
The 2022 RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the championship’s practice facility.
The 111th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship is set for June 6-12, 2022 in Toronto.
TORONTO - (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada, in partnership with title sponsor RBC, is pleased to announce that select tickets for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open are now available.
The RBC Canadian Open will be held June 6-12 at St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto with nearby Islington Golf Club hosting the tournament’s official practice facility. The stars of the PGA TOUR will return to Toronto as St. George’s prepares to host for the first time since 2010. With a new premier June date on the PGA TOUR schedule, the RBC Canadian Open is a summer festival marking the unofficial start of Canada’s golf season. The week-long celebration, which sold out certain days in 2019, offers more than just world class golf… it has something for everybody. The RBC Canadian Open delivers affordable and fun entertainment, with excitement both on the fairway and beyond.
GENERAL ADMISSION – WEEKLY TICKETS & ANYDAY TICKETS
Take advantage of miles of front row seating! General admission tickets provide access to the golf course—get an up-close look at your favourite PGA TOUR stars, enjoy fan activations throughout the golf course and experience the thrill of major professional golf. A fully transferable general admission Weekly Ticket costs $180* and an Anyday Ticket (on sale for a limited time and valid any day of tournament week) costs $90*.
1904 CLUB PRESENTED BY RBC ISHARES
The 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares delivers an elevated fan experience in the heart of the golf course. Located between the 1st and 10th greens, this premium destination is the perfect home base to sit, relax and map out your experience following the stars of the PGA TOUR. Enjoy relief and shelter from the elements, take in the broadcast on TV and treat yourself to upgraded food, beverages and hospitality.
A 1904 Club presented by RBC iShares Weekly Ticket (valid Thursday to Sunday) costs $315*.
*plus applicable taxes and fees
Click HERE to purchase select 2022 RBC Canadian Open tickets
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Join us to witness world-class PGA TOUR golf, activities for all ages including The Rink, local food and patio experiences and more. Get your tickets today and be a part of one of Canada’s premier sporting events.
* Youth 13-17 years of age receive a 15% discount, while juniors aged 12-and-under gain FREE grounds admission all week long. Some conditions apply.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The PGA TOUR today announced the 16-member Player Advisory Council (PAC) for 2020. The PAC advises and consults with the PGA TOUR Policy Board (Board of Directors) and Commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the TOUR.
2020 Player Advisory Council
Ryan Armour
Paul Casey
David Hearn
Harry Higgs
Charley Hoffman
Billy Horschel
Zach Johnson
Russell Knox
Anirban Lahiri
Peter Malnati
Rory McIlroy
Ryan Palmer
Jon Rahm
Kevin Streelman
Justin Thomas
Harold Varner III
Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Justin Thomas have been selected by the Player Directors to run for PAC Chairman via election which ends February 7. The leading vote-getter will replace Johnson Wagner as a Player Director on the PGA TOUR Policy Board, serving a three-year term (2021-23).
Aurora, Ont. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and LEVELWEAR today announced an agreement that will see LEVELWEAR extend their official apparel partnership with the National Sport Federation for golf through 2022.
The multi-year extension will continue LEVELWEAR’s support as Official Headwear and Apparel provider across a multitude of Golf Canada properties and championships. The LEVELWEAR brand will continue as the official headwear and apparel as well as the official volunteer uniform for several of Golf Canada’s properties including the RBC Canadian Open, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and the World Junior Girls Championship. The partnership will also extend across Golf Canada’s digital network of web, social and golfer engagement platforms.
“LEVELWEAR has become one of our most engaged partners and we are pleased to extend their meaningful commitment to Canadian golf across so many foundational pillars of our organization,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum. “The LEVELWEAR brand represents the highest quality performance for both serious and recreational golfers. Our robust partnership touches many levels of Canadian golf, from amateur to professional, and we are excited to continue working with their talented team.”
For LEVELWEAR, extending and deepening their brand alignment with Golf Canada was a natural evolution to grow a partnership that began in 2017.
“We are proud to be extending our partnership with Golf Canada and their many world-class golf programs, championships and golfer engagement platforms,” said LEVELWEAR President & CEO Hilton Ngo . “Supporting golf at all levels in Canada is a key priority and our collaboration with Golf Canada has done a tremendous job in elevating our brand with Canadian golfers nationally.”
OAKVILLE, ONT. (Golf Canada) – The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum today announced that amateur and professional golf standout, Rod Spittle, as well as celebrated collegiate golf coach Herb Page have been selected for 2019 induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
Spittle, 63, from Niagara Falls, Ont., will be inducted in the player category, while the 67-year-old Page, who is a native of Markham, Ont., will be inducted as a builder for his accomplishments as a collegiate golf coach with the NCAA Division I Kent State Golden Flashes. With their inductions, the pair become the 82nd and 83rd honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
“The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame strives to recognize the outstanding achievements of golf’s greatest players and supporters and it’s an absolute privilege to welcome Rod Spittle and Herb Page as our newest honoured members,” said Sandra Post, Chair of the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee. “Rod was an accomplished player at the amateur level and later as a professional, while Herb has made a significant impact in the lives of countless student-athletes through his long tenure with Kent State’s golf program. I know I speak on behalf of the entire selection committee as well as the honoured members when I say they are both very deserved of their appointments.”
“I am humbled and thrilled beyond words to be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame,” said Spittle. “It is an honour to be recognized and included in this group of golf ambassadors and elite players, the induction will be even more special for me since the ceremony will be hosted at Hamilton Golf & Country Club, where my dad caddied as a youngster and where I won my first Canadian Amateur in 1977.”
With his induction, Page becomes the 25th person inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame’s builder category and the first-ever coach.
“It’s been an honour and a pleasure to have the opportunity to help so many young student-athletes grow both on and off the course,” said Page from his home in Ohio. “It’s always great to be recognized for your hard work and this nomination is extra special, but the real gratification comes from seeing players mature into outstanding people.”
Spittle and Page officially join the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame during an induction ceremony that will take place Tuesday, June 4th, 2019 during RBC Hall of Fame Day as part of the 2019 RBC Canadian Open on the grounds of Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
ADMISSION TO RBC HALL OF FAME DAY (TUES. JUNE 4) OF THE 2019 RBC CANADIAN OPEN IS FREE WITH THE PURCHASE OF A THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY OR SUNDAY TICKET.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS.
Rod Spittle…
Born July 18, 1955 in St. Catharines, Ont., Rod Spittle had a successful amateur career, finishing runner-up at the 1973 Canadian Junior and winning the 1977 and 1978 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championships while playing Division I golf at Ohio State. Provincially he also helped Ontario win back to back Willingdon Cups (1977-78). During his collegiate golf career, Spittle helped the Buckeyes win the BIG Ten Championship three consecutive years (1976-1978) alongside teammates John Cook and Joey Sindelar, who both went on to enjoy successful professional golf careers that included PGA TOUR victories.
After graduating in 1978 with a degree in Business Administration, Spittle opted to focus on supporting his family by selling insurance for 25 years and continuing his passion for the game in amateur golf. He won a pair of Columbus (Ohio) District Amateur Championships (1989 and 1987) and three Columbus (Ohio) District Mid-Amateur titles (1994, 1995 and 1997). He went on to claim the Ohio Mid-Am Championship three times (2000, 2001 and 2003) prior to turning professional in 2004, shortly before turning 50.
Spittle and his wife, Ann, left their regular jobs behind and made a 5-year plan to fulfill the dream of playing professional golf. In 2009, four years into that plan, Spittle’s goal of being a full-time Tour professional took a severe hit after he failed to secure PGA TOUR Champions status and did not play in a single event.
In 2010, the final year of the five-year plan, Spittle was forced to Monday qualify into events. Playing with limited status, Spittle got into only five events the entire 2010 season. He Monday qualified into the final event of the year, the AT&T Championship, and in a storybook ending, he played stellar golf all week and beat Jeff Sluman in a playoff for his first-ever professional title. Just like that, his dream of playing professional golf, nearly dead and gone, gained new life with a full exemption for 2011 as a PGA TOUR Champions winner.
In 195 starts over his 13-year PGA TOUR Champions career, Spittle missed just five cuts and earned more than $4M in prize money. He never missed more than one cut in any year and played nine full seasons without missing a single cut. He had a pair of runner-up finishes, a pair of third-place finishes and had 23 top-10s. He played his final PGA TOUR Champions event on home soil, finishing T17 at the 2018 Shaw Charity Classic.
On a personal level, he and his wife Ann have three children (Leslie, Steve and John) and seven grandchildren. The Spittle’s proudly support Special Olympics initiatives in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Spittle was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.
Herb Page…
Born March 16, 1951 in Markham, Ont., Herb Page has been a fixture on the Kent State University campus since arriving as an undergraduate three-sport student-athlete (golf, football and hockey) in 1970. Nearly 50 years later, now the university’s director of golf, Page has grown to become one of the most respected golf coaches in the world.
For more than 40 years, Page has been an untiring coach to his players and a terrific ambassador for the game of golf. Even after decades of significant accomplishments under his direction, the Kent State Golden Flashes golf program continues to reach new heights. He has built an empire in the Mid-American Conference with a legacy that seems to grow stronger with each passing year.
He has led the Golden Flashes to 23 Mid-American Conference (MAC) titles and 28 NCAA Regional appearances – advancing to the NCAA Championship 18 times during that span. Kent State won three NCAA Regional titles (1993, 2001 and 2010) and earned top-10 National finishes in 2000 (9th), 2008 (6th), 2012 (5th) and 2018 (10th). Page has garnered 24 MAC Coach of the Year awards (1983-1984, 1990-1996, 1998-2001, 2003, 2005-2006, 2009-2010, 2012-2014, 2016-2018) during his distinguished career.
He helped to develop countless golfers who have gone on to enjoy successful professional golf careers and opened a pathway for numerous Canadians to pursue NCAA post-secondary golf. Canuck alums who have been coached and recruited by Page include David Morland IV (1987–1991), Bryan DeCorso (1991–1995), Ryan Yip (2002–2006), Mackenzie Hughes (2008–2012), Corey Conners (2010-2014), Taylor Pendrith (2010-2014) and Jon Mills (1998–2002), who now serves as Page’s assistant coach with Kent State. Other notables among the nearly 30 Canadians to play at Kent State under Page include Brian Tisdelle, Paul DeCorso, Ron Reycraft, Chuck Crawford, Spencer Dobbs, Josh Whalen, Billy Walsh, Danny Sahl, Mark Bourgeois J.P. Paiement and Dustin Risdon, as well as current player Johnny Travale and future player Chris Vandette, who has committed to the school starting next year.
Page, who coached two PGA TOUR winners, also mentored Kent State graduate Ben Curtis, who claimed the 2003 Open Championship as well as a runner-up finish at the 2008 PGA Championship, before retiring from competitive golf to open his own golf academy.
He also played an instrumental role in the 1997 launch of the women’s golf program at Kent State, opening a post-secondary for path for Canadian women from B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec including Jennifer Ha, Kira Miexner, Josee Doyon, Taylor Kim and Kirby Dreher as well as Veronique Drouin who is Women’s Head Coach at Oklahoma and Jan Dowling who is Women’s Head Coach at Michigan.
Among his many career honours and achievements, Page has been inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame (2003), Northern Ohio PGA Hall of Fame (2005), Northern Ohio Golf Association Hall of Fame (2012) and Ontario Golf Hall of Fame (2012). He is a past winner of the Golf Coaches of America Labron Harris Award (2008) and was selected to coach the International team at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup.
Page and his wife, Dr. Paula Treckel, reside in Kent, Ohio.
OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada, in partnership with RBC, is pleased to announce that golf legend Lee Trevino will be taking part in the RBC Hall of Fame Day celebration on Tuesday, July 24th, beginning at 11 a.m. ET, as part of the 2018 RBC Canadian Open.
A three-time RBC Canadian Open champion (1971, 1977, 1979) and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Trevino will join 20 honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at a free outdoor public event to officially celebrate the newest inductees—former LPGA Tour player and broadcaster Gail Graham along with the late renowned golf course architect Arthur Vernon (A.V.) Macan as the 80th and 81st honoured members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
Over the course of his professional career, Trevino won six major golf championships and 29 PGA TOUR events. Trevino’s victory at the 1971 Canadian Open at Club de golf de la Vallée du Richelieu in Sainte-Julie, Que, earned him golf’s Triple Crown, awarded to a golfer who wins The Open Championship, the U.S. Open and the RBC Canadian Open in the same year. Tiger Woods is the only other player to accomplish the feat (2000). Trevino’s win in 1977 is also remembered as the first Canadian Open conducted at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
Trevino will also be awarded a keepsake Triple Crown trophy during the outdoor celebration, which will take place in Spectator Village at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
“We are absolutely honoured to welcome golf legend Lee Trevino back to Canada to help celebrate RBC Hall of Fame Day at the RBC Canadian Open,” said Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum.” As a three-time Canadian Open winner and one of only two golfers ever to win the illusive Triple Crown trophy, we are extremely proud to have Mr. Trevino participate in RBC Hall of Fame Day and celebrate his unique and meaningful connection to Canada’s National Open Championship.”
RBC Hall of Fame Day will be hosted by Canadian golf legend Sandra Post, an honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Chair of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
Following the free public outdoor induction ceremony, Trevino and attending members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame will participate in a gala luncheon—the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Induction Celebration presented by Emerick Construction—taking place inside the clubhouse at Glen Abbey. Individual tickets can be purchased by clicking here and full tables are also available by contacting cghf@golfcanada.ca. In addition, a silent auction—open online to the public—will be taking place in conjunction with the RBC Hall of Fame Day celebration with all proceeds going to the Golf Canada Foundation in support of Canadian golf heritage.
Media interested in attending the outdoor RBC Hall of Fame Day celebration on Tuesday, July 24 at 11:00 a.m. must register for media credentials prior to July 13, 2018.
Spectators interested in attending the FREE onsite celebration and induction ceremony on Tuesday of RBC Canadian Open week can find directions and parking here.
Tickets, volunteer or corporate hospitality opportunities are available at www.rbccanadianopen.com
TORONTO, July 3, 2018 — RBC, Golf Canada and the PGA TOUR today announced that the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will be moving to a premier spot on the PGA TOUR schedule starting in 2019, one week before the U.S. Open. The 110th RBC Canadian Open, to be played at the historic Hamilton Golf and Country Club with new dates, June 3-9, 2019, is expected to attract an even better field for Canada’s National Championship.
The 2018 RBC Canadian Open will be played as scheduled, July 23-29, at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.
“The RBC Canadian Open is one of the oldest and most-prestigious golf events in the world and we’re thrilled to start a new chapter in 2019,” said Mary DePaoli, executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, RBC. “As the only Canadian stop on the Tour, the June tournament date will help enrich the experience for fans, players and all Canadians.”
In addition to the new spot on the PGA TOUR schedule, the 2019 RBC Canadian Open will also feature an increased purse, set at USD $7.6-million.
“The PGA TOUR, RBC and Golf Canada have collaborated to ensure this new date is the right fit for players and fans of the RBC Canadian Open,” said Andy Pazder, chief tournaments & competitions officer, PGA TOUR. “As title sponsor of both the RBC Canadian Open and the RBC Heritage, RBC has been a tremendous partner of the PGA TOUR, and we’re thrilled to have this opportunity to move one of golf’s most important and historic tournaments to a new date for the event starting in 2019.”
With even stronger fields and competition anticipated with the new date, the RBC Canadian Open is expected to:
- Increase global awareness for golf in Canada and the RBC Canadian Open tournament
- Drive deeper interest and participation in golf in Canada
- Positively impact the regional economy with increased ticket sales, hospitality and tourism
“Golf Canada is beyond thrilled by RBC’s overall support for the Canadian Open. Together with the PGA TOUR, the new 2019 date change is a clear demonstration of our combined commitment to the game and Canada’s National Open Championship,” said Laurence Applebaum, chief executive officer, Golf Canada. “This exciting change will inject tremendous energy into the RBC Canadian Open and make Canadian golf better.”
For ticket, volunteering, sponsorship and corporate hospitality information on the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, details are available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com
OAKVILLE, ON (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and RBC today announced that four of the top five finishers from the 118th playing of the U.S. Open will be facing off in the 2018 RBC Canadian Open.
Two-time U.S. Open champion and world No. 4 golfer Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson (world No. 13), Tommy Fleetwood (world No. 10), Tony Finau (world no. 31) and world No. 28 Ian Poulter will all join Dustin Johnson, the world’s number one ranked golfer and Team RBC member in competing for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open, July 23-29 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.
Koepka, who recently defended his U.S. Open title, is only the seventh player in history to win consecutive U.S. Opens. He is a 3-time PGA TOUR winner who sits 13th on the 2018 FedEx Cup standing.
Fleetwood made a fierce charge at the U.S. Open, firing a final-round 7-under 63 to finish runner-up behind Koepka. With four top-10 finishes in 2018, the 27-year old Englishman is ranked No. 10 in the world and No. 28 on the FedEx Cup standing. The European rising star will be making his debut appearance in Canada’s National Open Championship.
Johnson’s solo-third place finish at the U.S. Open was his eighth top-10 finish in 2018. A member of Team RBC, Johnson is an 18-time PGA TOUR winner, including two 2018 victories—the Sentry Tournament of Champions as well as the recent FedEx St. Jude Classic. He is currently ranked No. 1 in both the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing and will compete in his sixth RBC Canadian Open.
Finau is having a career-best season on the PGA TOUR in 2018—his T5 finish at the U.S. Open was one of six top-10 finishes this season. A graduate of the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada, Finau has one-career PGA TOUR win and is ranked No. 31 and No. 11 on the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing respectively.
Also confirmed to compete at Glen Abbey is big-hitting lefty Bubba Watson who claimed his 12th career PGA TOUR win last week at the Travelers Championship. The win was Watson’s third of the season including the World Golf Championship—Dell Technologies Match Play and the Genesis Open. The win was his fifth top-10 finish in 2018. He is currently ranked No. 13 in the world and is 3rd on the 2018 FedEx Cup standing in a season which includes five top-10 finishes. Watson, whose wife is Canadian, will again be a fan-favourite making his eighth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open.
Ryder Cup star and fan-favourite Ian Poulter is also committed to compete in the RBC Canadian Open. Poulter has three career PGA TOUR wins including the 2018 Houston Open. He has three top-10 finishes in 2018 and is currently ranked 28th and 29th on the world ranking and FedEx Cup standing respectively.
The foursome of Watson (3), Johnson (2), Koepka (1) and Poulter (1) have captured a combined seven PGA TOUR wins during the 2018 season to date.
“A growing list of the hottest players on the planet are coming out for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open,” said Golf Canada Chief Championship Officer and acting Tournament Director Bill Paul. “We are thrilled to welcome two-time U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka along with rising stars Tommy Fleetwood and Tony Finau plus in-year winners Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter to Canada’s National Open Championship.”
Players have until 5 p.m. ET on the Friday of the week preceding the tournament to officially commit to playing. The field is released and published by the PGA TOUR as soon as possible after 5 p.m. ET on that Friday.
More information about the 2018 RBC Canadian Open including tickets, corporate hospitality and volunteer information is available at www.rbccanadianopen.ca.
Juniors and students aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the RBC Canadian Open.
By: Adam Stanley
To catch up with Todd Fanning is not unlike anyone else who may work in a non-descript office building. Your conversation gets interrupted by a group of people looking to use the meeting room for a conference call, and when asked how often he gets to play golf, the answer (“I don’t”) comes with a hearty chuckle.
But Fanning, who is a sales manager for a large equipment leasing company in Winnipeg, isn’t just that.
For years he chased a professional golf dream, playing on the Web.com Tour and making a few appearances at the RBC Canadian Open before rescinding his professional playing privileges and returning to regular job and a regular life.
That is, until last summer.
Fanning shot a 2-under-par 69 at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Wascana Country Club to nip three-time champion Garrett Rank and 54-hole leader Steven Diack in a four-hole playoff a year ago this August.
He didn’t plan on playing a championship schedule in 2017, but when it was announced The Wascana would play host, he signed up to play the Manitoba Mid-Amateur to try to qualify (which he ended up winning), since his father lives in Regina and he had played Wascana a lot in his golfing life.
With the win at the Canadian Mid-Amateur, Fanning will make his fifth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open this summer when it returns to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.
“I’m just going to be the guy in the middle of the range and they’re going to say, ‘well who’s that?’ says Fanning. “It’s going to be quite funny.”
Self-deprecating humour aside, Fanning truly earned his spot in the RBC Canadian Open. He held off one of the furriest charges in the Canadian Mid-Amateur’s history, as Rank, who started the day eight shots back of Diack’s lead, shot a 5-under-par 66 to jump into a tie for the lead.
“It was the best nine holes of golf I’d ever seen,” Fanning says of Rank’s final nine holes, where she shot a 31.
“I just executed down the stretch. I almost won it in regulation. I had an eagle putt from the back fringe and thought it was going in, and I looked foolish when it didn’t. But out of the hundreds of people watching with 45 minutes to go, I don’t think anyone would have thought, other than my wife, that I would have won that tournament.”
But as per usual with golf, the most unpredictable of games, it was indeed Fanning who came out on top. He made a par on the fourth playoff hole, and when the 25-year-old Diack made a bogey, the championship was his.
He unleashed a Tiger Woods-esque fist pump and a little dance (“I don’t know what happened there… it was very bizarre,” he recalls with a laugh) and the accomplishment finally set in.
“I realized what happened. I was turning 50 and I get to play Glen Abbey again. All those thoughts raced through my mind,” he says.
Fanning says one of his good friends arrived in Regina from Winnipeg to watch the final round, and will have “quite a few” people out with him at Glen Abbey later this summer to celebrate his success.
At work, he says, it made for a great story. People would come up to him to say they watched the live-stream of the playoff (Golf Canada’s social media team played it out on Twitter, via Periscope) and his colleagues said he looked calm.
“I said it was because I have a great job and get to work with (them) so that was just fun for me,” says Fanning, laughing.
Before the RBC Canadian Open Fanning will return to defend his title at the Manitoba Mid-Amateur in early July, and says he will also play this year’s Canadian Mid-Amateur at Victoria Golf Club in August.
But he says what he’s most looking forward to this summer is another shot at Glen Abbey.
Fanning had the morning draw on Thursday in 1998, the last time he played there (he played the RBC Canadian Open at Royal Montreal in 2001 and at Angus Glen in 2002), and he managed to get off to a great start. He says he told his caddie he was having fun, but his caddie wasn’t.
“’Not yet, not until we got to the top of the leaderboard,’” Fanning recalls what his caddie told him.
Fanning hit a 6-iron into the par-3 7th and knocked in the birdie putt, so he got to 4-under par on his round and got to the top of the leaderboard in the morning. He went on to miss the cut, however, and will be thinking about that when he goes back.
But the fact that he gets to go back at all is the most exciting thing of all.
Fanning says there’s nothing on his radar to come to Oakville prior to July to get in a practice round, but he will arrive on site a little earlier than most to ‘cram for the exam,’ he says.
When he played Glen Abbey in the late-90s the golf course setup was different, but there’s nothing that will catch him off guard, as he watches the tournament on television and sees what the current course looks like. He admits he’ll be behind in his preparation, but is looking forward to watch should be a fun week.
“I have a full-time job so I don’t expect to go out there and contend and be in the last group on Sunday, but to me it’s all about family,” he says, as his 17-year-old son will be his caddie for the week. “My whole family is coming. My children never got a chance to see me compete as a professional, and now I have three of them and they’re all going to be there. It’s going to be a really fun time for them.”
ACTON, Ont. – There was nothing but beautiful blue skies at Blue Springs Golf Club as 144 players competed in hopes of earning a direct exemption into the 2018 RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. from July 23-29.
Nyasha Mauchaza, a Zimbabwe native, posted a 6-under 66to claim medallist honours at the second of three Regional Qualifying events and punch his ticket to his first RBC Canadian Open.
“In my preparation, I just tried my best to get the shots I needed,” said Mauchaza, greenside at the 18th hole. “Reflecting on the positives and the negatives, I’m just really delighted with the way I played.”
Mauchaza, who began the day on the 10th hole, opened with a 4-under 32 on the back-nine. The 30-year-old finished the round with three birdies in a row across his final six holes to secure his victory atop the leaderboard.
Defending champion and Team Canada alumnus Matt Hill of Sarnia, Ont., finished two strokes behind the lead at 4 under par. He is joined by fellow Team Canada graduate Chris Hemmerich of Guelph, Ont., who closed the 18-hole stroke play event at 2 under par.
Hill, Hemmerich and 24 other competitors, excluding the low medallist,advanced to the RBC Canadian Open Final Qualifier taking place on July 23rd at Heron Point Golf Links in Ancaster, Ont.
The first RBC Canadian Open Regional Qualifier at Ledgeview Golf Club in Abbotsford, B.C., saw Matt Matheson shoot a 5-under-par 65 to earn medallist honours and advance to the final qualifying event.
A third regional qualifier will take place on June 18th at Le Blainvillier in Blainville, Qué.
Full results can be found here.
