OAKVILLE, Ont. – Golf Canada and RBC are pleased to announce the final field of competitors vying for the US$5.9 million purse at the 2016 RBC Canadian Open, July 18-24 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.
Defending champion and World No. 1 Jason Day will be challenged by a stellar field of PGA Tour stars including World No. 2 Dustin Johnson, World No. 15 Matt Kuchar, World No. 20 and two-time RBC Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk, World No. 26 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 107th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship include 34-time PGA TOUR winner Vijay Singh, 12-time winner Justin Leonard, eight-time winner K.J. Choi, six-time winner Hunter Mahan, World No. 30 Kevin Kisner, World No. 40 Danny Lee, World No. 42 Charley Hoffman, World No. 46 William McGirt, World No. 47 Jimmy Walker, six-time winner Rory Sabbatini and three-time winner Angel Cabrera.
A number of international rising stars have also accepted tournament invitations, including American sensation Bryson DeChambeau, former World No. 1 amateur John Rahm of Spain, World No. 41 K.T. Kim of Korea and World No. 43 Matthew Fitzpatrick of England.
Led by World Nos. 1 and 2 Jason Day and Dustin Johnson, the field for the RBC Canadian Open will include 13 of the Top-50 players on the World Golf Ranking and nine of the Top-30 players on the 2016 Fed-Ex Cup Ranking.
“The field is nearly set and we’re ready to tee-up the 107th playing of Canada’s National Open Championship starting next week at Glen Abbey Golf Club,” said Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “We’ve got a tremendous mix of international stars and Canadian talents ready to compete and a family-friendly festival experience ready to welcome spectators of all ages to the 2016 RBC Canadian Open.”
In total, 156 players will compete for the US$5.9 million purse next week in Oakville when Canada’s National Open Championship returns to Glen Abbey for a record 28th time.
Past Champions…
Defending champion Jason Day will be joined by six 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 Sean O’Hair (2011), Carl Pettersson (2010), Chez Reavie (2008) and Vijay Singh (2004).
Olympians in the Field…
With golf making its return to the Olympic Games in 2016, seven freshly named Olympians will compete in the RBC Canadian Open, including Matt Kuchar (USA), Danny Lee (NZL), Emiliano Grillo (ARG), Alex Cejka (GER) and Camilo Villegas (COL) along with Canadian Olympic Team members David Hearn and Graham DeLaet.
PGA Tour In-Year Winners…
A total of 16 in-year PGA Tour winners will compete at Glen Abbey, including Greg Chalmers, Jon Curran, Jason Day, Tony Finau, Emiliano Grillo, Jim Herman, Charley Hoffman, Billy Hurley III, Dustin Johnson, Kevin Kisner, Peter Malnati, Graeme McDowell, William McGirt, Brandt Snedeker, Brian Stuard and Vaughn Taylor.
12 Canadians to compete for National Men’s Open Title…
David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who held the 54-hole lead in 2015 before finishing third will lead the 12-member Canadian contingent that also includes Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., Abbotsford, B.C., natives Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor, along with Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., who will be making his 25th start in Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.
Other Canadians confirmed include Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., who sits fifth on the Web.com Tour money list, as well as Team Canada National Amateur Squad members Hugo Bernard of Mont St-Hilaire, Que., Calgary’s Jared du Toit and Burlington, Ont., native Blair Hamilton.
Former Team Canada member Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., has earned his second consecutive RBC Canadian Open exemption by winning back-to-back Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championships. PGA of Canada professional Dave Levesque of Montréal earned his way into the 2016 RBC Canadian Open by claiming the No. 1 position on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC, while Branson Ferrier of Barrie, 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 Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel in Thunder Bay, Ont., will earn exemptions into the field for the 2016 RBC Canadian Open.
The final four exemptions into the field for the 2016 RBC Canadian Open will be handed out at the Monday Final Qualifier on July 18 to be played at Diamondback Golf Club in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Celebrating Canada’s Olympic Golf Team on Tuesday, July 19…
The 2016 Olympic golf team comprised of David Hearn and Graham DeLaet along with Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Alena Sharp of Hamilton will be officially welcomed by the Canadian Olympic Committee to Team Canada during a FREE public celebration at Glen Abbey on Tuesday, July 19 at 11 a.m. ET. The men’s team will compete from August 11-14, while the women’s team will take to the Campo Olimpico de Golf course in Rio de Janeiro from August 17-20.
In addition, Friday, July 22 will once again be Red and White Day at the RBC Canadian Open. Players and spectators are encouraged to wear Canada’s national colours in support of our Canadian hopefuls in the field challenging for Canada’s National Open Championship.
2016 MEDIA GUIDE AND PLAYER PERFORMANCE BOOK:
In advance of next week’s championship, media can also download the 2016 RBC Canadian Open Media Guide for complete stats, records and historical information. Media can also download the 2016 RBC Canadian Open Player Performance Book which details individual player statistics from 1904-2015.
TELEVISION COVERAGE:
Thursday July 21
TSN4 & TSN5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
TSN1 & TSN3 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Golf Channel 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Friday July 22 – Red & White Day
TSN4 & TSN5 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
TSN1 & TSN3 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Golf Channel 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday July 23
Golf Channel 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
CBS & Global 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sunday July 24
Golf Channel 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
CBS & Global 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
TICKETS:
Grounds tickets for all days of the 2016 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. Golf Canada and RBC are also pleased to offer FREE admission to juniors 17-and-under – click here to download a FREE Junior Pass.
The full list of competitors competing in the 2016 RBC Canadian Open can be found here.