Daly, whose last appearance in Canada came in 2007, has competed in seven Canadian Opens throughout his PGA TOUR career with his best finish coming in 2001 when he finished fourth. Long considered among the PGA TOUR’s highest profile competitors and a Canadian fan favourite, Daly’s return to Glen Abbey will find him among the most followed players during tournament week.
“We are pleased to confirm that John Daly has accepted an exemption to compete in this year’s RBC Canadian Open,” said Bill Paul, Tournament Director of the RBC Canadian Open. “John has been a long-time supporter of Canada’s national Open championship and I think Canadian golf fans will join us in welcoming him back to Glen Abbey for the 2009 RBC Canadian Open.”
The Royal Canadian Golf Association and Royal Bank of Canada also announced today that up and coming Canadian pros Graham DeLeat of Weyburn, Sask., Dustin Risdon of Strathmore, Alta., Jon Mills of Oshawa and Ian Leggatt of Cambridge, Ont. will also be in the field, Delaete started his 2009 with a pair of runner-up finishes on the South African Tour and continued his strong play this summer on the Canadian Tour recently winning the Tour’s ATB Financial Classic in Calgary. Risdon, Baryla, Mills and Leggatt currently sit as the top ranked Canadians on the Nationwide Tour ranked 29th, 41st, 62nd and 98th respectively.
A trio of notable PGA TOUR veterans will also challenge for Canada’s national Open championship including 12-time PGA TOUR winner and recent victorious Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger, 5-time PGA TOUR winner and last year’s US Open runner-up Rocco Mediate and Billy Andrade, a 4-time PGA TOUR winner including the 1998 Canadian Open.
Up and coming young pro Danny Lee, winner of both the 2008 US Amateur and 2008 British Amateur Championships has also accepted an exemption to compete at Glen Abbey.
The field for Canada’s national Open championship will feature three Canadian amateurs competing on exemptions including previously announced Team Canada members Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. and Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont. as well as Cam Burke of New Hamburg, Ont. who earned his exemption by winning the 2008 Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.
Also taking part in this year’s event is Canadian club professional Kyle German, a member of the PGA of BC who is the general Manager and Director of Golf at the Point Roberts Golf Club in Washington State, competing on a CPGA exemption as winner of the 2008 Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship.
Six additional exemptions into the field will be awarded to the top six players (not otherwise exempt) on the Canadian Tour’s Order of Merit following this weekend’s Saskatchewan Open in Saskatoon, Sask.
Four additional spots into the field will determined on Monday, July 20 as 156 players will tee it up in the RBC Canadian Open Monday Qualifier at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont.
The players announced today will join the field at Glen Abbey that includes previously announced PGA TOUR stars Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Sean O’Hair, Luke Donald, Retief Goosen, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Trevor Immelman Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Couples and defending champion Chez Reavie as well as Canadian favourites Stephen Ames and Mike Weir.
