PIERCY WINS HAMILTON SHOOTOUT

Hamilton, ON (July 29, 2012) – Scott Piercy opened the 103rd playing of Canada’s National Open Championship on Thursday with a course-record 8-under par 62 and went on to shoot three consecutive rounds of 3-under par 67 to capture the 2012 RBC Canadian Open title at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Piercy, who picked up his second career PGA TOUR win and third top-10 finish of the season, finished with a four-day tally of 17-under par 263, besting both Robert Garrigus and William McGirt by a single stroke. The 33-year-old, who collected $936,000 (U.S.) in winnings, also earned 500 FedEx Cup points and is now ranked 13th in the FedEx Cup standings.

“I’ve been playing good for a while now, and you just need a couple of good breaks here or there and just play solid,” said Piercy, who converted five birdies on the day, including four consecutive birdies on the front-9 at No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5. “I felt like I got a couple of good breaks and continued to play solid and I’m kind of speechless, to be honest. I’m really excited to be the champion.”

With the win, Piercy also earned an invite to the World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational next week in Akron, OH, and will forego the defence of his 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open title. He also earned a two-year PGA TOUR exemption that will take him through the 2014 season.

Garrigus, who entered the day atop the leaderboard with a one-stroke lead, shot even-par 70 on Sunday, while McGirt, who was in sole possession of second place to start the day, posted a score of 1-under par 69 as both players finished T2 at 16-under 264.

Josh Teater, Bud Cauley and Chris Kirk finished T4 at 14-under 266, three strokes off the lead, while Vijay Singh, Bo Van Pelt and Scott Stallings were T7 at 12-under 268 for the championship.

In his fourth appearance at the RBC Canadian Open, Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. earned low Canadian honours, clinching the Rivermead Cup with a final-round score of even-par 70. DeLaet finished T56 at 2-under par 278 for the championship alongside Greg Owen, Russell Knox, John Huh and Ted Potter Jr.

“It was a great week, a lot of support,” said DeLaet, who has two top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR thus far this season. “...It was just cool playing in front of the home fans, and a little disappointing that I wasn’t able to really get anything going this week, but at the same time, nice to be back home.”

Fresh off a win at the 2012 Ontario Men’s Amateur Championship, Toronto’s Albin Choi, a junior at North Carolina State University and a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, earned top amateur honours and claimed the Gary Cowan Medal, finishing T73 with a four-day tally of 1-over par 281.

“Well, I’m definitely happy that I made it to the weekend,” said Choi, who closed the tournament with a final round 2-over par 72. “I got off to a slow start both on Saturday and today, and I really couldn’t bounce back from it, but overall I enjoyed my time here. Walking up 18 was really cool. Everyone cheered for me on 18, so that was a good experience.”

Brantford, Ont.’s David Hearn finished T71 at even-par 280, while Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont. and Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont. both placed T75 at 3-over par 283.

The 2013 RBC Canadian Open will be contested July 22-28, 2013 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.

The following are final scores for Canadians in the 2012 RBC Canadian Open field. (Hamilton Golf and Country Club / 6,966 yards, Par 70)

T56 - DeLaet, Graham, Weyburn, Sask. 69 – 69 – 70 – 70 – 278 (-2)
T71 - Hearn, David, Brantford, Ont. 68 – 68 – 72 – 72 – 280 (E)
T73 - Choi, Albin, (a), Toronto, Ont. 69 – 68 – 72 – 72 – 281 (+1)
T75 - Hill, Matt, Bright’s Grove, Ont. 70 – 69 – 71 – 73 – 283 (+3)
T75 - McQuillan, Matt, Kingston, Ont. 70 – 67 – 77 – 69 – 283 (+3)

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)