VANCOUVER – One of the top players to ever play on the PGA Tour confirmed yesterday that he’ll tee it up at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open.
Vijay Singh, a 34-time winner on the PGA Tour, along with Camilo Villegas and Geoff Ogilvy confirmed their participation in the event, which takes place July 18-24 at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.
Singh is 32nd on the PGA Tour money list this season and is No. 63 in the world golf rankings. Ogilvy, meanwhile, is a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour and is ranked No. 41 in the world.
Villegas is ranked No. 71 in the world and is a three-time winner on the Tour.
The trio join other big names such as Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Paul Casey, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim, Retief Goosen, Sean O’Hair, Tim Clarke, Justin Leonard, Carl Pettersson, 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
“Adding a former Canadian Open champion in Vijay Singh plus PGA Tour stars Camilo Villegas and Geoff Ogilvy only strengthens what I would say is our strongest field in recent history,” said tournament director Bill Paul.
Golf Canada also announced yesterday that Canadians Matt Hill of Bright’s Grove, Ont., plus Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor both of Abbotsford, B.C., have been granted tournament exemptions.
They join fellow Canadians such as Calgary’s Stephen Ames, Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford Ont., Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont.
The Canadian Open was founded in 1904 by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. It has been played annually ever since, excepting some years during the First and Second World Wars.
A Canadian has not won the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
- Postmedia News