The RBC Canadian Open is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world, dating back to 1904 to rival the South African Open as one of the five oldest golf tournaments still running and ever created.
As part of the history of that tournament, Pat Fletcher was, until 2023, the answer to one of golf's great trivia questions. Fletcher was the last Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open, doing so at Point Grey in 1954.
That is, until Nick Taylor won the tournament in a playoff in 2023 to become the latest Canadian to win his national championship.
David Hearn had an excellent opportunity to end the drought in the national championship in 2015, carrying a two-shot edge into the final round of the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club. However, Jason Day birdied the final three holes to win the tournament at 17-under 271 by two over Hearn and one over Bubba Watson, who birdied the last four holes to have a chance to win.
Hearn was the first Canadian to carry a 54-hole lead heading into the final round of the Canadian Open since Mike Weir back in 2004. That year, Weir lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh at Glen Abbey.
Now the winless skid for Canada in their national championship is over after 69 years, which is incredible.
Though Fletcher had been the last Canadian citizen to win the Canadian Open, it had been more than a century since a native-born Canadian own the title. Carl Keffer was the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914.
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