Snedeker claims Canadian Open crown

OAKVILLE, Canada: Brandt Snedeker fired a two-under par 70 on Sunday and held off a late charge by fellow American Dustin Johnson to win the $5.6 million PGA Canadian Open by three strokes.
Snedeker captured his sixth career PGA title and second of the year after a February triumph at Pebble Beach, finishing on 16-under par 272 with countrymen Johnson, Jason Bohn, Matt Kuchar and William McGirt sharing second on 275.
It was Snedeker’s third triumph in his past four attempts to win a US PGA event with a 54-hole lead, having also done so at Pebble Beach and last year’s Tour Championship. He also led the Masters after 54 holes but settled for a share of sixth.
Snedeker claimed the $1 million top prize at Glen Abbey Golf Club after shooting a third-round 63 on Saturday to take the lead following the departure of 36-hole leader Hunter Mahan, who withdrew to attend the birth of his first child — daughter Zoe was born early Sunday morning.
“Zoe will be getting a very nice baby gift from me,” Snedeker said. “I can’t thank Kandi enough for going into labor early. I don’t know if I’d be sitting here if she hadn’t. But that is a way more important thing than a golf tournament. I missed a golf tournament when my first was born, and it was the best decision I ever made. I’m sure Hunter would say the same thing.”
Snedeker birdied the par-5 second hole and answered a bogey at the sixth with a birdie at the par-3 seventh to stretch his lead to two strokes. After starting the back nine with a birdie, Snedeker was on 16-under and three strokes ahead.
But when Snedeker took a bogey at the par-3 12th, he opened the door for Johnson, who birdied the par-5 13th and 16th to grab a share of the lead.
Johnson’s title bid collapsed on the 17th, when he fired the ball out of bounds and then he left his fourth shot in a fairway bunker on the way to a triple-bogey seven that dumped him out of contention, even after a closing birdie at the par-5 18th.
“I was playing really well,” Johnson said. “Really confident, swinging the driver really good. So you know, it’s a driver hole for me, and I just blocked it a little bit. Made a poor swing. ... Not too happy, but I felt really good with my golf game. ... It’s nothing, nothing to worry about. I’ll go get them next weekend.”
From there, Snedeker added a birdie at 16 and parred the final two holes to secure the victory.
“Just ecstatic right now,” Snedeker said. “This is a tournament I said early on in my career I wanted to win just because my caddie (Scott Vail) is actually from Canada and it’s his national open. It meant a lot to him, meant a lot to me. Third-oldest tournament on tour and it’s got some great history to it, and now to put my name on that trophy it means a lot.”
Americans Mark Wilson, John Merrick and Roberto Castro shared sixth on 276.

Wiebe beats Langer in playoff to win Senior Open
Meantime, Mark Wiebe clinched the British Senior Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Monday after winning a playoff against Bernhard Langer, who had blown a two-shot lead on the final hole on Sunday before bad light stopped play.
Langer missed putts on the 72nd hole and the first two playoff holes before the pair returned early on Monday, needing a further four holes of sudden death before the German missed a six-foot par putt at Birkdale’s famous 18th to make American Wiebe the champion.
The pair matched each other shot-for-shot through the playoff until Langer caught the front bunker on the sixth extra hole and then failed to get up and down to extend the play-off.
They were locked at nine-under par after 72 holes after Langer blew a two-shot lead on the final hole with a double bogey to send the championship into the playoff.
Play had been held up twice on Sunday due to rain and the threat of thunder and lightning but the players returned in more pleasant conditions on Monday to finish the job.
America’s Corey Pavin, Peter Senior of Australia and South Africa’s David Frost were tied for third at six-under par.