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31 |Thursday August 3, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Kevin Nagel, Oakville Beaver Sports Editor, knagel@burlingtonpost.com Sports " Connected toyourCommunity" Vegas Venezuelan wins his second straight Canadian Open on Oakville course By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver sta ff The RBC Canadian Open has the same winner, but the course that serves as its semi-permanent home has a new champion. After another brilliant Sunday, Jhonattan Vegas edged Charley Hoffman in a playoff to defend his Canadian Open title and become the first player to win back-toback since Jim Furyk in 2006 and 2007. It was the third PGA Tour victory for Vegas and his second in Oakville. "You know what, I'm going to be one of the biggest voices to keep this course open, especially if I keep winning here" the 32-year-old said with a wide smile, referring to efforts to convert the Glen Abbey property to a housing development. "I'll definitely make a statement on trying to keep Glen Abbey going." Vegas' 7-under 65 on Sunday got him into a playoff with Hoffman, the third-round leader. He birdied With a huge gallery gathered around the 18th hole, Jhonattan Vegas chips on to the green during a playoff at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey. Vegas's chip stopped inches from the hole, giving him a tap-in birdie that sealed his second straight title. | photo by Graham Paine - Oakville Beaver RBC Canadian Open winner Jhonattan Vegas acknowledges the crowd after winning the champi onship for a second year in a row. | photo by Graham Paine - Oakville Beaver the first playoff hole while Hoff man just missed holing out from the bunker behind the 18th green. In the playoff, both players hit their drives into fairway bunkers. Hoffman laid up while Vegas hit an 8-iron that just clipped the face of the bunker but still landed on the green before settling into the rough, pin high. "I knew I had to stay aggressive and I'm always better when I'm aggressive," Vegas said. "I knew I could pull that shot out and I never let doubt cross my mind." From the edge of the green, he chipped to within a few inches, leaving himself a tap-in birdie. That left Hoffman with no option but to make his shot from the bun ker and he rolled it an inch wide of the hole. Vegas had been struggling, miss ing five straight cuts and seven of eight before coming to Canada. But as he began discussing the course with his caddie, who missed last year' s tournament, it brought back good memories. "When we came in here this week, I started reliving all the shots I hit last year - I hit it here, I hit it there, I hit a great iron and made birdie here - a lot of those good thoughts start creeping into your head again and you start seeing good shots again and a lot of posi tives start happening." The positives started early with a birdie on No. 2, followed by three straight on No. 5, 6 and 7. He capped the front nine with a 40foot birdie putt on No. 9 to earn a share of the lead. His only stumble came on the par-3 15 th when he missed the green and made his only bogey of the day. But it was a par on the final hole that he was lamenting after ward. "I was a little angry at myself that I didn't birdie 18 in regulation," said Vegas, who bombed his drive 388 yards to the front of the pond. "That would have given me a better chance to win." Instead, he could only watch as Hoffman' s potential winning eagle putt from 24 feet just rolled by the edge of the cup. "I gave it chance," said Hoffman, who narrowly missed a 15-footer for eagle on 16 and an 11-footer for birdie on 17. "I just didn' t close on those opportunities I had on the back nine." This year was quite a different experience for Vegas, who earned his first PGA victory by winning a three-man playoff in 2011. Last year, he was a relative unknown who came from well back in the fi nal round, finishing an hour before the final group walked up 18. This year he started the final round three shots off the lead, and as a fan favourite. "Canada loves you Vegas," someone yelled as he walked up to the 13th green. Minutes later, he drained a birdie putt to go to 21-under for the tournament. That put him up one shot up on Ian Poulter, who made a Sunday charge with the day' s best round, a 64, to finish third. "The whole week, everybody was like ` You're going to repeat.' `You're going to win again for us,'" Vegas said. "It really set me up to play some good golf." No doubt the crowds will be be hind the Venezuelan next year as Glen Abbey will host the tourna ment again in 2018. That will give Vegas will have the opportunity to become the first player to win three straight Canadian Opens. · · · By winning the playoff, Vegas earned an extra US$432,000 com pared to second-place finisher Hoffman. Top 10 finishers and ties in the 2017 RBC Canadian Open: Pos. Name Score $US 1* 2 3 4 T5 T5 T5 T8 T8 T10 T10 T10 T10 Jhonattan Vegas Charley Hoffman Ian Poulter Gary Woodland Tony Finau Robert Garrigus Brandon Hagy Kevin Chappell Dustin Johnson Andres Gonzales James Hahn Sean O'Hair Seamus Power 267 $1,080,000 267 $648,000 268 $408,000 269 $288,000 270 $219,000 270 $219,000 270 $219,000 271 $180,000 271 $180,000 272 $144,000 272 $144,000 272 $144,000 272 $144,000 *won playoff