The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 25, 2008 - 35 Furyk nursing wrist injury Continued from page 34 to the country," he said. "(We're) always wanting for either one of us to play well and supporting one another." Many eyes will be on American Jim Furyk, who has won the Canadian Open title twice in 2006 and 2007. He will make history if he emerges victorious on Sunday as the only golfer to win the title three times. He recognizes that Ames and Weir are a threat, especially with the strong support from Canadian fans. "There's been a lot of fine players that have played in Canada and right now your top two are Mike and Stephen," he said. "Mike for years and years has carried the weight on his shoulders. He's expected to carry the flag and there's a lot of positives that go along with that." The chances of Weir and Ames possibly taking home the title have increased with Furyk's tender left wrist. The 13th-placed PGA Tour player missed Tuesday's practice round as a result, and admitted it still wasn't functioning at 100 per cent during the ProAm. "My wrist was just a little sore yesterday (Tuesday) and why, I don't know, whether it was from the hard ground last week or flight coming back," he said. "Sometimes you get some inflammation and such. It was an old injury. I had surgery in `04." Weir said that although the Canadian Open draws golfers from around the globe, it would mean a lot to the people of Canada to have one of their own win it. Whether that happens this week remains to be seen, but Weir said it is inevitable. "There's going to be somebody at some time do it, whether it's my generation, the guys that are here right now or the next crop of young guys that are coming up," he said. "It would be great for the game in this country if one of us can do it." Other Canadians that crowds will be cheering for include Jon Mills, David Hearn, Bryan DeCorso, Wes Heffernan, Ian Leggatt, Eric Landresville, Brad Fritsch, David Morland IV, Andrew Parr, Jim Rutledge, Dustin Risdon, Todd Halpen, Jacob Scriven, Adam Short and Charlie Woo, as well as national amateur team members Nick Taylor and Michael Knight. The RBC Canadian Open continues through Sunday at Glen Abbey Golf Club, 1333 Dorval Dr. For tickets or information on the RBC Canadian Open, go online to www.thecanadianopen.ca. CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER TOP CANUCK: Calgary's Stephen Ames, seventh at last weekend's British Open, is the top-ranked Canadian in this year's RBC Canadian Open field. A WALK WITH A PRO: Darryl Budd (left) walks one of the Glen Abbey Golf Club fairways with PGA player John Mallinger during Wednesday's Pengrowth Championship Pro-Am, part of the RBC Canadian Open pre-tournament festivities. Budd and his teammates were fourth in the ProAm through 16 holes before the tournament was called due to severe weather warnings. CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER Local businessman Budd enjoys round with the pros By Adam Johnston SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Dragon Quest wins festival bronze Burloak Canoe Club's all-female dragon boat team, Dragon Quest, earned bronze at the 20th annual Telus Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival recently near Toronto Island. The team posted the third-fastest time of any women's crew at the two-day event, which attracted more than 100 teams from Canada, the United States and Europe. The Canadian Senior Dragonboat Club won the women's title. Dragon Quest beat out four other teams from southern and eastern Ontario to win the community division title, earning a spot in the women's `A' final. The twenty-one member team beat out other Burloak crews, including the Bladerunners and Sisters'n'Sync to win three heats and silver in the final. Dragon Quest was led by world-class paddler Mary Ann Siriunias and captain Monique Parisotto. Several of its members, including Claire Kelly, Jennifer Jury, Pat Morden, MaryLouise Kozak and Parisotto, have qualified to participate in the World Club Crew Championship in Penang, Malaysia. Those championships will be contested Aug. 1-3. The Dragon Quest crew is comprised of paddlers ranging in age from their mid-20s to mid-50s. Darryl Budd's drives were on par with the weather during Wednesday's Pengrowth Championship Pro-Am at Glen Abbey Golf Club. Mother Nature was uncooperative with fans, golfers and event organizers, leading to the cancellation of the round at approximately 1 p.m. due to severe weather warnings. Meanwhile, Budd had an equally difficult time cooperating with his driver. "My short game was alright, but I couldn't hit a drive," said the local BMW dealership owner. "(I was) off the fairway; everywhere but the fairway." The Pro-Am was a part of the week-long festivities associated with the RBC Canadian Open. It gave amateurs from across North America the opportunity to golf a round with one of the professionals competing in the weekend's championship. Budd was a part of the foursome led by pro golfer John Mallinger. "He's one heck of a nice guy," said Budd, regarding his team captain. "He's not only a nice guy; he's one hell of a golfer as well. (He) hits a good, hard ball, and (is) a good putter." At the time of the championship cancellation, Budd's team was tied for fourth on the leader board at minus-2 through 16 holes. Budd put his final shot -- his second shot, an approach on the par-four 17th -- over the green and into the bunker just before the air horn sounded to caution golfers of the dangerous weather approaching. Budd was content with squeezing in "17 good holes" before the inclement weather moved in. However, the heavy rain over the past week made it seem like the players were golfing on a wet sponge. "(It played) slow and wet; being that wet, it seemed awfully long," said Budd. In comparison to Mallinger's game, Budd insists that his own game is similar in one way. "I can clean my balls as well as he can," he said. "That's about as far as it goes." Reduce Reuse Recycle Boating Course and Exam at the Real Canadian Superstore - Oakville 201 Oak Park Blvd. August 5, 6PM - 9PM Register online or by phone: www.BoaterExam.com 1.866.688.2628 FNCC 203-1568 Carling Ave. Ottawa ON K1Z 7M4 Tel:1-877-682-6773