Eighty-seven years later, another Canadian ace at Masters

Rory McIlroy has been in this position many times. For Ryan Fox, it’s a new experience. Two golfers with very different profiles are vying to finish atop the DP World Tour’s season-long points standings entering this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course in Dubai. McIlroy — who recently won a record-setting third FedExCup and sits atop the world ranking — leads the Race to Dubai standings as he bids to be the DP World Tour’s leading player for the fourth time in his career (2012, ’14 and ’15). McIlroy could be the first player to end a year as the FedExCup champion, DP World Tour champion and No. 1 player in the world ranking. Fox is only narrowly behind McIlroy in second place — the points difference is just 128.1 — after the best year of his career that has seen him win two events, the Ras al Khaimah Classic and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and be runner-up four times. Last month, the New Zealander reached a career-high ranking of No. 23. “Rory is the best player in the world,” Fox said Wednesday. “He’s obviously the favorite but to be in this position is great and I’ve got nothing to lose this week. “Won’t do anything different from what I’ve been doing all year. Just go out and try to beat the golf course and see what happens in that sense. That’s served me pretty well and hopefully I can do the same thing this week.” McIlroy has won the FedExCup and DP World Tour Ranking three times each, but never in the same year. “The way I’ve played throughout the year, I’ve been so consistent, especially the last six or seven months post-Augusta,” said McIlroy. “I feel like my game is in good shape. I would be slightly disappointed if I walked away from here knowing I didn’t play as well as I can, and I know if I do play like that, I’ll give myself a good chance.” Five other players — Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry and Adrian Meronk — also have a chance of pass McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings but would need both players to have poor finishes this week. Fitzpatrick, the U.S. Open champion, is in third place and has the best chance of the outsiders. A third win at the DP World Tour Championship would see him jump to first place provided neither McIlroy or Fox finish the event in second, while a second-place finish would also require McIlroy to finish lower than seventh. Fitzpatrick feels he has the ideal game to follow up his previous victories at the Earth Course in 2016 and ’20. “I remember when I first came here in 2015, everyone said they didn’t think that it would necessarily suit me because it is a big golf course,” Fitzpatrick said. “But there are things that you have to do well here. Putting is No. 1. That’s the biggest influencer of playing well here, and driving is No. 2. And they are both my strengths. Over the years, particularly as I’ve got longer as well now, that’s obviously been a big bonus and the greens are just so pure here as well.” As for Fleetwood, Hovland, Lowry and Meronk, they all need to win and hope McIlroy and Fox aren’t too close behind them on the leaderboard. Fleetwood, who recently moved to the Middle East with his family, is coming off winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa last week, his first victory in three years, and opening the Tommy Fleetwood Academy at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week. “Dubai is where normal life is for us at this time,” Fleetwood said.

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TORONTO, Ont. – Patrick Flavin is getting pretty used to this Monday qualifier thing. Especially if they’re for events outside the United States. “For some reason I have the international ones covered,” Flavin said with a laugh after earning medalist honors at the RBC Canadian Open’s Monday qualifier. It was his fourth successful Monday this season to go along with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, the Puerto Rico Open, and the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Flavin was 1 over through nine holes at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto but fired a 4-under 31 on his back nine to finish at 3 under. His performance could give him a good preview of next year’s RBC Canadian Open, which is scheduled to be played at Oakdale. Brad Adamonis, former NCAA champ Braden Thornberry, and Jeffrey Kang got through a 4-for-3 playoff after finishing at 2 under. Adamonis was in a playoff with Kenny Perry at the John Deere Classic 14 years ago while Thornberry was college golf’s player of the year in 2017 and on the stacked U.S. Walker Cup team alongside Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ and others. Oakdale has never hosted the RBC Canadian Open before and Flavin said he was “impressed” at the classic Canadian layout. “Obviously having the Canadian Open next year, it’s going to be a great golf course,” he said. “It’s so hard so I really didn’t have a number in mind. My experience in these Mondays … you never know what it takes. “I was 1 over through nine and I knew I had to get it going. With how tough it was playing and with the wind and the golf course in general, I knew I was still in it. I was happy to play really well on the back nine and … I honestly can’t believe it.” Flavin has played five PGA TOUR events this season and has earned 76 non-member FedExCup points. He’ll qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals if he can earn an amount of points greater than or equal to No. 200 on this season’s FedExCup points list after the Wyndham Championship. Bronson Burgoon, who has 80 points, currently sits 200th in the FedExCup standings. Flavin says he usually gets “distracted” by having to arrange logistics and the travel while playing a schedule of Monday qualifiers, but earning enough Non-Member FedExCup points remains “the carrot” he’s chasing. And so far, he’s doing a solid job with that chase. “I’ve gotten into a really nice mentality of enjoying the competition and enjoying the grind of it,” he said. “I don’t think there is a better feeling in the world than Monday qualifying because you’ve accomplished something that’s so hard, and you still have the tournament to look forward to. It’s a dream come true. I’m thrilled.” Here’s a capsule look at the four Monday qualifiers for this week’s RBC Canadian Open. Patrick Flavin (68) Age: 26 Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Alma mater: Miami (Ohio) PGA TOUR starts: 6 Cuts made: 3 Best PGA TOUR finish: T17, 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship Notes: 3-for-5 in made cuts this season on the PGA TOUR. He Monday qualified into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship (T17) and Puerto Rico Open (T22), and he received a sponsor exemption into the Corales Puntacana Championship (T54) … Sat T8 through 54 holes in Bermuda this season … Finished No. 6 on 2019 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Order of Merit … Recorded two top-10s in 13 starts on 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour … Currently holds 76 non-member FedExCup points, which would currently place him No. 204 in the season-long standings, as he chases a top-200 position that would gain Korn Ferry Tour Finals entry in August. Braden Thornberry (69; advanced in 4-for-3 playoff) Age: 25 Hometown: Germantown, Tennessee Alma mater: Mississippi PGA TOUR starts: 9 Cuts made: 4 Best PGA TOUR finish: T4, 2017 FedEx St. Jude Classic Notes: Best TOUR finish came as an amateur, the same year he won the NCAA individual title and Haskins Award as college golf’s player of the year … Was a member of the 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team that also included Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ and a handful more TOUR players … Was an 11-time winner while at Ole Miss … Finished No. 57 on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List in 2020-21 season. Brad Adamonis (69; advanced in 4-for-3 playoff) Age: 49 Hometown: Cumberland, Rhode Island Alma mater: Miami (Ohio) PGA TOUR starts: 72 Cuts made: 28 Best PGA TOUR finish: T2, 2008 John Deere Classic Notes: Rookie season on the PGA TOUR was 2002 … Has one victory on the Korn Ferry Tour (WNB Golf Classic, 2007) … Lost in a playoff to Kenny Perry at the 2008 John Deere Classic … Last appearance on the PGA TOUR was the Valspar Championship in 2021 … Turns 50 and will be eligible for PGA TOUR Champions in January. Jeffrey Kang (69; advanced in 4-for-3 playoff) Age: 30 Hometown: Los Angeles, California Alma mater: University of Southern California PGA TOUR starts: 2 Cuts made: 0 Notes: Finished T7 at the season-opener on PGA TOUR Canada last week … Made first career TOUR start at the WM Phoenix Open (also Monday qualified). Earned his spot in the field on the 10th playoff hole … Won 2018 Chengdu Championship on PGA TOUR Series-China, one of six top-25s in 14 starts that season … Has made three Korn Ferry Tour starts.

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