Golf Canada – Canadian National Amateur Squad member Jared du Toit sits one-shot back at 6-under

Canadians Adam Hadwin, Garrett Rank and Corey Conners join du Toit in advancing to weekend play

OAKVILLE, Ont. – Amidst blistering temperatures and blustery winds, 18-hole leaders Dustin Johnson and Luke List matched 71s to hold steady atop the RBC Canadian Open leaderboard at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Johnson – the 2016 U.S. Open champion and World No. 2 – began the day on the back nine and was 4-over through his first four holes. He recovered to collect six birdies the rest of the way, but settled for a bogey on No. 8 to reach 7-under through 36 holes. Johnson was at a loss for words when asked about the beginning of his day.

“I really don’t know what happened the first four holes. Just got off to a bad start. Hit it in a couple awkward spots. Made some bad bogeys, but fought back and turned it around and felt like I played really nicely from 14 on in.”

“I think it was a little tougher today,” said Johnson, when asked about the gusty conditions. “The wind today almost feels like it’s a little bit heavier and it’s affecting the ball a little bit more, and it’s a little bit different direction. But I mean, you’ve just got to take advantage of the downwind holes and the into-the-wind holes, just try to get looks.”

With a share of the lead, Johnson feels confident heading into the third round.

“I felt like the game is really good. I’m really happy with my position. Obviously today I struggled a little bit there to start, but the game feels good. I feel like I’m rolling it really well. So I’m looking forward to getting out here tomorrow.”

Luke List extended his string of bogey-free holes to 28 before tallying three through Glen Abbey’s valley holes – Nos. 11 to 15. Birdies on holes 16 and 18 restored the Seattle native’s share of the lead.

“I think the valley is playing tough for everybody,” reflected List. “I wasn’t too displeased with that. I had a good front nine and I was really happy with that. I’ll try to make a few pars in the valley tomorrow and go from there.”

List talked about the need to internalize the pressures of being tied for the lead with a player who has posted five straight Top-10 results, including victories at the U.S. Open and the Bridgestone Invitational, since the beginning of June.

“If I can just forget about what everybody else is doing and stay in my mindset, I’ve had a really good frame of mind the last couple days – just my attitude right now – if I can keep that up, I’ll be happy with the way I finish.”

Calgary amateur Jared du Toit notched six birdies on the day to maintain his hold on T3. The Team Canada National Amateur Squad member began the day on the back nine and collected his third birdie on No. 18 for a temporary share of the lead. A triple-bogey on the par-5 second hole proved to only temporarily set-back the 21-year-old; he strung together a trio of birdies across holes six to eight to finish at 6-under and credits his caddie Sean Burke with keeping him focused.

“I’ve got to thank my caddie because I was pretty down. I was pretty mad about the way things panned out, but he kind of told me ‘just keep going and get back to the game plan and it worked out.”

du Toit appreciates the position in which he sits at his first RBC Canadian Open.

“Everything from now is just cream on top. I had a lot of fun so far in these few days and expectations, you know, [the media] are the ones that put expectations on. No, just excited to go out there tomorrow and keep having fun.”

Also holding shares of third are Kelly Kraft and former World No. 1 amateur and du Toit’s former Arizona State teammate, Jon Rahm.

Four Canadians have advanced to weekend play by finishing 2-over 146-or-better. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., shot 70 to reach T21 at 2-under. Amateur Garrett Rank from Elmira, Ont., holds a share of 36th at even-par while Listowel, Ont., native Corey Conners is tied for 62nd at 2-over.

Tee times for the third round can be found here.

CANADIANS AT THE 2016 RBC CANADIAN OPEN

• T3 – Jared du Toit (a) – Calgary – 67-71, -6
• T21 – Adam Hadwin – Abbotsford, B.C. – 72-70, -2
• T36 – Garrett Rank (a) – Elmira, Ont. – 69-75, E
• T62 – Corey Conners – Listowel, Ont. – 75-71, 2
• MC – Adam Cornelson – Langley, B.C. – 75-73, 4
• MC – Nick Taylor – Abbotsford, B.C. – 75-74, 5
• MC – Graham DeLaet – Weyburn, Sask. – 77-72, 5
• MC – David Hearn – Brantford, Ont. – 74-75, 5
• MC – Brad Fritsch – Manotick, Ont. – 77-74, 7
• MC – Branson Ferrier – Barrie, Ont. – 78-74, 8
• MC – Mike Weir – Brights Grove, Ont. – 78-75, 9
• MC – Blair Hamilton (a) – Burlington, Ont. – 77-79, 12
• MC – Hugo Bernard (a) – Mont-St-Hilaire, Que. – 81-76, 13
• MC – Dave Levesque – Montréal – 85-75, 16

(a) – Denotes amateur

WHAT TO DO ONSITE: SPECTATOR EXPERIENCES
Golf Canada and its partners are pleased to offer a wide range of events and activities for everyone. The popular RBC Fan Tour returns to provide fun and excitement for the whole family. Beat the heat by visiting the RBC Water Stations to recharge and rehydrate. Visit the ZTE Spectator Village for a central hub of engaging activities. A full listing of What to do Onsite can be found here.

INTERVIEW VIDEO, AUDIO AND TRANSCRIPTS FOR FRIDAY, JULY 22
Interview video, audio and transcripts for the following players from Friday, July 22 are available here. Please note that the videos are unedited, uncut and in broadcast-quality.

• Kelly Kraft
• Jared du Toit
• Luke List
• Adam Hadwin
• Corey Conners
• Jon Rahm
• Dustin Johnson
• Graham DeLaet
• Brendon de Jonge
• Jason Day
• Ben Crane
• Ricky Barnes

2016 MEDIA GUIDE AND PLAYER PERFORMANCE BOOK:
In advance of next week’s championship, media can also download the 2016 RBC Canadian Open Media Guide for complete stats, records and historical information. Media can also download the 2016 RBC Canadian Open Player Performance Book which details individual player statistics from 1904-2015.

TELEVISION COVERAGE:
Saturday July 23
Golf Channel 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Global TV Pre-Game Show 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
CBS & Global 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Sunday July 24
Golf Channel 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Global TV Pre-Game Show 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
CBS & Global 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

TICKETS:
Grounds tickets for all days of the 2016 RBC Canadian Open, as well as a limited number of premium ticket packages are still available. A full list of ticket packages and pricing is available online at www.rbccanadianopen.com. Golf Canada and RBC are also pleased to offer FREE admission to juniors 17-and-under – click here to download a FREE Junior Pass.

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ABOUT THE 2016 RBC CANADIAN OPEN
Part of the FedExCup, stars of the PGA TOUR will compete for $5.9 million (US) at the RBC Canadian Open, July 18-24, 2016 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont. Conducted by Golf Canada for more than a century, the RBC Canadian Open provides an opportunity for Canada’s top talents to compete against the world’s best golfers while also leaving a significant impact in the event’s host community. The RBC Canadian Open is proud to support Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada as the event’s official charity partner. Established in 1904, Canada’s national open golf championship is the third-oldest national open golf championship worldwide next to the British Open and the U.S. Open. The RBC Canadian Open is proudly sponsored by RBC, Shaw, BMW Group Canada, Molson Canadian 67, ZTE, WestJet, TaylorMade adidas Golf, Boston Pizza, Ballantine’s, Santa Carolina Wines, Toronto Star, Coca-Cola, CHIN Radio TV International, Metrolinx and the Government of Canada. For tickets or tournament information, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com or call 1-800-571-6736.

RBC GOLF
RBC proudly supports golf around the world through high profile relationships with the PGA TOUR and Golf Canada. RBC is the Official Banking and Financial Services partner of touring professionals Jason Day, Graham DeLaet, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Adam Hadwin, David Hearn, Brooke Henderson, Matt Kuchar, Graeme McDowell, Ryan Palmer, Morgan Pressel, Brandt Snedeker, Nick Taylor and Mike Weir. As the title sponsor of both the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open, RBC also supports emerging Canadian golfers through Golf Canada’s grassroots developmental programming, the Canadian Amateur Golf Championships and the high performance national team. RBC is one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies and among the largest banks in the world, as measured by market capitalization. For more information, visit www.rbc.com/golf.

GOLF CANADA – LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.
Golf Canada is the National Sports Federation and governing body for golf in Canada representing close to 305,000 golfers at more than 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada’s mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our goal is to be relevant to and respected by all Canadian golf enthusiasts from coast to coast. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.

For more information:

Dan Pino
Director, Corporate Communications
Golf Canada
(t) 1-800-263-0009 x 406
(c) 416-434-5525
(e) dpino@golfcanada.ca