OAKVILLE, Ontario — Canada has been good to William McGirt during his time on the PGA Tour.
Prior to notching his first Tour win earlier last season at The Memorial, the Fairmont native’s best performances had come north of the border in the RBC Canadian Open.
McGirt hasn’t missed the cut in six appearances at Canada’s national championship, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013.
He returns to the site of his second runner-up finish this week at Glen Abbey Golf Club, Jack Nicklaus’ first solo design. McGirt finished 59th last season at the course in Oakville, Ontario.
Grouped with J.J. Henry and Troy Merritt, McGirt tees off from the opening hole at 7:40 p.m. on Thursday in the first round. On Friday, the trio will start at 12:55 p.m. from the 10th tee box.
Preparing for the par-72, 7,253-yard track this week, McGirt sits 84th in FedEx Cup standings and is ranked 57th in the official world ranking.
He will compete in the year’s final major in two weeks at the PGA Championship in Charlotte. Last season at Baltusrol, McGirt made the weekend at a major for the first time en route to earning a top-10 finish.
Dustin Johnson, the FedEx Cup points leader and No. 1 player in the world, headlines a solid field in Canada.
Jhonattan Vegas is the defending champion. In the final round of the 2016 Canadian Open, Vegas carded a final round 64, holding off Brandt Snedeker and host of players to earn his second career victory.
