Thirty-eight-year-old Tim Clark ended a victory drought which dated to the 2010 Players Championship by coming from behind to win the RBC Canadian Open, edging Jim Furyk by one at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.  For Furyk, a back-to-back champion here in 2006 and 2007, the event appeared a golden opportunity to break a nearly five-year winless streak of his own, as he opened with a 67, then added a course record-tying 63 and a Saturday 65 to build a three-shot 54-hole lead.  Clark, for his part, began with rounds of 67-67 before an eagle at the par-4 2nd jumpstarted a third round 64, allowing him to go to sleep Saturday night as Furyk’s closest pursuer.  On a Sunday which saw players go off both tees, in threesomes, in attempts at beating incoming rain, the status quo was maintained over the first nine as both Clark and Furyk turned even par.  But Clark soon found another gear coming home, reeling in birdies at the 11th, 12th, 14th and, after a short rain delay, the 15th to finally move into the lead.  He maintained this margin by matching Furyk’s birdie at the par-3 17th, then clinched the title by holing a six-footer for par at the last after Furyk missed a 12-foot birdie putt to tie………………England’s David Horsey endured an up-and-down closing stretch on Sunday afternoon to ultimately claim his third career European Tour title, beating Damien McGrane on the first hole of sudden death at the M2M Russian Open.  The 29-year-old Horsey held or shared the lead after each of the first three rounds at  Moscow’s Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club, leading by one after an opening 65, by two after tacking on a Friday 68, and sharing the top spot with Scotland’s Peter Whiteford after posting a Saturday 70 which included two bogeys over his final six holes.  Meanwhile, hoping to record his first victory since the 2008 Volvo China Open, McGrane began Sunday six back but his fortunes began turning quickly as two early birdies, combined with Horsey bogeys at the 5th and 6th brough him briefly within two of the lead.  That margin returned to three by the turn, then two when McGrane birdied the 10th – and then, rather suddenly, they were tied after Horsey double-bogeyed the 470-yard par-4 12th.  A Horsey bogey at the 374-yard 14th then put McGrane in front, and the Irishman promptly added a run of three straight birdies which, on most occasions, would have been enough to salt away the title.  But his untimely bogey at the 448-yard 18th left the door slightly ajar, and once again there was Horsey, rising from the ashes to chip in for eagle at the par-5 17th – just enough to force a playoff which he would win (via a routine par) after McGrane’s approach found a back bunker at the 18th...............Thirty-eight-year-old Jean Hugo braved the elements to win for the 15th time on the Sunshine Tour, edging rookie Rhys West by one at the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at Arabella.   In a week in which gale force winds wiped out the second round, and Friday's finale was drenched by an icy rain, Hugo carded rounds of 68-69, the latter climaxed by a crucial final birdie at the 563-yard 18th.  West was unable to match that closing four but took solo second, one ahead of a foursome of imposing veterans led by Adilson da Silva and Trevor Fisher Jr.

PGA Tour - RBC Canadian Open  -  Tim Clark  (263)
European Tour - M2M Russian Open  -  David Horsey  (275)
Sunshine Tour - Vodacom Origins of Golf  -  Jean Hugo  (137)
LET - Sberbank Golf Masters  -  Julie Greciet  (196)
JLPGA Tour - Century 21 Ladies  -  Bo-Mee Lee  (205)
Champions Tour - Senior Open Championship  -  Bernhard Langer  (266)
Euro Senior Tour - See Champions Tour (Above)
Web.com Tour - Midwest Classic  -  Zack Sucher  (265)
E Challenge Tour -  Le Vaudreuil Challenge  - Andrew Johnston  (268)
Symetra Tour - DEFCU Championship  - Sadena Parks  (199)

It would hardly have been unreasonable to have fancied Rory McIlroy’s chances at the 2014 Open Championship, for he entered play with nine top 10s in calendar 2014, incluing the BMW triumph.  But it was clear that as the Open returned to one of England’s most historic clubs for the first time since 2006, the competition would be fierce, for top-10 players like Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia were all arriving in top form, and there was no shortage of additional world-class players nipping closely at their heels.  And then, of course, there was Tiger Woods, rebounding – perhaps a few moments too soon – from spring back surgery, but seemingly physically fit, and returning to the place of his last British Open triumph eight years earlier.  Woods, of course, would briefly tease with a very solid Thursday 69 before collapsing to a Friday 77, only to be heard from thereafter as a marquee filler for the early hours of ESPN’s wall-to-wall weekend coverage, and ultimately finishing an inglorious 69th.  McIlroy, on the other hand, sent a message bright and early on Thursday, carding a bogey-free 66 in ideal morning conditions to grab a one-shot lead over Italian Matteo Manassero, with a group of seven players – including Scott, Garcia and Jim Furyk – sitting two back.  Among the biggest names, Stenson and Rose settled for even par 72s, Rickie Fowler and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama posted 69s, and defending champion Phil Mickelson continued a disappointing season with an afternoon 74.  The McIlroy lead managed to open another rather offbeat storyline: whether he would be able to avoid stumbling badly on Friday, an odd malady that had recently submarined his chances at The Masters (77), Wells Fargo (76), Memorial (78 – after leading with 63) and the Scottish Open (78 - after leading with 64).  It was a bizarre hex indeed, and one which perhaps seemed unbeatable when he opened Friday with a bogey at the par-4 1st.  But in true championship form, Rory stopped the bleeding forthwith and wet on to card seven birdies to record his second consecutive 66, good enough to move four shots clear of long-hitting Dusting Johnson (65) and six ahead of a blue-chip sixsome composed of Garcia (70), Fowler (69), Francesco Molinari (70), Louis Oosthuizen (68), Charl Schwartzel (67) and Ryan Moore (68).  Also notable was 64-year-old Tom Watson, who made the cut on the number to extend his own record as the oldest man to play on the weekend at a Major.  If there was a defining day to this championship, it was Saturday – a day in which the R&A set a precedent by knuckling under to ominous weather forecasts (which largely failed to pan out) and sent the field off early, off both tees, and in threesomes.  McIlroy, for his part, seemed like a man trying to get himself to Sunday as quickly as possible, once again opening with a bogey (which allowed Johnson, who birdied the 1st, to move within two), then plodding around in eevn par figures through 13 holes.  Though he was hardly playing badly, his relative stagnation left the door open to his pursuers and while Johnson bogeyed holes 7-9 to slip a bit, Fowler made an impressive move, posting seven birdies over his first 12 holes and actually drawing even.  It was then that McIlroy put his indelible stamp on the Open, for as Fowler played his final five holes in two over par, Rory proceded to play his in four under, spearheaded by overpowering eagles at both the 577-yard 16th and the 551-yard 18th – the only eagles recorded on either hole all day.  Thus off these spectacular fireworks, McIlroy went into a Sunday with a six-shot lead which would indeed prove insurmountable, though not before there were a few moments of at least marginal interest.  Fowler, for his part, initially played solid, steady golf, logging two birdies over his first 10 holes – not quite a full-fledged charge as McIlroy recovered from minor stumbles at the 5th and 6th to play the same stretch in one under.  Instead the charge came from 34-year-old Sergio Garcia, who began the day seven back before turning in three-under-par 32, then eagling the par-5 10th to pull within three.  A McIlroy bogey at the 13th briefly narrowed the lead to one but moments later, Garcia left his second in a greenside bunker at the 161-yard 16th and a bit of breathing room was restored. Garcia made obligatory birdies at both the 16th and 18th (numbers matched by Fowler, who also birdied the 15th) but when McIlroy carded his own four at the 16th, then got deftly up-and-down from right of the green at the 458-yard 17th, there was little left for him to do but record a safe par at the last to win by two.  For Garcia, now four times a Major bridesmaid, his impressive overall performance demonstrated a more focused and measured player on the very biggest of stages.  Off much work with swing coach Butch Harmon, Fowler (who logged his third top-5 Major finish of 2014) also appeared to raise his stock significantly going forward.  But in the end, the glory was reserved primarily for McIlroy, who joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men to claim three legs of the career Grand Slam by age 25, and once again demonstrated to the golfing world that he is both a player of transcendent skill and a man very much at home in the idol’s limelight.

The Open Championship -  Rory McIlroy  (271)
LPGA Tour - Marathon Classic  -  Lydia Ko  (269)
LET - Ladies German Open  -  Kylie Walker  (263)
JLPGA Tour - Samantha Tavas Girls Collection  -  Misuzu Narita  (200)
Web.com Tour - Albertson's Boise Open  -  Steve Wheatcroft  (260)
E Challenge Tour - Swiss Challenge  -  Pierre Relecom  (269)

Twenty-seven-year-old left-hander Brian Harman claimed his maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the John Deere Classic, saving some of his best golf for the final nine as he battled – and untimately defeated – local favorite Zach Johnson by one.  After sharing the first round lead with an eight-under-par 63, Harman added a Friday 68 and a Saturday 65 (which included two eagles) to claim the 54-hole lead, one shot ahead of three-time John Deere champion Steve Stricker.  But while the 47-year-old Sticker uncharacteristically stumbled to a Sunday 72, Johnson – the event’s 2012 champion and also twice a runner-up – mounted a charge, ultimately carding seven birdies and posting a bogey-free 64 to finish on 21-under-par 263.  Also in the Sunday mix were Tim Clark and Scott Brown, both of whom turned in 32 to jump into contention before coming home in 35 and 36 respectively and falling into ties for 5th.  Harman, meanwhile, solidified his position early with an eagle at the par-5 2nd before eventually turning in 33.  A birdie at 10 kept him in narrowly in front before a run of three straight birdies at holes 14-16 opened up a two shot cushion, allowing him to safely bogey the pond-guarded 18th to clinch the title.  In addition to a two-year exemption and a trip to the 2015 Masters, Harman also earned a spot into next week’s British Open at Hoylake, the final berth in the world’s oldest event………………Apparently fully recovered from the shoulder tendinitis which delayed the start of his 2014 season, England’s Justin Rose won his second consecutive event at the Aberdeen Asset Mangement Scottish Open, edging Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg by two at Royal Aberdeen.  Hot on the heels of his PGA Tour victory at the Quicken Loans National two weeks earlier, Rose opened with rounds of 69-68 to trail a trio of halfway leaders by one, then carded a Saturday 66 to join Marc Warren atop the 54-hole leaderboard at 10-under-par 203.  Looking every bit the class of the strong pre-British Open field, Rose then birdied four of his first six holes on Sunday to take command, eventually turning in 31, then motoring smoothly home in 34 for a closing 65 – a performance which left the remainder of the contenders bobbing in his wake. Indeed, more hotly contested was the battle for the final three places in the British open field which took place behind Rose.  With Warren’s place at Hoylake already secured, the first beneficiary was the 27-year-old Broberg, who’d opened with a Thursday 65, then hung around the lead admirably enough to nail down second.  The remaining two spots went to England’s Tyrrell Hatton (T4) and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson (T8) – though with nine of the 10 finishers immediately behind them already headed to Hoylake, their biggest challenge was actually to finish within the top 10, a stipulation for receiving their Open berths.

PGA Tour - John Deere Classic  -  Brian Harman  (262)
European Tour - Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open  -  Justin Rose  (268)
LPGA Tour - RICOH Women's British Open  -  Mo Martin  (287)
LET - See LPGA Tour (Above)
Champions Tour - U.S. Senior Open  -  Colin Montgomerie  (279)
Euro Senior Tour - See Champions Tour (Above)
Web.com Tour - Utah Championship  -  Andres Gonzales  (263)
E Challenge Tour - D+D Real Slovakia Challenge  -  Andrew McArthur  (267)

Ending a run of disappointing play that extended all the way back to 2010, 44-year-old Angel Cabrera won the first non-Major event of his career on the PGA Tour, claiming a two-shot triumph at the Greenbrier Classic, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.  The 2007 Masters and 2009 U.S. Open champion, Cabrera stood well back in the field after 36 holes (despite opening rounds of 68-68) but pulled to within two shots of 54-hole leader William Hurley III following a seven-birdie, one-bogey round of 64 on Saturday.  A newcomer to Saturday night leads, Hurley birdied his opener on Sunday before stumbling to four bogeys over his next five holes, eventually posting a 74 and tying for fourth.  But Cabera’s path remained anything but clear due to a dazzling final round posted by George McNeill, who carded seven birdies and a hole-in-one at the 234-yard 8th en route to the week’s low score of 61, and the clubhouse lead on 14-under-par 266.  At that point, Cabrera had completed 10 holes and trailed by one, but he quickly sped to the front with back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th, then extended his lead to three upon holing a 176-yard 8 iron for an eagle at the 492-yard par-4 13th.  But now seemingly in command, he promptly bogeyed both the 14th and the par-3 15th, leaving matters unresolved until a two-putt birdie at the 616-yard 17th proved to be the clincher.  With places in the upcoming British Open field being awarded to the leading four players among the top 12 not already, exempt, also leaving the Greenbrier happy were McNeill, Hurley, Chris Stroud (who closed with 69) and Cameron Tringale (69)………………Taking full advantage of the cold and miserable weather conditions that characterized the final round, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell came from an imposing eight shots behind to successfully defend his title at the Alstom Open de France.  Behind rounds of 70-69-73, McDowell began Sunday’s finale in a tie for seventh but amidst the difficult conditions, began methodically moving up the board behind outgoing birdies at the 2nd and the par-5 9th.  Meanwhile, first, second and third round leader Kevin Stadler began the day with a four-shot advantage but struggled badly on his outward half, racking up three bogeys and a double-bogey (at the long par-4 7th) to turn in an inglorious 41.  Two more bogeys at the 10th and 12th might well have ended his hopes but with nearly all of the field faring poorly, Stadler gamely carded birdies at the 11th, the par-5 14th and the 16th to propel himself back into the hunt.  McDowell, meanwhile, called forth all of the bad weather skills developed during a youth spent upon the Irish links to add birdies at the 13th, 14th and 16th and tie Stadler at six under par – good enough, he assumed to at least make a playoff.  When Stadler could do no better than to leave himself a long birdie putt to win at the 470-yard 18th, a playoff seemed liely.  When Stadler missed his three-footer for par, however, it became entirely unnecessary, leaving McDowell to claim his first worldwide win of 2014.  While Stadler would tie for second with Thongchai Jaidee, happier with their finishes were Robert Karlsson (a closing 69 for solo fourth), Michael Hoey (7th) and Victor Riu (8th), each of whom earned places in the upcoming British Open at Hoylake as the leading three players among the top 10 here who were not already exempt..................Ending a victory drought dating back to 2012, Japan's Ryo Ishikawa took a break from the U.S. PGA Tour to return to his homeland and win the Sega Sammy Cup, defeating Koumei Oda on the third hole of a playoff.  The 22-year-old Ishikawa began Sunday two shots behind Oda, who opened the week with rounds of 69-67-69 and produced a sturdy final effort, closing with a bogey-free two-under-par 69.  Ishikawa, meanwhile, began Sunday by three-putt bogeying the par-3 2nd, immediately recovering that stroke at the par-5 3rd, then moving wthin one of Oda by adding birdies at both the 8th and 9th.  Adding two more birdies and a bogey through the 15th, he found himself trailing Oda by one going to the 560-yard 18th before logging the crucial birdie needed o force a playoff, then claiming the title on the third extra hole.  It was Ishikawa's third domestic appearance of 2014 and the first homeland event of the year for world number 14 Hideki Matsuyama, who closed with a 68 to tie for 17th.................. Twenty-five-year-old Dean Burmester claimed his second career Sunshine Tour title at the Sun City Challenge, closing with a final ound 71 to edge a charging Haydn Porteous by one.  Burmester was in the mix early at the Lost City Golf Course, trailing little-known first round leader Gert Myburgh by two before moving out to a three-stroke 36-hole lead following a seven-birdie, two-bogey second round of 67.  With the 54-hole event ending on Friday, Burmester began fast with an opening birdie before turning in even-par 36.  This allowed Porteous to draw even early as he birdied the 4th, 5th and 7th, and he once again took a share of the lead by matching Burmester’s 11th-hole  birdie with a three at the 363-yard 12th, then moved ahead alone with a birdie at the 16th.  But while Burmester carded a seemingly ill-timed bogey at the 470-yard 17th, Porteous crashed to a disastrous double-bogey, then could only par the 530-yard 18th as Burmester got up-and-down from the fringe for a birdie that provided his margin of victory.

PGA Tour - Greenbrier Classic  -  Angel Cabrera  (264)
European Tour - Alstom Open de France  -  Graeme McDowell  (279)
Japan Tour - Sega Sammy Cup  -  Ryo Ishikawa  (274)
Sunshine Tour - Sun City Challenge  -  Dean Burmester  (206)
LET - ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters  -  I.K. Kim  (270)
JLPGA Tour - Nich-Iko Women's Open  -  Yeon-Ju Jung  (199)
Euro Senior Tour - Bad Ragaz Senior Open  -  Rick Gibson  (195)
Web.com Tour - Nova Scotia Open  -  Roger Sloan  (273)
E Challenge Tour -  Aegean Airlines Challenge  -  Jake Roos  (275)

England’s Justin Rose won his first Major championship at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, and he logged his next PGA Tour victory on a course which seemed equally ready to host an Open, scoring a playoff triumph over Shawn Stefani at the Quicken Loans National at Congressional.  In many ways the conditions were the primary story as slick greens and punishing rough regularly took their toll; indeed, Congressional joined fellow ex-U.S. Open site Torrey Pines as the only 2014 PGA Tour venues where the winner’s relative-to-par total (four-under-par 280) was actually higher than that of the quartet of players who shared the 36-hole lead (at six-under-par 136).  Seven players held at least a share of the lead during Sunday’s wild final round, with the most prominent disappointment belonging to two-time 2014 winner Patrick Reed, who held a two-shot lead at the turn before carding double-bogeys at both the 10th and 11th en route to a closing 76 that dropped him all the way into a tie for 11th.  Also stumbling late was Brendan Steele, who would have made it a three-way playoff but for a watery double-bogey at the famed/brutal par-4 18th.  The 18th very nearly dashed Rose’s hopes as well, but after hitting his second in the front-left water, he holed a clutch 15-footer for bogey to remain alive.  Stefani, for his part, managed to par the closer to gain his spot in the playoff – but then promptly hit his second into the water when it served as the first playoff, handing the title to Rose..................In an exciting finish that ultimately came down to a four-man playoff, 31-year-old Fabrizio Zanotti became the first man from Paraguay ever to win on the European Tour, claiming the BMW International Open in Germany.  Zanotti hardly seemed a part of the picture through 36 holes after rounds of 72-67 left him seven shots behind a quartet of halway leaders, and his chances seemed only little improved after a bogey-free Saturday 65 moved him within five of 54-hole leader Pablo Larazzabal.  But with Larazzabal only able to produce an even-par 72 on Sunday, Zanotti responded with his second straight bogey-free 65 to post a 269 total, then watched as France's Gregory Havret (who birdied three of his last six holes), Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello (who finished birdie-eagle-birdie) and world number two Henrik Stenson (who carded a back nine 30 and narrowly missed a winning birdie at the last) all tied him.  Stenson again missed a chance for victory at the first extra hole but matched Zanotti shot for shot as first Havret (by failing to birdie the second extra hole) and Cabrera-Bello (who failed to par the fourth) dropped from contention.  Finally, on the fifth extra hole (the 397-yard 17th), Stenson drove into the water and, following a penalty stroke and drop, hit his third into a greenside bunker.  With Zanotti on the putting surface in two, Stenson then failed to hole his bunker shot and promptly conceded, giving Zanotti - who entered played ranked 305th in the world - his maiden E Tour title.................. Claiming his second Sunshine Tour victory in less than two months, up-and-coming Danie van Tonder held off a hard-charging Tyrone Ferreira to win the Vodacom Origins of Golf event at the Euphoria Golf Estate, the first stop in the six-event Vodacom summer series.  Following a pair of opening 67s which included only a single bogey between them, van Tonder entered the Friday finale two strokes ahead of Ulrich van den Berg, but soon fell behind when van den Berg turned in two-under-par 34.  An even par back nine slowed van den Berg's progress, however, allowing van Tonder to retake the lead following birdies at the 12th, 13th and 15th.  By this time, his primary challenge was coming from Ferreira, who'd began the day three back before bogeys at the 2nd and 6th seemed to bury his hopes.  But a run of six straight birdies at holes 7-12 revived Ferreira's chances, and one more at the 164-yard 15th drew him even.  An ill-timed bogey at the 16th dropped him one behind, however, and when Ferreira was unable to hole a short birdie putt at the 662-yard 18th, van Tonder was able to claim the title with three closing pars.

PGA Tour - Quicken Loans National  -  Justin Rose  (280)
European Tour - BMW International Open  -  Fabrizio Zanotti  (265)
Sunshine Tour - Vodacom Origins of Golf  -  Danie van Tonder  (204)
LPGA Tour - Walmart NW Arkansas Championship  -  Stacy Lewis  (201)
LET - Ladies Italian Open  -  Florentyna Parker  (209)
JLPGA Tour - Earth Mondamin Cup  -  Miki Saiki  (271)
Champions Tour - Senior Players Championship  -  Bernhard Langer  (265)
Web.com Tour - United Leasing Championship  -  Greg Owen  (279)
E Challenge Tour - Scottish Hydro Challenge  -  Andrew Johnston  (265)
Symetra Tour - Island Resort Championship  -  Molly Aronsson  (215)