Fox and Burns Trade Blows in Marathon Finish at TPC Toronto

CALEDON, Ontario — After 72 holes of regulation golf at the RBC Canadian Open, Ryan Fox and Sam Burns found themselves deadlocked at 18-under par, setting up a playoff that would test both players’ nerves and endurance at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

Fox joined the playoff party with a clutch birdie putt from just inside 18 feet on the par-5 18th hole in regulation, carding a 4-under 66. Burns had posted his number earlier in the day with a spectacular 62 that included a closing birdie, then waited nearly two hours to see if anyone could match his total.

When Fox’s putt dropped, the stage was set for what would become a marathon playoff.

Pillow Fight Description Proved Accurate

“To be honest, Sam and I had a bit of a pillow fight for three holes,” one of the participants would later say, and the description proved fitting for the first three playoff holes.

The drama began immediately on the first extra hole when Burns, regarded as one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, had a birdie putt from just over 5 feet to win the tournament. The putt slipped out to the right, extending the playoff.

The second playoff hole saw Fox go for the green but push his 3-wood shot. The collar of rough prevented his ball from finding the water, and he pitched to 12 feet with a chance to end it. His birdie putt came up a foot short.

Course Setup Changes Added Drama

Tournament officials moved the pin position from far left to front right after two playoff holes, hoping to create more scoring opportunities. However, the third playoff hole proved even more challenging.

Burns hit a lob wedge that came up short and right, spinning off the green and nearly into the water. Fox’s approach sailed 40 feet out to the right. Both players made par, sending them to a fourth playoff hole.

The Deciding Moment

The fourth time down the 18th proved to be the charm. Fox delivered what he would later call “probably the best shot I’ve ever hit” – a perfectly struck 3-wood that landed softly just left of the pin and settled 7 feet away.

Burns pulled his 3-wood some 55 feet left of the front right pin. His eagle attempt ran 8 feet past the hole, and he missed the comeback putt.

Fox missed his eagle try but tapped in for birdie to claim his second victory in five weeks, having also won the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic last month in a playoff.

Other Notable Finishes

Kevin Yu birdied the final hole for a 66 to finish alone in third, just one shot out of the playoff. The near-miss was particularly painful as it left him just outside the top 60 in world rankings needed for automatic U.S. Open qualification.

Cameron Young shot 65 to tie for fourth but experienced his own heartbreak on the closing hole. After an incredible par save on 17, Young needed birdie on 18 to catch the leaders but saw his 3-wood carry over the green into the trees, leading to a tournament-ending bogey.

“I couldn’t have hit two better shots on the last hole,” Young lamented. “I thought in the air I was going to have about a 12-footer to win the tournament, and it ended up somewhere I was going to struggle to make par, let alone make a 4.”

The victory earned automatic spots for Young, Yu, and Matt McCarty in next month’s Open Championship as the top three finishers not already eligible.