Jhonattan Vegas birdies last three holes to snatch Canadian Open title

Jhonattan Vegas fired a stunning 64 to snatch a one-shot victory at the RBC Canadian Open after a remarkable battle for the lead on the final day at Glen Abbey.

Vegas birdied the final three holes to take over the clubhouse lead and then watched a series of contenders fall just short of forcing a play-off before he was crowned as a PGA Tour winner for the second time, five and a half years after his maiden victory.

Martin Laird and Steve Wheatcroft both failed to find a birdie at the par-five 18th which would have forced extra holes, while Dustin Johnson, overnight leader Brandt Snedeker, Jon Rahm, Ricky Barnes and Alex Cejka all needed to eagle the 72nd hole to catch the Venezuelan.

The lead changed hands countless times throughout an enthralling Sunday, and former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy showed the leaders what could be achieved as he eagled both the 16th and 18th to cap a superb 63 which gave him the early clubhouse lead on nine under.

But it was Vegas who upstaged the likes of Johnson and Snedeker as he emerged from the pack, and he made huge strides up the leaderboard with five consecutive birdies from the second before he made his only mistake of the round with a three-putt bogey at the eighth.

The 31-year-old steadied himself with four pars before getting back on the birdie trail at the long 13th, and he got up and down for further gains at 16 and 17 to jump into a share of the lead.

Vegas, who fired a second-round 60 before fading over the weekend at last week's Barbasol Championship, then hit the final green in two after a mammoth 330-yard drive, and he lagged from 45 feet to tap-in range.

He headed to the range expecting at least one of the other contenders to match his score but, after Rahm birdied 16 and 18 to complete a 67 which left him a shot shy, Laird bunkered his drive and pulled his second into the the gallery before pitching to 35 feet and missing the putt for the tie.

Wheatcroft looked to have the best chance of forcing a play-off despite tugging his second into a greenside trap, but he knifed his escape attempt and could not hide his despair as his ball flew over the green and into the lake.

US Open champion Johnson looked out of the running until he holed from 12 feet for eagle at the 16th, and he hammered a 350-yard drive down the last. But his second was a shade too heavy and left him a tricky chip from the rough to the rear of the green which came up two feet short.

Snedeker was the last player in with a chance of extending the tournament, but he found an awkward lie in the sand to the left of the green and needed two to get out, although he salvaged a par to claim a share of fifth with Barnes, Cejka and Wheatcroft.

Home favourite Jared du Toit found the pressure of playing in the final group too much to handle as the young amateur bogeyed the third and sixth, but he did well to birdie two of the final three holes to return a creditable 71 earned him a tie for ninth on nine under.

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