Blair Hamilton Tees off at RBC Canadian Open on Thursday
7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
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OAKVILLE, ONTARIO, Canada â€" University of Houston All-American Blair Hamilton will compete in a PGA TOUR event for the first time when he tees off Thursday at the RBC Canadian Open.
Hamilton will compete in a threesome with Ryan Armour and fellow Canadian Taylor Pendrith and start off No. 10, beginning at 12:45 p.m. (CDT) Thursday. He will play with the same group in the Second Round, starting at 7:30 a.m. (CDT), Friday, off No. 1.
The Burlington, Ontario, Canada, native recently received an exemption to compete at Glen Abbey Golf Club, a course less than 15 minutes from his family home. Hamilton, who is currently ranked No. 81 in the latest World Amateur Golf rankings, was one of 10 players to receive exemptions.
Besides playing for the Cougars, Hamilton also is a member of Golf Canada's National Amateur Team.
He joins a field of PGA TOUR and international stars that includes World No. 3 Bubba Watson, World No. 5 Jim Furyk, World No. 8 Jason Day, World No. 13 J.B. Holmes, World No. 16 Matt Kuchar, World No. 17 Chris Kirk, World No. 22 Brooks Koepka, World No. 30 Ryan Palmer, World No. 40 Hunter Mahan, World No. 48 Graeme McDowell, World No. 65 Luke Donald, and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els.
This will be the first time that Hamilton has competed in the RBC Canadian Open.
After leading the Cougars during the 2014-15 season, Hamilton received numerous postseason awards. In late June, he was named a PING All-America Honorable Mention, marking the second straight season in which a Cougar received All-America accolades.
Hamilton recently qualified to compete at the U.S. Amateur Championship after finishing second in a qualifier at Seven Oaks Golf Course in Hamilton, N.Y. It will be the second time in his career he will compete at the nation's premier amateur event (2013).
Earlier, he was named to the PING All-Central Region Team and was recognized as an All-American Athletic Conference selection in late May.
Hamilton, who is a product of M.M. Robinson High, shared the individual championship with Texas Tech's Clement Sordet at the NCAA Lubbock Regional on May 14-16 at The Rawls Course at Texas Tech, becoming only the third player in school history to win an NCAA Regional individual crown.
He also led the Cougars to the NCAA Championships for the second straight season and qualified for the Final Round of stroke play before finishing in a tie for 27th at 292.
Hamilton led the Cougars with a 72.03 scoring average and finished second among the Cougars with 18 rounds of par or better. He also became the first player in school history to shoot three straight rounds in the 60s during an NCAA Regional.
He enjoyed three top-5 finishes in 2014-15 and earned the first individual title of his career with a score of 9-under-par 207 at the Border Olympics on March 13-14.
TELEVISION COVERAGE
Fans can watch the RBC Canadian Open on the following days, times and television networks:
• Thursday, July 23 â€" TSN/ The Golf Channel â€" 2 p.m. â€" 5 p.m. (CDT)
• Friday, July 24 â€" TSN/ The Golf Channel â€" 2 p.m. â€" 5 p.m. (CDT)
• Saturday, July 25 â€" Global/ CBS â€" 2 p.m. â€" 5 p.m. (CDT)
• Sunday, July 26 â€" Global/ CBS â€" 2 p.m. â€" 5 p.m. (CDT)
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive the latest Men's Golf news and notes by following @UHCougarGolf on Twitter. Fans also can discuss the latest Houston Golf news and notes on the team's Facebook page at HoustonCougarGolf.
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