Bud Curley of the United States overcame a car crash from eight years ago to claim his first victory on the U.S. PGA Tour.
Curley shot a 5-under 65 (seven birdies, two bogeys) in the final round of the RBC Canadian Open (total purse of 9.8 million dollars) at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley North Course (par 70) in Caledon, Ontario, Canada, on Saturday.
Finishing at 17-under 263, Curley beat Matt Fitzpatrick of England (15-under 265) by two strokes to take the title. It was the 36-year-old Curley's 239th PGA Tour start. The winner's prize was 1.764 million dollars (about 2.68 billion won).
In June 2018, while staying in Dublin, Ohio, to compete in the Memorial Tournament, Curley suffered serious injuries when the vehicle he was riding in collided with another car, breaking six ribs and his left leg and damaging his right lung.
He underwent multiple surgeries and made a miraculous return to the PGA Tour in October that year, but complications that developed in September 2020 kept him out of competition for nearly four years.
Starting the day in second place, one stroke behind, Curley cut two strokes on the front nine to join the title race. On the back nine, he made three consecutive birdies starting at the 11th hole to take the sole lead, and a birdie at the 15th hole (par 4) gave him more breathing room.
"I'm grateful to the many people who helped me through a really difficult time. With today's win, I get to show my appreciation to my wife," Curley said.
Kim Joo-hyung shaved off four strokes to finish at 10-under, tied for 15th.
