Hodges and fullback Sam Rogers are also very capable pass-ca

OAKVILLE, Ont. -- Brandt Snedeker has had his eye on the RBC Canadian Open title for some time. The early arrival of a baby in Texas helped make it happen. Snedeker moved to the top of the field after second-round leader Hunter Mahan withdrew when his wife unexpectedly went into labour, and held on Sunday for his second victory of the season and the sixth of his career. Mahan, who had a two-stroke lead at 13 under through 36 holes, rushed home to be with wife Kandi, who gave birth to daughter Zoe early Sunday. "Zoe will be getting a very nice baby gift from me. I cant thank Kandi enough for going into labour early. I dont know if Id be sitting here if she hadnt," Snedeker said with a laugh after shooting a final-round 70 to finish 16 under. "But that is a way more important thing than a golf tournament. I missed a golf tournament when my first was born, and it was the best decision I ever made. Im sure Hunter would say the same thing." Dustin Johnson (70), Matt Kuchar (71), William McGrit (68) and Jason Bohn (71) tied for second at 13 under behind Snedeker, who said winning the PGA Tours only stop north of the border is special for a number of reasons. "This is a tournament I said early on in my career I wanted to win just because my caddie is actually from Canada and its his national open. It meant a lot to him, meant a lot to me," said the 32-year-old from Nashville. "Third oldest tournament on Tour and its got some great history to it, and now to put my name on that trophy, it means a lot." After a Saturday that saw a number of players score in the mid-60s thanks to a calm morning and a soggy afternoon, Glen Abbey Golf Club bit back with breezy conditions at the suburban course some 40 kilometres west of Toronto. "The wind was blowing very hard. Every fairway was tough to hit, every green was getting firm. It placed an importance on managing your golf ball," Snedeker said. "I was able to hit some quality shots coming down the stretch when I needed to and put the ball in the right spot." Snedeker, who pocketed $1,008,000 of the tournaments $5.6-million purse, also won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February and is finally healthy after a bothersome rib injury. "First part of the year, I couldnt do anything wrong. I was playing fantastic, and I got injured. I feel like Ive been fighting to get myself back to the way I was at the beginning of the year," said Snedeker. "Im not saying Im there, but Im close to the way I was playing in the beginning of the year." Snedeker, the 2012 FedEx Cup champion whose best-ever finish at a Canadian Open was a tie for fifth at Glen Abbey in 2009, was 1 under on the day after the front nine and birdied No. 10 to move to 16 under overall. He gave that shot back on No. 12, but birdied No. 16 and parred No. 17 and No. 18 to secure the victory. "It feels great to get a win to validate all the hard work Ive put in over the past three months where I havent played my best," Snedeker said. "To win a tournament like this with those pivotal holes coming down the stretch means a lot." Johnson started the day in a group three shots back of Snedeker and fought his way into a share of the lead, only to see the wheels fall off in spectacular fashion at No. 17 with a triple bogey that started with an errant drive. "I was playing really well," Johnson said. "Really confident, swinging the driver really good. So you know, its a driver hole for me, and I just blocked it a little bit, made a poor swing." John Merrick, who tied a course record on Friday with a 62, shot 71 to finish in a tie for sixth at 12 under. David Lingmerth started the day in the final group a shot back Snedeker but ended up with a 75 to finish in a tie for 12th at 10 under. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was the top Canadian at the par-72, 7,253-yard course with a final-round 73 to finish at 4 under. The 34-year-old had three birdies on Sunday to go along with two bogeys and double bogey to finish in a tie for 44th. "It wasnt the finish that I was really looking for. I had a nice chance today," said Hearn, who was also the low Canadian at the tournament back in 2006. "Ill take away some positives from the week. I appreciate the support from everyone here this week and it always feels good to play at home." Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., shot an even-par 72 to finish tied for 49th at 3 under. The 43-year-olds tournament highlight came in Fridays second round when he fired 67 to briefly get into contention. "Im playing fine. Just missing too many short putts. I missed a number the last couple days inside six, seven feet, just missing way too many of those," said Weir, who made his first cut at a Canadian Open since 2009. "You need those to keep your round going sometimes and I just didnt capitalize when I had opportunities. "I had one good day of putting and the rest not very good." Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., had an up-and-down day that culminated with three straight birdies to wind up with a final-round 72 in a tie for 52nd at 2 under. The 26-year-old plays on the Web.com Tour but showed he can compete alongside some of golfs best. "The PGA Tour is not way up there anymore. Its just within grasp," Sloan said. "Its comforting to know if I stick to the process and stay committed to what Im doing, Im going to be out here soon." Notes: Snedeker now sits third in the FedEx Cup standings behind Tiger Woods and Kuchar. ... McGrit also finished tied for second at last years Canadian Open at The Hamilton Golf and Country Club. ... The last Canadian to win this countrys national open was English-born Pat Fletcher in 1954. The only Canadian-born golfer to win the tournament was Karl Keffer (1909, 1914). Albert Murray, a Canadian also born in England, won in 1908 and 1913. ... 2012 RBC Canadian Open champion Scott Piercy (71) finished tied for 52nd. ... The 2014 tournament will be played at Royal Montreal. Custom Allen Iverson Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Custom Grizzlies T-shirts . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. http://www.customgrizzliesjersey.com/custom-allen-iverson-jersey-large-76b.html . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Grizzlies Jerseys China . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Custom Grizzlies Jerseys . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Justin Fuente arrives as Frank Beamers successor at Virginia Tech with an offensive background that has Hokies fans excited, and with lofty expectations.Last season at Memphis, Fuentes offense was steered by 6-foot-7 quarterback Paxton Lynch, the 26th player selected overall in the NFL draft, and hes not yet certain who will fill that role for the Hokies. The contenders are Brenden Motley, who showed dual-threat ability in six starts last season, and transfer Jerod Evans. He has no major college experience, but threw for 38 touchdowns against just three interceptions in just eight games before being sidelined with a wrist injury last year at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.Motley, a fifth-year senior, was inherited, while Fuente also recruited Evans when he was at Memphis.Fuente has expressed no desire to rush before making a decision, and thats fine with the contenders.Im a team-first guy, Motley said. I know Rod is a team-first guy. If thats what coach wants to do, thats fine with me.Revered defensive coordinator Bud Foster is still around calling the defensive shots. He is looking to rebuild a defense that disappointed last season, especially in its inability to stop the run.Last year was very poor according to our standards, Foster said as camp got started. We are going to get back to that. I dont feel any pressure. When coach (Fuente) and I first started talking, he told me that I wouldnt have to play perfect defense anymore. I told him that he doesnt know me very well from that standpoint.In the offseason, several linemen in the defensive mix bulked up and got faster. With potential phenom Tim Settle in better shape and still weighing in at above 320 pounds -- and several other linemen having added weight and muscle -- Foster is optimistic.It is hard to play perfect, he said of the defense overall, but we are looking forr excellence.ddddddddddddere are some things to watch at Virginia Tech this season:OPENING DAYThe Fuente era begins with a home game against Liberty, and the Hokies would do well to perform in a way that gives them a good feeling heading into Week Two. Thats when they will play Tennessee of the SEC at Bristol Motor Speedway, a long-anticipated matchup where 150,000 or so fans are expected to be in attendance.RECEIVER SHORTAGEIn Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips, Virginia Tech has one of the best tandems of receivers in the ACC. Fuente likes to play fast and shuttle in lots of players. That has put pressure on young receivers to learn fast, although tight end Bucky Hodges and fullback Sam Rogers are also very capable pass-catchers.LINEBACKER DEPTHFoster has several young players that he has high expectations for, and in a defensive scheme that feeds a lot of the playmaking to the linebackers, he will need several of them to be ready to prove that his expectations are warranted quickly.KEY GAMESThe matchup with the Vols is huge and has been hyped as such. But with a Coastal Division title the primary objective for the year, the Hokies games at division rivals North Carolina on Oct. 8, at home on a Thursday night against Miami on Oct. 20 and at Duke of Nov. 5 will have the most to say about their prospects.PREDICTIONThe Hokies have limped into bowl eligibility several times in recent years, leading to the change at the top. But Fuentes fast-paced system is much different that the conservative approach Beamer preferred, and while it may take some time to hit their stride, theres too much talent not to go bowling again.---Online:The APs college football page: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '