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Albin Choi

Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. and Toronto's Albin Choi head the list of Canadians who have been given exemptions into this month's RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

Hadwin, a two-time winner of the Rivermead Cup as the Low Canadian at Canada's National Open Championship, will be making his fourth appearance at the Canadian Open. Hadwin has had a bit of a rough go on the Web.com Tour this year, making seven of 12 cuts but he is coming off his best finish of the year, a fifth place result at the United Leasing Championship.

Choi recently completed a standout collegiate career at NC State, opting to forgo his senior year and turned pro at the season-opening PGA Tour Canada event in Victoria. Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, called Choi "hands down, the best amateur I have ever played with" after being paired with the 20-year-old last year at the Canadian Open in Hamilton, where he went on to capture the Rivermead Cup.

Exemptions were also extended to Web.com Tour player Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., PGA Tour Canada player Eugene Wong of Vancouver and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., who is coming off his first ever U.S. Open experience.

A total of 13 Canadians are confirmed for the RBC Canadian Open which includes PGA Tour regulars Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont., Stephen Ames of Calgary and Mike Weir of Bright's Grove, Ont.

Three other Canadians earned their way into the field led by Kevin Carrigan of Victoria, winner of the 2012 Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship, Bryn Parry of Vancouver, who captured the PGA of Canada Championship to finish atop the player rankings and Brian Hadley of Sarnia, Ont., who claimed the exemption for winning the Ontario Regional Qualifier held Tuesday at Greystone Golf Club in Milton, Ont.

All of them will be looking to become the first Canadian since Pat Fletcher in 1954 to win Canada's National Open title.

Four more exemptions will be handed out at the final Monday qualifier set for July 22nd at Heron Point Golf Links in Alberton, Ont., while another three entries are available through the PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit following the conclusion of the Player's Championship in Winnipeg.

A world class field of PGA Tour stars have already committed to the event including Matt Kuchar, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Bubba Watson, Ernie Els, two-time champion Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy, who will return to defend the title he won a year ago in Hamilton.

For ticket or tournament information, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com or call 1-800-571-6736.

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