Pressure falls on Delaet and Hearn

ANCASTER — Barring some stunning, unforeseen reversal of fortune for Mike Weir, the yoke of responsibility for “breaking the curse,” as Graham DeLaet describes it, now rests on some younger shoulders.

This week, it looks as if the primary suspects to become this country’s first native- born Canadian Open golf champion in nearly a century are Saskatchewan native DeLaet and David Hearn of Brantford.

But … no pressure, guys. Why should expectations get out of control for a feat that has escaped multiple generations of golfers since Karl Keffer won the Open in 1914?

Officially, Pat Fletcher is listed as the last Canadian winner, in 1954, but he was born in England and moved to Canada as a youngster, at a time when, as a British subject, he automatically got citizenship by moving here.

Weir came agonizingly close in 2004, losing the final-round lead down the stretch to Vijay Singh.

So Thursday, DeLaet and Hearn, with a nod toward Adam Hadwin, will be the most likely winning candidates among the 23 Canadians who will tee it up in the first round at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

Both are having decent seasons and should easily retain their PGA Tour cards. Hearn has won $731,615, (97th on the money list); DeLaet has banked $674,230 (No. 106).

DeLaet, who missed most of 2011 after back surgery, was playing this season on a medical exemption and needed to make just over $668,000 (the amount that the 125th- ranked player earned last season) to earn playing privileges for the rest of the season. He accomplished that a couple of weeks ago.