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"I've always told myself I'm not going unless I'm in the tournament," Piercy said.
He also went to No. 13 in the FedEx Cup standings, leaving him in reasonable shape to advance to the Tour Championship for the first time and get into all the majors.
Piercy is on the A-list of power players in golf, though he doesn't get much attention without winning big tournaments. That's what led to his comments about "boring golf" on the classic design at Hamilton. He prefers to smash drivers and attack flags. Hamilton is about position.
It raised the eyebrows of proud Canadians when he said that Friday -- after opening with rounds of 62-67 to share the lead going into the weekend -- because Hamilton is regarded as among the best on the Canadian Open rotation.
Lost in those comments was how much fun it would be to win the tournament. And that's how it felt.
Reminded of that comment, with the silver trophy from golf's third-oldest championship at his side, he smiled.
"That was taken a little out of context," he said. "I like to hit driver a lot, and this golf course I felt took the driver out of my hands. I did say, however, that at the end of the week if the score is good, it is exciting. So I'm pretty excited."
It was anything but boring at the start of his round, when he quickly erased a two-shot deficit by running off four straight birdies. He used iron off the tee for the first two birdies, then turned to his power.
First, he blasted a 5-iron from 236 yards in the rough onto the green on the par-5 fourth hole for a two-putt birdie. Then, he hit driver onto the green at the 296-yard fifth hole for another two-putt birdie.
He never imagined playing the rest of the way at 1-over par and winning the tournament. His 263 tied the record set by Johnny Palmer in 1952 at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba. That leaves The Barclays (Bob Gilder in 1982) as the tournament that has gone the longest without its scoring record being matched or beaten.
Piercy, meanwhile, was only slightly disappointed at not going to the Reno-Tahoe Open, a special tournament for him because it was his first PGA Tour win.
Because play was so brisk at Hamilton, CBS Sports had time to fill in its broadcast, so the interviews with players were longer than usual.
Piercy was sure to thank his sponsors -- one on front of his cap, two more on his shirt sleeve, his equipment sponsor and an apparel sponsor. "Thanks for sticking by me," said the guy who replaced a chip on his shoulder with a big silver trophy.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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