Bud Cauley braves storm and star-studded field to claim maiden win at RBC Canadian Open

The American closed with a five under 65 at a wet 'n wild TPC Toronto, enough to take him to 17 under for the tournament, edging US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick by two strokes.

Key to Cauley's win was a clutch back nine. He rolled in a birdie from four feet on the par three 11th, holed out from 93 feet on the 12th, then drained a pair of 14-foot putts on the 13th and 15th holes to complete his birdie blitz.

He slipped on the 17th with a bogey, but had enough of a cushion, and parred the final hole to clinch the silverware.

"It was obviously playing difficult with the rain and the wind," quipped Cauley.

"The conditions were so much different today than they were the first three days. I feel like my game was in a pretty good spot, I was hitting some pretty good shots."

It was a watershed moment for the 36-year-old, who sustained six broken ribs, a collapsed right lung and a fractured left leg in a car accident in 2018.

"There were times when I was hurt that we really weren't sure if I was going to be able to play again," he reflected.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick closed with a six-under 64 that gave him a solo second finish and the FedEx Cup lead heading into the US Open.

"I would have taken it at the start of the week," said the Englishman.

"I felt like there was a lot of good stuff in there, just needed to have it come out. My putting was a little bit of a struggle last week and I feel like I got a bit of a better process for what I'm working on this week, and that showed today, I putted really solid."

Fitzpatrick's Ryder Cup teammate Viktor Hovland was alone in third at 14 under after a solid 65 in the final round.