OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Tournament leader Hunter Mahan withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Saturday after his wife went into labor.
The 31-year-old American was at 13 under after 36 holes and had yet to tee off in the third round when he got a call saying wife Kandi had gone into labor. The American rushed to the airport for a flight to Texas.
On Sunday morning he tweeted that his wife had given birth to a baby girl.
What a whirlwind of a day, but I'm happy to announce the birth of my daughter Zoe Olivia Mahan born at 3:26 am. Thanks for all the support!
— Hunter Mahan (@HunterMahan) July 28, 2013
Both Baby and Mom are doing great. Thanks to all to my sponsors who appreciate what's important in life and all my fans for being Awesome!
— Hunter Mahan (@HunterMahan) July 28, 2013
The sudden departure put the spotlight on Brandt Snedeker who grabbed the top spot a few hours later Saturday.
Snedeker had a 9-under 63 at Glen Abbey to take the lead at 14 under after the rain-delayed third round.
Dustin Johnson also shot 63 in rainy conditions on Saturday and sits at 11 under after 54 holes.
Johnson didn't get news that Mahan, whose wife's due date was still a month away, was returning to Dallas until late in his round.
"It's one of those situations where you probably wouldn't expect him to have to leave. But sometimes that's just how it works," said Johnson, who played with Mahan through the first two rounds.
Mahan charged into the lead Friday with an 8-under 64 to improve on his 67 from the first round.
His start time had initially been set for 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday before play was suspended for 80 minutes because of the threat of lightning in the area.
Mahan had been rescheduled to tee off at 2:50 p.m. but never made it to the course and instead rushed to the airport.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
