The list of players still with a chance to win the RBC Canadian Open might stretch to the American border.

It’s a logjam affair at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, where third-round action briefly featured a startling 11-way tie for the lead. When the dust settled through 54 holes, Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox shared the lead at 14-under with another 13 players within three shots of the lead. Where things go from here will be anyone’s guess, but another batch of low scores can be expected in a drama-filled final round.

To get you prepared for the finale north of the border, here are five things to know about the overnight leaders and those within striking distance:

Italian renaissance

Manassero is a former teen prodigy, having finished T13 at the 2009 Open at age 16 and winning the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour at age 20. But he also endured some lean years, and now at age 32 has seen both sides the game has to offer.

Manassero earned his TOUR card last year thanks to his DP World Tour success, but with just two top-25 finishes in 11 starts this season, he has work to do to retain his playing privileges. Those concerns could be washed away Sunday, should Manassero turn a share of the lead into his first career win in the U.S.

Manassero birdied No. 18 to close out a third-round 64 and reach 14 under, and Fox pulled off the same trifecta a few minutes later to join him at the top. Manassero could cash in much of the promise his teen years seemed to offer with a win Sunday, and he’ll take a balanced perspective to the first tee as he looks to grab hold of the trophy.

“It’s definitely made me more mature and much better perspective towards golf, which at one point was everything,” Manassero said. “I try to get a good attitude, a good thought process, talk well to myself. Very basic things, but that’s what I learned.”

Oakmont within reach

Fox has had success on the DP World Tour, but the Kiwi didn’t get his first PGA TOUR win until last month at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He followed that up with a pair of solid results, finishing T28 at the PGA Championship and T20 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

Fox has his eyes on win No. 2, but there are other implications as it pertains to next week’s U.S. Open. Fox entered the week ranked No. 75, and the top 60 in next week’s rankings will earn exemptions in next week’s major field. Because Fox’s win in Myrtle Beach came in an additional event, he’s not in line for the exemption that comes for winning two full-FedExCup point events since last year’s U.S. Open – but he could still crack the top 60, and likely will with a top-5 finish. Keep the OWGR calculators ready.

Return from injury

Lee Hodges admitted he wasn’t paying attention when he went to get his car from the valet lot in February.

On the Monday of tournament week at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, Hodges tripped over some steps and fell, breaking a rib and leading to six weeks away from the game.

“It’s the first injury I’ve ever dealt with in my entire life,” Hodges said. “Only a kidney stone is the worst thing I’ve ever been through. So that was number two.”

Hodges broke through for his first PGA TOUR win at the 2023 3M Open, and he had gotten off to a solid start in 2025 that included top-10 finishes in Hawaii and Arizona. His return from injury has been a struggle, though, as he missed five straight cuts before a T53 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

His 7-under 63 tied the low round of the day Saturday, and now he’ll have a chance to cap his return in a big way while starting the final round just one shot off the pace.

“I think I’m just getting comfortable,” Hodges said. “I finally feel really, really good, and whether that (injury) threw my swing off or threw my feels off, I’m not sure. But it feels good now, so that’s been nice.”

Search for a second win

Two of the contenders at 13-under got their maiden PGA TOUR win last fall: Kevin Yu (Sanderson Farms Championship) and Matt McCarty (Black Desert Championship). Both have worked to find their footing as newly established TOUR winners, but Sunday could be the start of a new chapter with both men teeing off at 13-under, one shot off the lead.

While McCarty is already exempt for the U.S. Open, Yu would qualify with a victory. McCarty didn’t crack the top 50 until early March this year, and more recently has endured a stretch of three cuts in his last five starts. But the other two finishes went for top-15 results, and he’s once again contending.

“There’s some freedom that comes with just trying to have fun and play good golf. So play the game more than golf swing or score or whatever,” McCarty said. “Obviously hitting better shots helps with that too, and I feel like that’s been a little bit of a thing.”

Yu missed the playoff in Myrtle Beach by a shot, but that remains his only top-10 result this year in 16 starts.

Native son

Two years after Nick Taylor thrilled the Canadian crowds with his playoff victory, the native son with the best chance to win is Mackenzie Hughes, who sits two shots off the lead at 12 under. The last time the PGA TOUR was in Canada, Hughes was chugging a beer on the first tee in an attempt to serve as an emotional lightning rod for the Presidents Cup crowds at Royal Montreal. He played well that week in a losing effort, but now is poised for what would be the biggest win of his professional career.

Hughes lost in a playoff last month in Myrtle Beach, and he has two prior victories to his credit. He’s gotten better each day, from an opening 68 to a second-round 66 and a 64 in the third round that featured eight birdies and a back-nine 31.

Hughes recalled being a standard bearer at the 2003 event at Hamilton Golf & Country Club and now has a chance to author a new chapter of tournament history like Taylor did two years ago.

“I’ve dreamt from a young age about doing something like this,” Hughes said. “Now that I actually get to do it, I tell myself, ‘Hey, you’ve got to lean into this. You’ve got to embrace it and enjoy it.’”

Two other Canadians will enter the final round with longshot title hopes, as Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith sit among a group at 10 under, tied for 15th and four shots off the lead.