Featured Group: Glover, Fowler, Kim

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At each PGA TOUR event this season, a featured pairing will be highlighted prior to the first round. Here is the featured group for Thursday and Friday at the RBC Canadian Open.

RBC CANADIAN: TOUR Report | Tee Times | Power Rankings | Picks | Sleepers | Youth v. Establishment

For the RBC Canadian Open, we've chosen Lucas Glover, Rickie Fowler and Anthony Kim -- three top Americans who look to build on their strong finishes last week in the British Open.

Lucas Glover, 32, is the veteran of the group. He finished 12th at Royal St. George's last week, behind young guns Rickie Fowler and Anthony Kim, who both tied for fifth.

Glover has been a steady performer on the PGA TOUR since his breakthrough win at the 2009 U.S. Open. This year, he won for the third time on TOUR at the Wells Fargo Championship, defeating former Clemson University teammate Jonathan Byrd in a playoff. Most fans probably know him for his thick beard, though. Glover's facial hair has received so much attention that it currently has its own page on both Facebook and Twitter.

Glover said he grew the beard out of laziness, but there's not a thing lazy about his game. The South Carolinian is ranked 36th in FedExCup points and has a fluid swing that produces consistent results.

He's also one of the best putters on TOUR, ranked seventh in the Strokes Gained Putting category, which should help him navigate Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club's poa putting surfaces.

Kim, 26, has an excellent track record at the RBC Canadian Open. He finished tied for eighth in 2008 and tied for third in 2009, but he was not able to play in the event last year.

Kim suffered an injury to his left thumb in 2010 that required surgery and caused him to miss most of the season. This year, he went three months without a top 50 but got back on track at last week's British Open.

Two months ago, Kim started working on basics such as his grip, stance and posture with his swing coach, which he said has turned things around for him.

"Even though I took a step back I feel like I'm moving two steps forward," Kim said.

Kim ranked in the top 25 in driving distance from 2006 to 2009, but has fallen to 82nd in the category last year and 70th this year. He was hitting longer drives last week, however, and looks ready to move past the injury and return to the form that led him to three wins on TOUR and made him one of the most talked about young player in the game.

Fowler is known for his ultra-flashy wardrobe, but he showed last week at the British Open that he's not afraid to dirty his stylish threads. Fowler played in some of the worst conditions of any player at Sandwich -- soaking rain and torrential wind, but he still managed to notch his first top 5 finish in a major.

Last year, Fowler finished in the top 10 seven times, earning PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors, but he has yet to win an event on TOUR. He's been very close though, finishing in second place three times in his first two full seasons.

Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club's par-70 layout should be a good fit for Fowler. Its lack of par 5s shouldn't bother him -- he's ranked fourth on TOUR in birdies per round and 15th in driving distance, which means he can make any hole a birdie hole.

PGA TOUR Season Summary   Lucas Glover Rickie Fowler Anthony Kim   2011 Top-10s 1 3 2 Current FEC Rank 36th 41st 85th 2010 FEC Rank 47th 19th 14th Career at the RBC Canadian Open Appearances 1 0 2 Wins 0 0 0 Top-10s 0 0 2 Best finish T28 NA T3 Last Appearance/Finish 2005/T28th NA 2009/T3 Round 1 Scoring Avg. 65.00 NA 67.00 Round 2 Scoring Avg. 72.00 NA 67.50

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