Though Brandt Snedeker certainly played some fine golf in claiming his sixth career PGA Tour victory (and his second of 2013) at the RBC Canadian Open, he will be forever indebted to Hunter Mahan for helping to make it possible.  For Mahan, after carding opening rounds of 67-64 to take the halfway lead at the Glen Abbey Golf Club, withdrew unexpectedly on Saturday morning after his wife went into labor three weeks ahead of schedule back in Texas.  That left John Merrick – fresh off a course record-tying 62 on Friday – as the new halfway leader at 11 under par with Snedeker, who’d posted opening rounds of 70-69, trailing by six.  But Snedeker indeed made Saturday “moving day,” birdieing six of his first nine holes to turn in 29, then tacking on additional birdies at the 11th, 13th and 16th to post a 63 – and launch himself all the way to the top of the leaderboard.  Thus beginning the final round one ahead of rookie David Lingmerth and two up on world number six Matt Kuchar and Jason Bohn, Snedeker played a less spectacular brand of golf on Sunday, turning in one-under-par 34, then offsetting a birdie at the 10th with a difficult bogey at the par-3 12th to remain in front going into the homestretch.  But with few among his pursuers mounting a sustained charge, Snedeker posted three straight pars before a birdie at the par-5 16th served as the clinching blow.  A quartet of players tied for second, four shots in arrears, including William McGirt (who closed strongly with a 68), Dustin Johnson (who actually drew even through 16 before carding a triple-bogey seven at the 17th), Bohn (71) and Kuchar (71).  The low Canadian in the field was John Deere Classic playoff loser David Hearn (T44), though notable also was the T49 posted by Mike Weir, whose Friday 67 showed glimpses of a return from a prolonged injury-induced slump………………Playing against a predictably light field the week after the Open Championship, Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey claimed his fifth career European Tour title by winning the M2M Russian Open, played just outside of Moscow.  Despite carding seven Thursday birdies, Hoey opened the event somewhat quietly with 70 before picking up the pace markedly, first with a second-round 67 that included eight birdies, then via a sparkling Saturday 65 built around five birdies and an eagle, which vaulted him into an imposing five-shot 54-hole lead.  Hoey played steady golf on Sunday, parring his first seven holes before carding birdies at the 7th and 8th.  But with France’s Alexandre Kaleka (the defending champion), England’s Matthew Nixon and Denmark’s J.B. Hansen all giving chase, Hoey’s bogey at the long par-4 12th actually narrowed his lead to just two.  He played even steadier golf thereafter, however, posting a string of pars and, for emphasis, a birdie at the par-5 17th, making the ultimate margin of victory four over Kaleka and Nixon and five over Hansen who, following a tie for third at the Scottish Open, posted his second straight E Tour top 10.