Some of Canada’s best are in the mix at Hamilton Golf and Country Club on the first day of the RBC Canadian Open
Soft conditions and little wind—ingredients in the recipe for a low score at the RBC Canadian Open. Those benign conditions allowed former PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley to shoot 7-under 63 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ont., in the opening round. But he’s not alone—Canadians Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes and David Hearn are close behind after the conclusion of play Thursday.
“It was just solid top to bottom,” said Bradley. “I hit almost every fairway, almost every green, and then holed some putts.”
That led to a clean card on the day, with three consecutive birdies to end the front nine.
There’s a number of big names near the top of the leaderboard, including stars like Matt Kuchar, Jimmy Walker, and Graeme McDowell.
Rory McIlroy is one of the most notable names in the field, and carded a 3-under par round of 67, which he characterized as about the worst score he could have posted. But he praised the tournament and the large effusive galleries that followed the players all day.
“The crowds really come out and support this event, which is great to see,” he said. “They’ve assembled a wonderful field this year. I think the change has definitely helped us, and I think leading into the U.S. Open I think we’re going to continue to see the fields improve here in Canada.”
Canuck Charge
With 26 Canadians in the field, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that several of Canada’s best are near the top of the leaderboard. British Columbia’s Nick Taylor is in a tie for second at 6-under par. Near Taylor is Adam Hadwin (5-under), as well as Drew Nesbitt, David Hearn and Mackenzie Hughes, all at 4-under. In all, 13 Canadians were even par or better on the day. Taylor said despite not having a great record of success at the Canadian Open, he’s off to a solid start.
“I think probably I put a little too much pressure on myself,” he said. “I tried to come in this week—I knew I was playing pretty well—and just kind of see the shots and try and hit them,” he said. “I think this course, Hamilton, suits my game more than Glen Abbey. I think it’s more about plotting along here a little bit. You got to hit fairways. It’s not really a bomb-and-gouge type golf course because the rough is so high.”
Hadwin was pleased with his round, though he said he wasn’t overly familiar with Hamilton, having only played a handful of rounds at the course previously. But the support of the fans—including a loud and excited group at the Rink, the hockey-themed area surrounding the par 3 13th—was felt by Hadwin.
“It’s always great to coming back to Canada and play,” he said. “The support is there whether you play well or not, and seems to be a little bit more there playing well. It’s good feeling, something I hope to continue on for the next three days.”
Celebrating the Raptors
Mackenzie Hughes had fun with the crowd on 13, pulling out a Kawhi Leonard jersey to celebrate the success of the Toronto Raptors star.
“I thought Raps are having an incredible run,” Hughes said. “Normally I’d rock the Leafs’ jersey, but I thought given that Toronto, the Raptors are on this run, I thought it would be cool to support them.”
Hughes looked like he’d be near the top of the leaderboard heading into Friday. But a missed birdie on 17, and a costly double-bogey on the final hole of the day put a damper on what otherwise was a strong round. Hughes, who grew up in nearby Dundas, Ont., tried to take the positive from the experience.
“If I had doubled the first and shot a 66, it would’ve felt okay, but dinner won’t taste as good tonight,” he said. “But I played awesome. I made one lapse of concentration on 18 and hit a bad tee shot and compounded the mistake. All in all, it was really solid. It just stings a little bit.”