OAKVILLE, Ontario - Brendan Steele topped the Canadian Open leaderboard Thursday at 7-under 65, birdieing five of the first seven holes on his back nine at Glen Abbey.
“I love being up here,” Steele said. “I played in 2006 and 2007 on PGA Tour Canada now and really got me ready to play the Nationwide Tour, which I played in 2008, 2009 and 2010. It was a great progression in my life. I had a great time up here. Made a lot of friends and spent two summers traveling the country.”
He had a pretty good time Thursday, as well. The 30-year-old American had eight birdies and a bogey, dropping a shot on his final hole - the par-4 ninth.
“Really, just an overall good day,” said Steele, who won the 2011 Texas Open for his long PGA Tour title. “Hit a lot of good shots and was able to hole some putts. When you have a good round like that and you play that well, you kind of have everything going.”
Two golfers with Arkansas ties also had a pretty good day. Scott Gardiner of Farmington is in a three-way tie for second with Matt Kuchar and Scott Brown, and former Arkansas Razorback David Lingmerth is two strokes back and tied with Hunter Mahan at 5-under 67.
Gardiner shot 6 under on the front nine after stringing together six consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-7. He shot even par 37 on the back nine, with his lone bogey of the day coming par-5 16th.
Gardiner was tied for the lead after an eagle on the par-3 15th hole, but he bogeyed on the next hole.
“Actually, didn’t hit that bad a drive on 16, and went left and got stuck behind a tree and had to lay up,” Gardiner said. “Then I hit a pretty good shot. I missed a 4-foot putt.”
Lingmerth, who tied for second at The Players Championship in June and at the Humana Challenge in January, had six birdies in his round and one bogey.
Kuchar, a two-time winner this year, eagled the par-5 18th hole, his ninth hole of the day.
“It was fun to be out here. It was perfect conditions,” Kuchar said. “I feel like last week, conditions were so challenging and so difficult at the British Open, to come here and to play golf that is more friendly and more what we’re used to the PGA Tour was great.”
Luke Donald, Charl Schwartzel and Canadian Mike Weir shot 73, Dustin Johnson struggled to a 75, and Graeme McDowell had a 76.
Brad Fritsch was the top Canadian at 69. David Hearn, a playoff loser this month in the John Deere Classic, followed at 70.
Pat Fletcher, born in England, was the last Canadian winner, taking the 1954 event at Point Grey in Vancouver. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Albert Murray, a Canadian also born in England, won in 1908 and 1913.
CHAMPIONS TOUR Back nine propels Sauers
SOUTHPORT, England - Gene Sauers mastered a stiff breeze to shoot a 3-under 67 Thursday for a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Senior British Open.
The 50-year-old American had all pars on the front nine for a 34 at sunny Royal Birkdale, then he birdied the 10th and bogeyed the 11th. His three successive birdies from the 15th left him at 33 for the back nine.
“I hit a lot of solid shots in the wind, so it didn’t really mess with me too much,” Sauers said. “I’m really pleased with the way I played. This is only my third British Open and it’s a great privilege and honor to be here.”
Four players were at 68, among them 2010 British Senior Champion Bernhard Langer. The German was joined by South Africa’s David Frost, Australia’s Peter Senior and Frankie Minoza of the Philippines. Only 10 of the 144 players bettered par.
Sauers is 23rd on the Champions Tour money list and has made 11 cuts from 11 starts this year with two second-place finishes and a third.
At 69 were former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin and fellow Americans Gary Hallberg, John Cook and Jeff Hart as well as Australia’s Peter Fowler.
Defending champion Fred Couples and Mark O’Meara, who won the 1998 British Open at Birkdale, shot 74s. Colin Montgomerie, their playing partner and a senior rookie, was two strokes better.
Tom Kite, Steve Pate, Mark Wiebe, Rocco Mediate, Steve Jones and Tom Pernice Jr. were among a large group at 70 along with Scotland’s Sandy Lyle, Ireland’s Mark McNulty and New Zealand’s Greg Turner.
EUROPEAN TOUR Three share Russian lead
MOSCOW - Simon Dyson shot a 5-under 67 Thursday to share the lead on the opening day of the Russian Open.
Dyson is tied with Rikard Karlberg and Liang Wenchong.
Karlberg bogeyed the opening two holes but recovered with five birdies and an eagle on the long eighth. Liang, whose only European Tour title came six years ago, bogeyed the 12th but had six birdies.
Matthew Baldwin, James Morrison, Alessandro Tadini and Javier Colomo were one stroke behind.
Leaderboard PGA TOUR CANADIAN OPEN At Glen Abbey Golf Club (par 72, 7,253 yards), Oakville, Ontario Purse: $5.6 million First of four rounds Brendan Steele ...................31-34-65 Scott Gardiner .............. 29-37-66 Scott Brown .......................31-35-66 Matt Kuchar........................34-32-66 David Lingmerth ........... 32-35-67 Hunter Mahan ....................30-37-67 ALSO Tag Ridings ........................37-38-75
Friday’s results PGA TOUR
CANADIAN OPEN At Glen Abbey Golf Club Oakville, Ontario Par 72, 7,253 yards Purse: $5.6 million First of four rounds a-amateur
65 (-7) Brendan Steele .....................31-34 66 (-6) Scott Gardiner ............... 29-37 Scott Brown .........................31-35 Matt Kuchar..........................34-32
67 (-5) David Lingmerth ............ 32-35 Hunter Mahan ......................30-37
68 (-4) Chez Reavie ..........................32-36 Patrick Reed .........................33-35 Chris Kirk..............................31-37 Bubba Watson ......................33-35 Kyle Stanley ..........................34-34 Trevor Immelman.................32-36 Aaron Baddeley ....................32-36 Kevin Chappell .....................33-35 Joe Affrunti ...........................33-35
69 (-3) James Driscoll .....................35-34 Vijay Singh ...........................33-36 Stuart Appleby .....................34-35 George McNeill ....................32-37 Rory Sabbatini .....................33-36 Will Claxton ..........................34-35 James Hahn .........................31-38 Hideki Matsuyama ...............34-35 Andres Romero ....................35-34 Charley Hoffman ..................34-35 Roberto Castro .....................33-36 Gary Woodland ....................32-37 Brad Fritsch ..........................34-35
70 (-2) Greg Owen ...........................34-36 David Hearn..........................34-36 Brandt Snedeker ..................34-36 Robert Garrigus ...................36-34 Morgan Hoffmann ...............31-39 Seung-Yul Noh .....................36-34 Daniel Summerhays.............35-35 Jason Bohn ..........................34-36 Cameron Beckman...............34-36 Mark Wilson .........................33-37 Jeff Overton ..........................34-36 Ryan Palmer.........................33-37
71 (-1) Chad Campbell .....................33-38 Justin Leonard .....................34-37
Billy Horschel .......................36-35
Tim Petrovic .........................37-34
Jeff Gove ..............................34-37
Pat Perez ..............................34-37
Kyle Reifers ..........................35-36
Marcel Siem .........................33-38
Bobby Gates .........................34-37
Cameron Percy ....................33-38
Henrik Norlander ..................34-37
Roger Sloan .........................35-36
William McGirt .....................33-38
Casey Wittenberg .................34-37
Matt Every ............................33-38
Scott Piercy ..........................35-36
Ernie Els ...............................35-36
John Merrick ........................35-36
Scott Stallings ......................33-38
Sang-Moon Bae ...................36-35
Scott Langley .......................37-34
Ricky Barnes ........................36-35
Justin Bolli............................33-38
David Mathis ........................36-35
Jesse Smith..........................35-36
Si Woo Kim ..........................36-35
Andrew Svoboda ..................36-35
a-Corey Conners ..................35-36
72 (E)
D.J. Trahan ...........................36-36
Richard H. Lee .....................35-37
Jeff Maggert .........................35-37
Fabian Gomez ......................34-38
Graham DeLaet ....................34-38
Geoff Ogilvy ..........................34-38
Scott Verplank ......................36-36
Justin Hicks ..........................36-36
Troy Matteson ......................35-37
Robert Streb .........................36-36
Jin Park ................................34-38
Martin Flores ........................35-37
Ryo Ishikawa ........................33-39
Luke Guthrie .........................34-38
Cameron Tringale .................37-35
Brian Gay ..............................37-35
Jim Furyk .............................35-37
Robert Allenby .....................36-36
Brian Stuard .........................36-36
Jason Kokrak .......................35-37
Ben Kohles ...........................37-35
Alistair Presnell ....................34-38
Luke List ...............................35-37
Jim Herman .........................36-36
Michael Letzig ......................38-35
73 (+1)
Nicholas Thompson .............35-38
Charl Schwartzel ..................35-38
John Senden ........................36-37
Michael Bradley ....................33-40
Scott McCarron ....................36-37
Brian Harman .......................33-40
Greg Chalmers .....................39-34
Eric Banks ............................34-39
Steve LeBrun ........................35-38 Doug LaBelle II .....................36-37 Aaron Watkins ......................35-38 Andres Gonzales ..................36-37 Jesper Parnevik ....................35-38 Bud Cauley ...........................35-38 Luke Donald .........................35-38 Mike Weir .............................36-37 J.J. Henry .............................38-35 Tommy Gainey .....................35-38 Bob Estes .............................36-37 Colt Knost .............................38-35 Eric Meierdierks ...................35-38 Wil Collins ............................37-36 Lee Williams .........................34-39
74 (+2) Charlie Wi .............................35-39 Kevin Stadler ........................35-39 Tom Gillis .............................37-37 Mackenzie Hughes ...............35-39 Paul Haley II .........................37-37 Stephen Ames ......................35-39 Brian Davis ...........................35-39 Camilo Villegas.....................36-38 Peter Laws ...........................36-38
75 (+3) John Rollins .........................39-36 Robert Karlsson ...................36-39 Joey Snyder III .....................35-40 Dustin Johnson ....................40-35 Darron Stiles ........................36-39 Chris Stroud .........................35-40 John Huh ..............................41-34 Johnson Wagner ..................37-38 Y.E. Yang ..............................37-38 Billy Mayfair .........................34-41 Rod Pampling ......................38-37 Erik Compton .......................35-40 Tag Ridings .................. 37-38 Riley Wheeldon ....................37-38 Eugene Wong .......................41-34
76 (+4) Chris DiMarco ......................38-38 Graeme McDowell ...............36-40 Billy Andrade ........................36-40 a-Adam Svensson ................39-37 Andrew Georgiou .................38-38
77 (+5) Kevin Carrigan ......................37-40 Albin Choi .............................39-38 Bryn Parry ............................38-39 Stephen Gangluff .................36-41 Nathan Green .......................39-39 Adam Hadwin .......................37-41
79 (+7) Donald Constable .................38-41 Brian Hadley .........................38-41
82 (+10) Woody Austin.......................40-42 Derek Ernst...........................42-40
Sports, Pages 19 on 07/26/2013