Ryan Fox of New Zealand and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland will enter the weekend tied for the lead at the RBC Canadian Open after strong rounds Friday at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario.
MacIntyre shot a 4-under 66 early in the day to be the first to reach 10-under 130 for the tournament. Fox got hot in the afternoon and tied MacIntyre at 10 under by shooting a 6-under 64. It’s the first time either player holds a 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
The duo is two shots ahead of Joel Dahmen, whose bogey-free 65 on Friday pushed him into third place at 8 under. Canadian Mackenzie Hughes matched Fox’s 64 for the round of the day and moved into a tie at 7 under with Andrew Novak (67) and first-round leader David Skinns of England (71).
MacIntyre’s bogey-free round saw him make two birdies on each nine. His approach shots were dialed in on the back nine, as he left himself just a 7-footer for birdie at No. 12 and a 5-footer at No. 15.
MacIntyre, now bogey-free through 36 holes, has his father Dougie caddying for him for the first time in a PGA Tour event.
“We’re just kind of learning on the run — well, he is, he’s learning on the run and I’m kind of trying to stay as calm as I can,” MacIntyre said. “When I do miss a shot, I’m not trying to get too annoyed. Yeah, we’re just trying to have as much fun as we can.”
Fox started on the back nine and birdied four holes going out. Consecutive birdies at the fourth and fifth got him to 10 under, and after a bogey at the next hole, Fox rolled in a 14-foot birdie, his seventh of the round, on the par-4 ninth to match MacIntyre again.
“This is my first time playing in Canada in about 12 years,” Fox said. “… I’ve enjoyed my time so far here. Golf course kind of suits my eye. Similar grass to what we play at home. Similar kind of old style, tree-lined golf course, which is what I grew up on. Hopefully I can keep it rolling over the weekend like that.”
Hughes had an eventful day as the Canadian galleries voiced their support. After opening with a birdie at No. 10, he holed out for eagle from the rough at the par-4 12th hole. One bogey and four birdies later, Hughes carded a second eagle by making a 12-foot putt at the par-5 fourth.
That got him to 8 under for his round and 9 under for the tournament, but a bogey-bogey before the final hole put a damper on his day.
“I’ve had a few minutes to process the round and kind of the whole day, and while the finish was disappointing, I look at the whole body of work,” Hughes said. “… If you told me I was going to shoot 64, I would have taken it. So it gets me into contention for the weekend and that’s all I can ask for.”
Rory McIlroy, the highest-ranked player in the field and a two-time Canadian Open champion, struggled to a 2-over 72, and the Northern Irishman dropped to 2 under for the tournament.
The tournament cut was even par, and defending champion Nick Taylor of Canada (3 over) did not reach the weekend. Other notables to miss the cut included Cameron Young (1 over), Canadians Mike Weir (1 over) and Adam Hadwin (2 over) and World No. 12 Sahith Theegala (5 over).
–Field Level Media
