Long-hitting List bombs way to share of lead
Unheralded golfer tied with Johnson after blistering first round
OAKVILLE, Ont. — Ladies and gentlemen, meet long-hitting Luke List.
Don’t worry, I’ll give you a moment to Google him. Most of the people wandering around Glen Abbey for the opening round of the RBC Canadian Open were probably doing the same thing.
List, a 2015 graduate of the Web. com Tour and one of the longest hitters around, went out early Thursday and, thanks in part to his length off the tee, tamed a dried out and fast track at Glen Abbey with a 6-under par 66 to grab the clubhouse lead.
Going low guaranteed him nothing but a trip before the media and a sound night’s sleep, but List, ranked an anonymous 309th in the world, was happy to take advantage of a course that got considerably tougher as the day went along.
“Got off to a great start and hung on at the end and had a couple of good up and downs,” the 31-yearold from Seattle said. “I’m trying to use my length the right way. With my length, I tried to get it in play off the tee and have a smart iron into the par 5s. If I can play them 4-under every day, all week, that would be great.”
Of course, leave it to world No. 2 Dustin Johnson to steal a bit of List’s spotlight.
Johnson posted a 66 of his own as the afternoon drew to a close to take a share of the lead. He threatened to top List, getting to 5-under with five holes to play, but gave back two shots on the 14th before closing with an eagle on the 18th to get to 6-under.
List tore it up on the par 5s, birdieing all four (he started on the 10th hole and was 5-under in the back nine), to take the clubhouse lead.
Not surprising he did so well on the par 5s, given he is ninth on the tour in driving distance at an average of 305 yards.
But when the wind kicked up a bit in the afternoon and the course got a little more sun-baked, nobody, not even Johnson, could scoot past him on the leaderboard.
Taking the lead at a PGA Tour event at any time is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a player looking to sneak into the FedEx Cup playoffs — he is 115th in the standings coming in — who has just two top-10 finishes in 22 events this season.
“I’ve been working on my mindset lately, trying to get in the right frame of mind for the rest of the year,” List said. “It’s been an up-and-down year and I’ve definitely come a long way and been working on the right things. So I’m excited.
“I’ve been playing relatively well all year. Missed a lot of cuts by one or two and sometimes that’s the way it goes. I’ve been trying to work on my head a little bit and get in a good frame of mind.”
Never mind what’s running through List’s head as he prepares for Round 2. But it will certainly help knowing the faces in his rear-view mirror aren’t exactly familiar, either.
“With my length, I tried to get it in play off the tee and have a smart iron into the par 5s.” — Luke List
Chesson Hadley, Kelly Kraft and Canadian amateur Jared du Toit, of Kimberley, B.C., are in a group one stroke behind List at 67.
Kraft, a 28-year-old from Denton, Texas, 470th in the world, got off to a sizzling start and was 6-under after just nine holes. He gave a shot back with a bogey on his 14th hole, but hung on for a great first round.
“I kind of strung something together on the back nine coming down the stretch,” Kraft said, referring to going 6-under in a span of six holes. “I was glad to make only one bogey on the front side and one bogey for the day is pretty good.”
Like Kraft, Hadley is another relative unknown on the tour. The 29-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., ranked 268th, recorded his lone PGA win more than two years ago at the Puerto Rico Open.
But Hadley made hay on the back side, going 4-under and, like most of the field, hung on during the front nine.
Former RBC Canadian Open champ Brandt Snedeker of the U.S., Zimbabwean Brendon de Jonge and Americans Cameron Tringale and Steve Wheatcroft are in a group two shots behind List at 4-under 68. Defending champ and world No. 1 Jason Day had an up-anddown opening round and finished at 3-under 69.
With an afternoon tee time for the second round, List isn’t likely to top what he did Thursday. But he’d certainly be OK with a repeat performance.
“That’s kind of the recipe I’m trying to get for myself, trying to get the same mindset, same routine and try to replicate that,” List said. “(Friday) will be a little breezy. I’ll just try to work on my pace on the greens and give myself plenty of opportunities.”
Do that and people here won’t have to ask who this Luke List dude is any more.