Silverman sets standard with Friday’s low round
Ontarian one of seven Canadians to make cut at national open, writes Dave Hilson.
OAKVILLE, ONT. We already knew Ben Silverman could go low.
But the Thornhill, Ont., native out-did himself Friday to lead the Canadian charge on Red and White Day at the RBC Canadian Open.
Silverman, who finished in a tie for 12th at last week’s Barbasol Championship after shooting a career-low 65 in the final round, fired a blemish-free 9-under 63 at Glen Abbey, just one stroke off the course record, to get to 8 under and was in contention heading into the weekend.
And it couldn’t have happened on a better day, what with the fans all decked out in red and white and miniature Canadian flags stuck in the brims of their caps to show support for the 21 homegrown golfers in the field.
“It’s perfect. I couldn’t have scripted it better, really,” Silverman said of his round that included nine birdies, five on the back nine. “I’ve got the Canadian shoes on, red and white, and I got to play 40 minutes from where I grew up, so it was awesome.”
It was a real turnaround from the first round for Silverman, who had just two birdies against three bogeys for a 73 on a day when the course was there for the taking.
That leaves him tied for 15th at 8-under 136, five strokes back of American Kevin Tway, who had 65 Friday to go with a 66 Thursday for a 13-under 131 and a one-stroke lead on Whee Kim of South Korea (67-65) and American Keegan Bradley, who matched Silverman’s 63 after shooting 69 Thursday. Nick Taylor of Abbotsford was the top Canadian overall at 9-under 135 after rounds of 68 and 67, putting him in a tie for 10th.
“It feels awesome to play this well again,” said Silverman, who has two top 10s on the PGA Tour this season and is trying to work his way into the FedEx Cup playoffs and secure his card for next season. “I haven’t gone this low since last year when I won on the Web.com Tour. Things were clicking, I knew exactly where the ball was going and putts were falling. It was awesome, a lot of fun.”
Not that Glen Abbey wasn’t there for the taking Friday. The course was nice and soft and receptive after heavy rains Thursday caused more than a two-hour delay and an eventual stoppage in play, but the wind was up a little bit.
Robert Garrigus went out early Thursday and fired a 63 that stood as the clubhouse lead when play was halted due to lack of light. But it didn’t take long Friday before players started to surpass Garrigus, who could manage only an even-par 72 in his second round.
For his part in shooting 63, Bradley’s card included eagles on three of the four par-5s on the course and he closed out his round by going birdie, eagle, birdie, eagle.
“That was wild,” said Bradley, who sits 52nd overall in the FedEx Cup standings and is looking to work his way into the top 30. “It turned kind of an average day out here into something really special. There’s not many courses you can do that on like you can out here. That’s what makes it such a great event.”
Bradley, who has three top 10s this season, joined Tommy Fleetwood as the first players to have three eagles in the same round since 2015. Fleetwood did the trick during the first round.
Byeong Hun An of South Korea and American Johnson Wagner shared fourth place at 11 under par.
As for Taylor, he was buoyed by the fact that he birdied four of his final five holes to come in with his 67 after shooting 68 on Thursday.
“I hit it a lot better today, but made some silly bogeys,” said Taylor, whose last win on the PGA Tour came at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2015.
Taylor currently sits 127th in the FedEx Cup standings. Those at 125 or better secure their full status on the PGA Tour for next season. The next 50 go to the Web.com Tour playoffs.
O CANADA!
In all, seven Canadians made the cut set at minus 4.
Chris Crisologo, a 22-yearold member of Golf Canada’s national amateur squad who is making his first PGA Tour start, shot a 69 to get to 7 under for the tournament.
“You know, the more opportunities you get, obviously you’re going to get a breakthrough eventually,” the Richmond native said after his round. “Obviously it’s my first Canadian Open, so really I’m just out here to enjoy the moment and make the most of this opportunity.”
Roger Sloan of Merritt matched Crisologo’s number to also get to 7 under.
Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, a winner on the PGA Tour last season, shot his second straight 69 to get to 6 under.
Calgary’s Ryan Yip and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., both sit at 4 under after firing 72.
“I didn’t give myself nearly as many chances today,” Hearn said. “I missed a couple fairways getting going.”
Those who failed to make the cut included world No. 55 Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford at 3 under. He had come into the tournament as the top-ranked Canadian.
“This is pretty much a microcosm of my season so far,” said Hadwin, who has three top 10s this season, but none since March. Also missing the cut were Jared du Toit at 3 under, a contender here in 2016; Corey Conners at 2 under after coming into the tournament ranked 126th in the FedEx Cup standings; and 2003 Masters champion Mike Weir, who finished at 2 over.