Finau, McIlroy share top spot
U.S. player shoots a round of 62 to move up the board
Tony Finau birdied the final hole Saturday for an 8-under 62 and a share of the RBC Canadian Open lead with defending champion Rory McIlroy.
“I didn’t finish the way I wanted to yesterday and I think all it did was kind of light a fire in my belly to get after it today,” Finau said. “That’s pretty much what I did. I made some birdies and I just played really clean golf.”
McIlroy had a 65 to match Finau at 11-under 199 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club.
“I’m just happy to give myself a chance, be in the final group,” McIlroy said. “Once I saw, I think Tony had got to 10 or maybe 11, I think I was on like 8 or 9 at the time. I just said to myself, ‘Let’s just try to get yourself in the final group.’”
McIlroy had to wait three years to defend his 2019 title because of the COVID -19 pandemic that canceled golf ’s fourtholdest championship the past two years.
“I need to set myself a number and be super aggressive,” McIlroy said. “I know I’m going to have to make some birdies out there to win this thing tomorrow.”
Finau had the best round of the week, eagling the par-5 ninth in a frontnine 29 and making four birdies and a bogey on the final nine. He won the FedEx Cup playoff opener last season at Riviera for his second PGA Tour win.
“I knew I was playing well, but at any given moment on this golf course you can make a number,” Finau said. “So, there’s no reason to get ahead of myself. I just tried to stay in the moment as much as I could and put together a nice round all the way to the end.”
PGA champion Justin Thomas (63), Colonial winner Sam Burns (65), Wyndham Clark (68) and Alex Smalley (67) were 9 under.
LPGA: Frida Kinhult birdied the par-5 18th for a 4-under 67 and the second-round lead in the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Lauren Coughlin was a stroke back after a bogey-free 65.
Champions: Thongchai Jaidee shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday for a share of the second-round lead with Miguel Angel Jimenez in the PGA Tour Champions’ American Family Insurance Championship.
European tours: Swedish golfer Linn Grant was flying the flag for the women at the Scandinavian Mixed event after producing a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round. After three rounds of a tournament that sees men and women play on the same course for one prize fund and one trophy, Grant is the only female player in the top 16 at Halmstad Golf Club.
Curtis Cup: Amari Avery won two more matches Saturday to help the United States take an 81⁄2-31⁄2 lead over Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup, with eight singles matches set for Sunday at Merion Golf Club.