Ontario amateur biggest surprise of first round
Taylor Pendrith fires 65 to sit one shot back
MONTREAL — Michael Putnam and Tim Petrovic mastered the afternoon winds to shoot 6-under-par 64s and take a share of the firstround lead at the $5.7-million US RBC Canadian Open on Thursday.
But the surprise of the day was big-hitting amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., who shot 5-under 65 for a share of third place with Kyle Stanley.
Putnam and Petrovic played bogey-free golf at the 7,153-yard par-70 Blue Course at Royal Montreal on a near perfect day for scoring, with sunny weather and soft greens from heavy rains the previous day.
A gusty wind came in for the those with afternoon starts, but it didn’t stop Putnam or Petrovic from shooting the low scores of the day, which set the course record for an opening round.
“It was tough ball-striking, but somehow I was able to keep it in the fairway and take advantage of the soft greens to hit a couple of shots close and make a couple of five-to-ten-foot putts,” said Putnam, who has been playing his best golf of the season of late with top-35 finishes in his last three outings.
The 47-year-old Petrovic didn’t know he would play until he got a call on Tuesday saying he was in as the seventh alternate.
The former PGA Tour regular, playing only his eighth Tour event this season, didn’t even have his name on the program.
“I didn’t set my expectations high because I got in late, so this was kind of my practice round,” said Petrovic. “I walked the back nine (Wednesday).
“It wasn’t that I played conservative. I was just trying to hit fairways and greens, trying to see the golf course and see if I could make a few putts. I drove the ball pretty good overall.”
There were 11 players tied at 4-under 66, including Nick Watney and Charl Schwartzel, and another 16 at 3-under 67, including David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and twotime Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk.
Another dozen were at 2-under 68 and there were 23 at 1-under 69, including Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and defending champion Brandt Snedeker.
The 23-year-old Pendrith, Canada’s top amateur, had a dream day at his first Canadian Open. He recently graduated from Kent State University and hopes to play in the world amateur championships before likely turning pro in the fall.
Although it’s early, he’s one stroke off the lead of a tournament no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
“I never expected that,” said Pendrith. “I was playing good golf coming in here, so I just played golf.”
He played in the last threesome to tee off in the afternoon, when the worst of the wind was up, but used his long drives to cut through the tree-lined fairways and get close to the greens. He had seven birdies, including one on a putt that trickled in on the 18th, and two bogeys.