Snedeker leading after father-to-be Mahan withdraws
OAKVILLE: Brandt Snedeker fired a nineunder-par 63 on Saturday to take the lead at the Canadian Open, where overnight leader Hunter Mahan withdrew to be at the birth of his first child.
Mahan, who led the US$5.6 million PGA Tour event by two strokes after Friday’s second round, was on the practice range prepping for his weatherdelayed third round when he received word that his wife, Kandi, had gone into labour. He departed right away for Dallas.
‘‘Kandi and I are thrilled about this addition to the Mahan family and we look forward to returning to the Canadian Open in the coming years,’’ Mahan said in a statement released after he had already left Glen Abbey.
In his absence, Snedeker stepped up with a bogey-free round that gave him a 14-under-par total of 202 and a onestroke lead over Sweden’s David Lingmerth.
Lingmerth recovered from an opening bogey to post a seven-under 65, capped by an eagle at the par-five 18th.
Americans Matt Kuchar (64) and Jason Bohn (66) were tied for third on 204, while a group of five players on 205
Brandt Snedeker shot a nine-under-par to lead the Canadian Open. included Dustin Johnson — who climbed up the leaderboard with a 63 — and John Merrick, who followed up a course record-equalling 62 on Friday with a 72 thanks to an eagle at the last.
England’s Greg Owen (67) and Americans Kyle Stanley (66) and Charley Hoff- man (67) were also in the group on 205.
Snedeker, who won at Pebble Beach in February but has battled to regain his form after a rib injury that followed, didn’t know Mahan had pulled out until he reached the seventh tee, when he noticed Mahan’s name had disappeared from the leaderboard.
‘‘That just kind of left the tournament wide open,’’ said Snedeker, the reigning FedEx Cup champion who had already birdied four of the first six holes thanks in large part to solid putting on the course’s rain-softened greens.
He arrived at the par-five 18th needing a birdie to match the course record of 62 — most recently equalled by Merrick a day before.
A tee shot into the left rough ended his record bid, but a par was enough for the lead.
‘‘I had a couple of good chances coming down the stretch,’’ Snedeker said.
‘‘I just kind of had a couple of loose drives. Eighteen — you hate to miss that fairway because it’s such a beautiful par-five today.’’