TORONTO – The warm sun pierced the cloudy skies during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open, even when the PGA Tour was overshadowed by other news in the world of golf.
Wyndham Clark maintained his lead at the club to finish the first round of the Canadian Open at the top of the rankings. None of the wave on Thursday afternoon came close to the American’s 7-year-olds.
“I haven’t shot low in a while,” Clark said. “I’ve had a few under denominations, 3, 4 under money in my last few tournaments, but I really had the feeling that I left a lot of shots out there.
“This round I maximized almost everything there.”
Matt Fitzpatrick finished second, with a shot behind Clark, in the 111th edition of the Canadian National Golf Championship for men. Doug Gim and Harold Warner III were tied for third with 5 fewer. Warner was the only player in the afternoon to break through the top three.
Clouds in the morning and afternoon kept the golf course in the golf and country club St. George’s soft. The strong wind helped keep the temperature lower, but led to some drives in the long raw materials.
“I knew you had to get on the fairway, and that’s all I really focused on,” Warner said. “It’s been quite windy outside, it’s just hard to get where you need to be to celebrate.”
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., Was a short Canadian. He was tied for fifth by 4 fewer with Tony Finau, Lee Hodges and defending champion Rory McIlroy.
“You do all the tournaments on Thursday,” Hughes said. “You can’t win on Thursday, but you can get away with it.”
Even as players and fans celebrated the return of the Canadian Open – canceled in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic – controversy plagued the event as it clashed with a new rival.
LIV Golf Invitational, which hopes to replace the PGA Tour as the best men’s golf chain in the world, is hosting its first event this week at the Centurion Club outside London, England. The Saudi-backed league offers large sums of money to some of the best players in the sport.
Dustin Johnson, the 2018 Canadian Open champion, is the biggest name to give way so far. He resigned from his PGA Tour membership on Tuesday.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced on Thursday morning that anyone who jumped on the ship to the first league will no longer be eligible for PGA Tour events. The ban includes participation in the Presidents Cup, for which the international team is determined by the world rankings.
Monahan said in a note to tour members that even if players resigned before the first LIV event outside London, England, they would not be allowed to play on the PGA Tour events as non-members, receiving a sponsor’s waiver.
“I am satisfied. I think everyone who is shocked has obviously not listened to the message that Jay and everyone is sending, “said world number 6 Justin Thomas in St. George’s after shooting 1-69. They took that risk by entering it, regardless whether they thought it was a risk or not. “
McIlroy said he would watch what he could from the LIV event on YouTube – CHCH TV in Hamilton is Canada’s only channel to show the tournament, but it will air on the final round on Saturday – but he agreed with Monahan’s decision to punish the deserters.
“I think most of the members who are here this week who haven’t gone and played elsewhere really appreciate that,” McIlroy said. “So I think (Monahan) did the right thing because these guys broke the rules and did things outside the tournament rules.”
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