CALEDON, Ont. — A traffic jam has formed at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the RBC Canadian Open.
Following morning showers that gave way to hot and humid conditions, TPC Toronto offered receptive greens and soft fairways, setting the stage for low scores. The result was a six-way tie for first place, featuring a Canadian golfer, with 18 players within one shot of the lead.
Matthew Anderson Shines on Home Soil
Mississauga’s Matthew Anderson, playing in the final group of the day, shot a six-under-par 64 to join the leaders. “Just tried to keep going and see where we end up,” Anderson said of his steady climb up the leaderboard at his national open.
The 26-year-old, who competes on the Korn Ferry Tour, had missed his last five cuts. “I obviously haven’t played my best recently like on Korn Ferry,” he said. “You’re always working on stuff. You’re always working on things you can get a little better at, and you never know when it’s going to click. It happened to kind of click today.”
Star-Studded Leaderboard
The group at the top includes Brooks Koepka, Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, Eric Cole, and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo. Koepka played alongside former Canadian Open champions Nick Taylor and Ryan Fox. Fox, the defending champion, shot a four-under 66, while Taylor carded a three-under 67.
“We had a good time. Obviously it’s a good group,” Koepka said. “I enjoy playing with those guys. They’re quite fun and chatty while we’re playing, which is great. Then the fans were great. So that’s all you can ask for any time you tee it up.”
Wind Presents Challenge
Despite ideal scoring conditions, the wind at TPC Toronto kept scores from dipping into the low 60s. “The wind was tricky, because it wasn’t heavy, but it was enough where you kind of get it to swirl, and you get in those trees,” Koepka said.
Theegala echoed that sentiment: “The way the holes are, the way the whole course is designed, there’s a ton of cross wind with this west, southwest kind of wind. Pretty much every hole felt like some sort of the cross wind, so it’s tricky. … You have to start it in the fescue with the crosswinds. Just have to really commit. It’s easy to hit some foul balls out here.”
Canadian Contingent Strong
One shot behind the leaders is an 11-player group at five under par, including Canadian Adam Svensson and fan-favourite Shane Lowry. “I hit the ball extremely solid. I think I missed one fairway,” Svensson said. “This golf course is difficult. You’ve got to putt well, got to do everything well, and I feel like I did that today.”
Taylor Pendrith, who started his round with a bogey but rebounded with four consecutive birdies, shot a four-under 66. “Just try to forgive yourself a little bit,” he advised. The Richmond Hill native feels comfortable at TPC Toronto, having played there multiple times. “I played two Mackenzie Tour events here and I played multiple rounds with my friends in carts with music and maybe a beverage,” he said. “It’s nice to come back here. It’s very familiar to me and there are friendly faces that I haven’t seen in a while cheering me on. So I love playing here.”
Pendrith entered the week ranked 87th in the FedEx Cup standings, needing to finish inside the top 100 to retain his full PGA Tour status.
Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Hadwin each shot one-under 69s. Rookies Sudarshan Yellamaraju and A.J. Ewart also carded one-under 69s. Corey Conners, typically Canada’s top-ranked player, struggled with a one-over 71.
