Keegan Bradley leads by 1 after 1st round of Canadian Open
ANCASTER, Ontario (AP) - Keegan Bradley had a 7-under 63 for a one-shot lead after the first round of the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday.
"Today I was in complete control of my ball," Bradley said. "Then when you couple that with feeling good on the greens, that's when a 63 or a good, nice round happens."
Bradley was convinced that his clubhouse lead would not withstand the afternoon groups, but it did. Roberto Castro of the U.S., was the only player that teed off in the second wave to reach second, tying Canada's Nick Taylor, Ireland's Shane Lowry, South Korea's Sungjae Im and South Africa's Erik van Rooyen.
This year the tournament has moved up in the golf calendar, making it a lead-in event to the U.S. Open and drawing a significantly stronger group of competitors.
Defending tournament champion Dustin Johnson, the No. 2 player in the world, shot a 1-over 71. Last year Johnson pulled away from the field after a nearly two-hour rain delay to win his first Canadian Open, firing 6-under 66 in last year's final round to finish at 23 under.
Brooks Koepka, fresh off his PGA Championship win, shot an even-par 70 and is tied for 84th.
Taylor of Abbotsford, British Columbia, led the Canadian contingent, shooting a 6-under 64. Taylor, who started on hole No. 10, made four birdies in a row to open his back nine at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Mackenzie Hughes was one of five Canadians within three shots of Bradley. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford had a 5-under 65, while David Hearn of nearby Brantford, Ontario, and Drew Nesbitt of Shanty Bay, Ontario, both tied Hughes.
As soon as Hughes' partners were done teeing off at No. 13, he bent down, opened up a small bag and pulled out a jersey.
It took a moment for fans to realize what he was doing, but as Hughes straightened out...
Golfweek
