HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — David Skinns had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch and shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday at Hamilton Golf and Country Club to take the first-round lead in the RBC Canadian Open.
Playing in the afternoon with the greens still mostly receptive after rain earlier in the week, Skins pulled ahead with a 47-foot birdie putt on his 17th hole — the par-3 eighth. The 41-year-old Englishman was a stroke ahead of morning starters Sam Burns and Sean O’Hair.
“Drove it pretty well. I left myself in a lot of good spots,” said Skinns, winless on the PGA Tour. “Around here, it seems like that’s half the battle, to give yourself birdie looks. I was able to attack some pins that maybe if I wasn’t in such a good spot, I wouldn’t have been able to. ”
Robert MacIntyre of Scotland had a 64 in the afternoon. Ryan Palmer opened with a 65, and two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy was another shot back with Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Erik van Rooyen, Nick Hardy and Trace Crowe.