HAMILTON, Ontario — Ryan Fox closed with a 14-foot birdie putt late Friday afternoon for a 6-under 64 and a share of the second-round lead with Robert MacIntyre within the RBC Canadian Open.
Ending on the entrance 9 at Hamilton Golf and Nation Membership, Fox birdied the par-5 fourth and par-4 fifth, then rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 sixth with the birdie on the par-4 ninth. The 37-year-old New Zealander is winless in 47 profession PGA Tour begins.
“I drove it nice, I hit might irons very well and had a couple of extra putts drop immediately,” mentioned Fox, the the son of former New Zealand rugby star Grant Fox. “It may have been actually foolish, however I nonetheless had a whole lot of good putts.”
MacIntyre had a 66 within the morning for his second straight bogey-free spherical. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander is winless in 44 profession PGA Tour begins.
“Once I missed the inexperienced I’ve had a very good quick recreation,” MacIntyre mentioned. “To be sincere, I feel I’ve missed it in the correct spots. I miss it fats aspect of the inexperienced, not short-sided and we are able to form of run it. If not, we fly it over it.”
The leaders had been at 10-under 130 on the normal structure.
“Golf course form of fits my eye,” Fox mentioned. “Comparable grass to what we play at residence. Comparable form of outdated type, tree-lined golf course, which is what I grew up on.”
Joel Dahmen was third, two strokes again after a 65.
“I imagine I ought to be right here. It’s the place I’m imagined to be, so I’m excited to hit golf photographs beneath the gun on the weekend,” Dahmen mentioned. “I haven’t finished that in a very long time, so I’m excited for that.”
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes had two eagles — and two closing bogeys — in a 64 to affix first-round chief David Skinns and Andrew Novak at 7 beneath.
“I’ve had a couple of minutes to course of the spherical and form of the entire day, and whereas the end was disappointing, I take a look at the entire physique of labor,” Hughes mentioned. “When you instructed me I used to be going to shoot 64, I might have taken it. It will get me into rivalry for the weekend and that’s all I can ask for.”
Defending champion Nick Taylor missed the lower with rounds of 72 and 71. Final yr at Oakdale in Toronto, he made an 80-foot eagle putt in a playoff to grow to be the primary Canadian to win the occasion since 1954.
Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy, was 2 beneath, following a 66 on Thursday with a 72 taking part in alongside Taylor. McIlroy gained in 2019 the final time the match was in Hamilton and once more in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto.
Skinns adopted his opening 62 with a 71.
“I simply couldn’t get a putt to go in, that’s actually the story,” Skinns mentioned. “It wasn’t that a lot completely different. It appears to be like quite a bit completely different on the scorecard, but it surely wasn’t that a lot completely different.”
Novak shot 67.
