Chad Campbell was perfectly content to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend at the Canadian Open after falling a stroke short of the course record.
“Never really felt like it was going to be a crazy round,” the 41-year-old Texan said after shooting a nine-under 63 on Friday at Glen Abbey Golf Course. “I’m definitely happy with it. Just solid play.”
Campbell birdied all four par-fives in his bogey-free round to reach 14-under 130. He won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in 2007.
Photo: AP
“It’s kind of weird, because it happened with the par-fives, knocking them on in two and two-putting,” Campbell said. “I made a couple long putts, which always helps.”
Greg Norman set the course record of 62 in 1986 and John Merrick matched it in 2013.
Brian Harman was second. He followed his opening 65 with a 67.
Canada’s David Hearn was tied for third at 11-under after a 64.
“I felt really good about my game,” said Hearn, who is from nearby Brantford, Ontario. “I hit a lot more greens and my putter definitely got hot. Making those two birdies at the finish felt really, really good.”
Hearn is trying to become the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher, born in England, in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Albert Murray, a Canadian also born in England, won in 1908 and 1913.
“If I continue to keep playing the way I am, I know I have a chance,” Hearn said. “I can’t control what Chad or any of the other players are going to do, but if I keep doing what I’m doing and stay focused on that, I like my chances.”
Johnson Wagner also was 11-under after a 66. Jason Day, coming off a tie for fourth on Monday last week in the British Open, was another stroke back after a 66.
“I’m driving it great,” Day said. “I’d like to tune-up the iron shots, but overall I’m hitting it good.”
“Biggest thing for me is still trying to get as much rest as possible, especially coming off last week so that I can stay mentally sharp,” he added.
Bubba Watson, two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton and Eric Axley were nine-under. Watson had a 67, Compton shot 69 and Axley 68.
Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, the first-round leader after a 64, had a 72 to drop into a tie for ninth at eight-under.
Ricky Barnes had a hole-in-one on No. 4, winning a car in the process.
“It was a perfect eight-iron,” said Barnes, who finished six-under after a 70.
“I think the yardage was 165 [150m] into a little breeze, and it just landed right in the hole and never came out,” he said.
South Africa’s Tim Clark, the winner last year at Royal Montreal, was five-under after a 67.
Former Georgia Tech player Ollie Schniederjans made the cut in his pro debut, shooting 71-69 to move into a tie for 44th at four-under. He tied for 12th in the British Open.
Robert Allenby withdrew after firing caddie Mick Middlemo during his opening 81. Local school principal Tom Fraser carried the 44-year-old Australian’s bag the final nine holes on Thursday.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set