HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) — 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 in the RBC Canadian Open.
Finishing on the front nine at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, 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 career PGA Tour starts.
“I drove it great, I hit may irons really well and had a few more putts drop today,” said Fox, the the son of former New Zealand rugby star Grant Fox. “It could have been really silly, but I still had a lot of good putts.”
MacIntyre had a 66 in the morning for his second straight bogey-free round. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander is winless in 44 career PGA Tour starts.
“When I missed the green I’ve had a good short game,” MacIntyre said. “To be honest, I think I’ve missed it in the right spots. I miss it fat side of the green, not short-sided and we can kind of run it. If not, we fly it over it.”
The leaders were at 10-under 130 on the traditional layout.
“Golf course kind of suits my eye,” Fox said. “Similar grass to what we play at home. Similar kind of old style, tree-lined golf course, which is what I grew up on.”
Joel Dahmen was third, two strokes back after a 65.
“I believe I should be here. It’s where I’m supposed to be, so I’m excited to hit golf shots under the gun on the weekend,” Dahmen said. “I haven’t done that in a long time, so I’m excited for that.”
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes had two eagles — and two closing bogeys — in a 64 to join first-round leader David Skinns and Andrew Novak at 7 under.
“I’ve had a few minutes to process the round and kind of the whole day, and while the finish was disappointing, I look at the whole body of work,” Hughes said. “If you told me I was going to shoot 64, I would have taken it. It gets me into contention for the weekend and that’s all I can ask for.”
Defending champion Nick Taylor missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 71. Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, he made an 80-foot eagle putt in a playoff to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.
Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy, was 2 under, following a 66 on Thursday with a 72 playing alongside Taylor. McIlroy won in 2019 the last time the tournament was in Hamilton and again in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto.
Skinns followed his opening 62 with a 71.
“I just couldn’t get a putt to go in, that’s really the story,” Skinns said. “It wasn’t that much different. It looks a lot different on the scorecard, but it wasn’t that much different.”
Novak shot 67.
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