There is a tough battle going on after two loops of the Oakdale Golf & Country Club west of Toronto. After starting with rounds of 67-68, Carl Yuan is in the lead in the RBC Canadian Open with a score of 9 under. Each player who trails by just one shot is Aaron Rai, Corey Conners, Tyrrell Hatton, and C.T. Pan. At the halfway mark, 30 players are within five shots of Yuan’s lead. At 3 under and six shots back are another 15 players.
Carl Yuan fired a 5-under 67 on Friday in cold, rainy conditions to seize a one-shot lead at the halfway point of the RBC Canadian Open, putting him in a position to rebound from a dismal rookie season on the PGA TOUR.
Rory McIlroy, a two-time defending champion, gave himself a chance before the weekend at Oakdale. Yuan’s two-day total of 9-under 135 was three shots ahead of him after shooting 67.
Corey Conners shot 69 and was one shot back of Tyrrell Hatton (64), C.T. Pan (66), and Aaron Rai (69) as they all attempted to win their respective national open events for Canada for the first time since 1954.
“Really pleased with the beginning. It was enjoyable performing for Canadian supporters. I’m just taking it easy out there.” Conners said.
Conners just finished in a tie for 12th place in Oak Hill’s PGA Championship.
“I would argue that this week has seen me at a far higher level of relaxation than even I was at the PGA Championship. I can play freely and confidently now that I feel comfortable about my game. Simply said, I’m having a great time.” Yuan said.
Yuan, a 26-year-old Chinese golfer who attended Washington University in college, has missed only 7 of 20 cuts so far this year. His best result was a tie for 21st place at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. Yuan is attempting to ignore the pressure and enjoy himself on the course despite the fact that his ability to play is seriously in peril.
“I want to accomplish that this week. That is my main objective. Not aiming for a specific outcome, simply living in the moment, making each shot count, and, yes, coming here to have the most fun possible. every single thing.” he mentioned.
“Yuan claimed that the weather brought back memories of his time studying in the Pacific Northwest.” Yuan who was born in Dalian China said.
Six players were two strokes back on a jumbled leaderboard, including Brendon Todd and Justin Lower, who shared the lead after the first round. Following two days of playing alongside Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose fired back-to-back 69s to tie him at 6 under.
Ludvig Aberg, a former champion amateur, made the cut in his first professional game. The former Texas Tech golfer from Sweden was 3 under par after rounds of 69 in the first round and 72 in the second.
And Tyrrell Hatton was the best at utilizing the opportunity.
Hatton tied the club’s regular course record (established by a member in 1986) and set the composite-routing course record with his 8-under 64 on Friday.
