England’s Aaron Rai claimed a share of the lead after the primary spherical of the Canadian Open with compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick a shot behind as he warmed up for his US Open title defence.
Rai recovered from a horrible begin to shoot a five-under-par 67 to take a seat alongside Corey Connors – trying to turn into the primary Canadian winner in 69 winners – and American pair Chesson Hadley and Justin Lower.
Every week earlier than the US Open in Los Angeles, Fitzpatrick’s bid for a 3rd PGA Tour title started with a four-under-par 68 on the Oakdale Golf and Country Club.
Having began on the again 9, the 28-year-old fired 5 birdies and would have been sharing the lead had been it not for a bogey on his penultimate gap of the day.
He was one among 9 gamers on 68, forward of a fair bigger group on three-under-par which included former US Open champion Justin Rose and fellow English duo Callum Tarren and Harry Hall.
Rai had appeared in all kinds of bother after dropping 4 pictures in three successive holes from the third to droop to a few over, however he turned issues spherical in outstanding style.
After recording birdies on the seventh and eighth to achieve the activate one over, the 28-year-old from Wolverhampton picked up additional pictures on the tenth, twelfth, thirteenth, 14th – the place he got here shut to creating a gap in a single – sixteenth and 18th to maneuver to 5 beneath.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, whose build-up to the event noticed him fielding questions in regards to the shock merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, was one beneath after an eventful opening 71 that included 5 birdies and 4 bogeys.
“At the end of the day, this is business and my job is playing golf,” stated McIlroy. “The extra that I can deal with that and deal with the birdies and the bogeys as a substitute of the stuff that’s occurred within the boardroom, I’ll be a lot happier.
The world quantity three is in search of a hat-trick of victories on the Canadian Open following triumphs in 2019 and 2022, with the event having been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 as a consequence of Covid.
McIlroy was one behind England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Knox, whose fellow Scot Martin Laird was amongst these on one-under-par. Tyrell Hatton and Ireland’s Shane Lowry each opened with degree par 72s.