Canada’s top golf talents delivered a strong start at the RBC Canadian Open, igniting fan excitement at TPC Toronto in Caledon, Ontario. Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor, and Mackenzie Hughes—three of the country’s premier players—teed off in a marquee morning group and each posted solid rounds despite challenging weather conditions.
Pendrith led the Canadian charge with a 5-under 65, momentarily tying for the clubhouse lead before settling into a nine-way tie for ninth by day’s end. Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and Chile’s Cristobal Del Solar stole the spotlight with blistering 9-under 61s, nearly setting a new course record.
“The crowd really filled in on the back nine,” said Pendrith, energized by the supportive home audience. “We had a blast out there, and we all played pretty well.”
Nick Taylor, the 2023 Canadian Open champion, finished a stroke behind Pendrith and sits in a tie for 18th. Hughes delivered one of the highlights of the day, holing out from 194 yards for an eagle on the 5th, en route to a 2-under 68. He shares his spot on the leaderboard with fellow Canadians Ben Silverman, Matthew Scobie, and Brett Webster.
Taylor reflected on how far the trio has come since their amateur days, recalling his 2008 debut marked by a late-evening tee time due to rain. “Fast forward 17 years, being the featured group, it’s cool. It’s what we dreamt about,” he said.
Their camaraderie was evident throughout the round, a byproduct of their traditional Tuesday Canadian-only practice session. “It felt like a practice round,” Taylor noted. “We kept it loose.”
Heavy rain the night before made the greens soft and parking scarce, affecting both play and spectator logistics. One public lot was closed due to saturated grounds, forcing Golf Canada to encourage ride shares and drop-offs.
Olesen credited the rain for his hot start, saying it helped him read the greens more intuitively despite unfamiliarity with the front nine. “Sometimes you just have a feel,” he said.
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