American leads the way at RBC Canadian Open
Jim Furyk may not have made the cut but his fellow Americans stole the show at the RBC Canadian Open. All the top ten players on the score board are Americans and numerous others are a few shots behind.
This year, at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, there have been unexpected leaders on the leaderboard. Robert Garrigus stole the show on Saturday with his superb 64-shot third round, taking his tournament score to 16-under. His 54-hole 194 would have surely
done Arnold Palmer proud.
Garrigus’ 194 in 54-holes meant that he had broken Arnold Palmer’s 47-year-old record at RBC Canadian Open.
William McGirt is just a stroke behind after shooting 66 in the in the third round. Scott Piercy, who was leading the way in the first two rounds, is just two strokes behind the leader after shooting two consecutive rounds of 67.
Scott Stallings, Chris Kirk, and Bo van Pelt are all sitting comfortably at 12-under. With just one round to go, all the top six players have a great chance to grab their first RBC Canadian Open title.
The high scoring rate does not come as a surprise, it is mainly because of the conditions. The wet conditions meant that the players could shoot dead at the pin because the ball will not travel much on the green. This gave the players numerous birdie chances.
The nearest non-American player in the standings is the South African, Retief Goosen. Goosen is one of the experienced golfers at the tournament but he is seven shots adrift of the leader.
When Garrigus finished his round, he did not know that he had broken the record of the great Arnold Palmer. He only came to know about it once he was told.
“Oops,” said Garrigus. “Sorry Arnie.”
Garrigus was very happy with his performance and he hoped to repeat the display on Sunday. If Garrigus manages to win the title, it will be his second PGA title.
“This is what we play for,” said Garrigus, who has made just one bogey all week. “Having a one-shot lead and playing good golf, this is a blast. I’m very blessed to be in this position”.
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