Delahoussaye shoots 62 in Canadian Open: TORONTO -- Brent Delahoussaye thought he would be overmatched at St. George's Golf and Country Club. It turns out, the historic course was no match for the former Clemson player whose lone pro victory came in the 2006 Hooters Tour Classic.
The 29-year-old Delahoussaye shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday to match the Canadian Open record and take a two-stroke lead in the national championship.
"I've been hitting it well. I was just getting in my own way," Delahoussaye said. "Today, I was like, 'You know what? I'm just going to go out there and play. This course doesn't set up good for me, so I'm just going to go out there with a good attitude and not worry about it.' And look where I am now."
He had an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey in perfect scoring conditions on the Stanley Thompson-designed course, the tree-lined, hilly layout that features thick rough, narrow fairways and undulating greens.
"The key was probably hitting fairways," the short-hitting Delahoussaye said after hitting 13 of 14 fairways in regulation, 14 of 18 greens and needing only 24 putts.
Four other players have shot 62s in the Canadian Open, the first three at Glen Abbey. Leonard Thompson set the mark in 1981, Andy Bean matched it in 1983, both at a par of 71, and Greg Norman did it in 1986, when par was 72. Hunter Mahan had a 9-under 62 at Angus Glen in 2007.
Delahoussaye, in the last group of the day off the ninth tee, also broke the course record of 64 set by Canadian George Knudson in 1968, the last time the tournament was played at St. George's.
Vance Veazey and Brock Mackenzie shot 64s, and Mahan, Dean Wilson, Charley Hoffman, Jimmy Walker, Rich Barcelo, Steve Wheatcroft, Spencer Levin, Daniel Chopra and Brian Stuard had 65s. Seventy of the 156 players broke par and the field average was 69.712.
*
Open champ Oosthuizen tied for lead at Scandinavian Masters: STOCKHOLM -- British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen shot a 5-under 67 and was tied with Australia's Richard Green and Dustin Johnson of the United States after the first round of the Scandinavian Masters on Thursday.
Just four days after his runaway victory at St. Andrews, Oosthuizen started full of confidence on an overcast, breezy day at the Bro Hof Slott course with a birdie at the par-5 578-yard first hole.
The South African finished the front nine in 1-under 35. He collected five more birdies on the back nine, but was unable to take the overall lead after a bogey at the 13th.
"I had a good sleep, but I woke up tired again and the [British Open] win has definitely drained me," Oosthuizen said. "But the crowds were unbelievable, cheering me on to every green and every tee. I wanted to play nicely. The last thing I wanted was to put on a bad show."
"I need a break. I need a week off before going to America," Oosthuizen added. "I don't think I'm [supposed to be] back to South Africa until September but I felt like I wanted to say hi to my family and see everyone before I go."
Green reached his 67 after posting three consecutive birdies from the 11th. The Australian is going for his first European Tour win since 2007.
"My driving was exceptionally good," Green said. "[This year] I've struggled with the putter. I've struggled with my driving. Hopefully those two areas can stay with me this week."
Johnson, who finished eighth at the U.S. Open in June, completed the back nine in 33 after birdies at Nos. 12, 13 and 18.
Scottish Open champion Edoardo Molinari was one shot back after a 4-under 68. The Italian chipped in from the bunker for a birdie at No. 7 after a poor drive.
"The tee shot was a shank to be honest," Molinari said. "I think I hit a very good bunker shot because it came out very high and soft and then hit the flag and went in."
It was a mixed day for the Swedish players in front of their home crowd. Steven Jeppesen shot a 68. Two-time champion Jesper Parnevik was 3 over in his first competition since February, while Robert Karlsson shot a 1-over 73 after a double bogey at the first hole.
Defending champion Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina shot a 72 and was five shots off the lead.
*
USA's Pressel shoots 66 for lead at Evian Masters: EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France -- Morgan Pressel of the United States birdied the first three holes and finished with a 6-under 66 Thursday to lead after the first round of the Evian Masters.
Melissa Reid of England and Sun-Ju Ahn of South Korea each birdied the last hole to join her in the lead.
Pressel started on the back nine and her birdie streak ended with a bogey on No. 13.
"It was a very solid day," Pressel said. "The only fairway I missed was on the last hole, and it was because it kind of got a weird bounce. I hit 15 greens. I felt like I was striking the ball well and gave myself a lot of chances."
Reid finished with eight birdies and two bogeys on a cool and rainy day.
The 22-year-old Reid won her first pro title in May at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open. She's aiming for another strong showing against a tougher field at the Evian Masters.
"You play an event like this and you see how you compare against the big girls," she said. "So it was quite nice to shoot 66 today. I proved to myself that I can do it."
Song-Hee Kim and M.J. Hur of South Korea were a stroke behind the leaders.
Michelle Wie was tied for sixth after a 68. Defending champion Ai Miyazato of Japan was three shots behind the leaders after a 69, along with Suzann Pettersen and Angela Stanford.
Wie played a day after cutting short her pro-am round because of heat exhaustion. Wie said she was pleased with her round, even though she felt "a little tired."
Brittany Lincicome shot a 70, while Helen Alfredsson, Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster finished at 71. Laura Davies had an 81.
*
Shelton advances to quarterfinals at U.S. juniors: ADA, Mich. -- Fourteen-year-old Robby Shelton of Wilmer, Ala., won twice Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
Denny McCarthy of Burtonsville, Md., and Gavin Hall of Pittsford, N.Y., also advanced to the quarterfinals after the delay, along with Richard Jung of Toronto, Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., Scott Wolfes of St. Simons Island, Ga., Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y. and Anthony Paolucci of Del Mar, Calif.
Shelton, a high school sophomore, won the final two holes to beat defending champion Jordan Spieth of Dallas 1-up in the second round of match play in the morning on the Classic Course at Egypt Valley Country Club.
After rain delayed play for 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon, Shelton defeated Andrew Lister of Haymarket, Va., 3 and 1 in the third round. Lister needed 21 holes to beat Stephen Behr of Florence, S.C., in the second round.
McCarthy, 17, advanced to the third round with a 3 and 2 victory over Curtis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., who shot a 10-under to win medalist honors in the two qualifying rounds. McCarthy won the first hole and led throughout the match against Thompson, and then beat Devon Purser of Clearfield, Utah, 1 up.
The 15-year-old Hall, who shot a 10-under 62 in Tuesday's final qualifying round, beat Alexander Schauffele of San Diego 1 up and then defeated Jonathan Garrick of Atherton, Calif., 5 and 3.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday morning, followed by the semifinals in the afternoon. The 36-hole championship match is set for Saturday.
*
Kang wins 2 matches in U.S. junior girls: PINEHURST, N.C. -- Medalist Danielle Kang of Thousand Oaks, Calif., has won two matches to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls Junior Championship. at The Country Club of North Carolina.
Kang defeated Kelli Oride of Lihue, Hawaii, 5 and 4 in her first match Thursday, then beat Haley Andreas of Pacific Grove, Calif., 5 and 3.
The quarterfinals and semifinals are Friday at The Country Club of North Carolina.
Second-seeded Ginger Howard of Bradenton, Fla., needed 22 holes to beat Kendall Martindale of Jefferson City, Tenn., in the second round, then lost to Ally McDonald of Fulton, Mass., in 19 holes.
Third-seeded Megan Khang, a 12-year-old from Rockland, Mass., lost to Cali Hipp of Caldwell, Idaho, in 21 holes in the second round.
*
Search on for 1904 Olympic golf gold medal: TORONTO -- Hoping to locate Canadian George S. Lyon's long-lost gold medal from the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame is helping produce a documentary chronicling the victory in the sport's only Olympic tournament.
"This is one of the most important golf artifacts in the world," museum director Karen Howison said Thursday at the Canadian Open.
The hall and Early Renaissance Productions hope to complete the film in 2014, two years before golf returns to the Olympics in the Rio de Janeiro Games.
In 1904, the 46-year-old Lyon beat favored American Chandler Eagan in the 12-round, six-day competition. Eagan's silver medal also has been lost.
RSS
Mobile
Daily Emails
Twitter
Facebook
