Ryan Fox nailed a 14-foot birdie putt to cap off a stellar 6-under 64, tying him with Robert MacIntyre for the second-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open.
Closing on the front nine at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Fox birdied the par-5 fourth and par-4 fifth holes. He recovered from a bogey on the par-3 sixth with a birdie on the par-4 ninth. The 37-year-old New Zealander is still seeking his first PGA Tour win after 47 starts. ‘I drove it great, I hit my irons really well and had a few more putts drop today,’ Fox said, adding, ‘It could have been really silly, but I still had a lot of good putts.’
Meanwhile, MacIntyre delivered a flawless 66 in the morning for his second consecutive bogey-free round. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander also remains winless after 44 PGA Tour starts. ‘When I missed the green I’ve had a good short game,’ MacIntyre commented. ‘To be honest, I think I’ve missed it in the right spots. I miss it fat side of the green, not short-sided and we can kind of run it. If not, we fly it over it.’ The two leaders stand at 10-under 130 on this traditional course. Fox noted, ‘Golf course kind of suits my eye. Similar grass to what we play at home. Similar kind of old style, tree-lined golf course, which is what I grew up on.’
Joel Dahmen sits two strokes behind after a solid 65. ‘I believe I should be here. It’s where I’m supposed to be, so I’m excited to hit golf shots under the gun on the weekend,’ said Dahmen. ‘I haven’t done that in a long time, so I’m excited for that.’
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes had a dramatic round featuring two eagles and two closing bogeys, ending with a 64. He’s in the mix with first-round leader David Skinns and Andrew Novak at 7 under. ‘I’ve had a few minutes to process the round and kind of the whole day, and while the finish was disappointing, I look at the whole body of work,’ Hughes reflected. ‘If you told me I was going to shoot 64, I would have taken it. It gets me into contention for the weekend and that’s all I can ask for.’
Defending champion Nick Taylor won’t be continuing his campaign, missing the cut with rounds of 72 and 71. Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, he made an 80-foot eagle putt in a playoff, clinching a win as the first Canadian to secure the title since 1954.
Rory McIlroy, a two-time Canadian Open champion, had a rough day. After a promising 66 on Thursday, he slipped with a 72, placing him 2 under and eight shots behind the leaders. McIlroy previously won in Hamilton in 2019 and at St. George’s in Toronto in 2022.
David Skinns, who led after the first round, managed only a 71 after his opening 62. ‘I just couldn’t get a putt to go in, that’s really the story,’ Skinns explained. ‘It wasn’t that much different. It looks a lot different on the scorecard, but it wasn’t that much different.’ Andrew Novak finished with a 67, solidifying his standing in the tournament.
As the weekend approaches, all eyes will be on the leaders, MacIntyre and Fox, to see if they can maintain their momentum or if someone will surge from behind to claim the title.
