Rory McIlroy trails Justin Lower as wildfires, LIV play into first round of Canadian Open
Justin Lower sleep-walked through five holes Thursday and then tore up the smoky Canadian Open, seizing a share of the lead at the end of Round 1.
The former Northwest High School and Malone University player bogeyed No. 3 and No. 5 at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto, an ominous start six days after he missed the cut in The Memorial in Ohio.
Stuck in an early-bird start, Lower teed off at 7:11 a.m. with Hank Lebioda and Aaron Rai. Only one group started earlier.
It turned out to be a hot pairing, with both Lower and Rai shooting 5-under 67 to share status as co-leaders in the clubhouse. Their score stood up in a four-way tie for first place. Lower is seeking his first PGA Tour win and thought he played "just solid overall" Thursday.
"I've been really working hard on driving it better," Lower told media following his round. "I've driven it like crap all year. So, yeah, just really trying to get the ball in the fairway. Especially around this place with the rough being so thick. I drove it okay today. Not perfect by any means. But drove it pretty well."
Also shooting 67 was former Kent State golfer Corey Conners, a native of Listowel, Canada who finished sixth in last year's Canadian Open. Rory McIlroy, who won the last two Canadian Opens and is coming off a seventh-place finish at The Memorial, shot an opening-round 71.
The Canadian wildfires making world news have colored the air in Toronto. The PGA issued a statement saying it would track air quality “closely” and move to suspend play if warranted.
This is a fascinating moment for Lower, who lost his place on the PGA Tour last summer only to regain it amid defection of players to LIV Golf. The Canadian Open arrived amid news the PGA Tour and LIV are merging.
Lower and McIlory are both 34 and were born a month apart in 1989. McIlroy has four wins in Majors and a current world ranking of No. 3. Lower's top finish on the PGA Tour was a fourth place in the Fortinet Championship last September.
Rai, from England, had an even rougher start than Lower, going double bogey, bogey, bogey on holes 3-5. He then went on an torrid run of seven birdies within 10 holes.
Rai led Lower by a shot heading into the par 5 No. 18, which features a twisting creek 290 yards from the tee.
Lower placed a 252-yard tee shot in the fairway, hit a near-perfect 255-yard second shot, and sank an 8-foot putt for eagle. Rai hit his second shot 11 feet from the cup and two-putted for birdie.
"It's an awkward hole," Lower said of 18. "Just hitting 4-iron off the tee for a par-5. But it's a fun hole. I mean ... there's some opportunities going in on the second shot if you can get the ball in the fairway and I was able to take advantage of that, for sure.
Lower's rally began with birdie putts of 7 feet on No. 7 and 14 feet on No. 8. He opened the back nine by laying up in front of a creek, hitting his 118-yard second shot to within 5 feet, and sinking a birdie putt.He then dropped in a 9-footer for birdie 2 on No. 11.
After five straight pars, he sank a 16-foot birdie putt on 17, setting the stage for his closing eagle.
When asked his mindset going into the second round, Lower said his mindset is "just keep the gas pedal down and really just play determined."
"Don't play just kind of going out there and going through the motions. Just play determined and just go out there and be determined just to post a good score."
Among notables Lower led after the first round was crowd favorite Justin Rose, who birdied six of eight holes in one stretch and ended two back of Lower at 69. Rose played in a group with McIlroy.
Lebioda, the other player paired with Lower and Rai, struggled to a 77.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Justin Lower takes early lead as wildfire smoke hits Canadian Open
