Weir leading at rainy Canadian Open
The Canadian Open got the perfect gift for its 100th anniversary – Mike Weir in the lead with a flawless round of 5-under-par 66 at Oakville, Ontario, Friday and a showdown with the No. 1 player in golf looming.
Weir made Glen Abbey sound like Sunday at Augusta National, sending the gallery into a frenzy with a 3-iron into 3 feet for eagle to take the lead and sticking a 5-iron close for birdie on his final hole to finish one shot ahead of Vijay Singh among those who finished 36 holes Friday.
“Today could not have gone much better,” Weir said.
Weir was at 9-under 133 and in the lead at his national open for the first time.
In his first tournament since replacing Tiger Woods at No. 1 in the world, Singh certainly looked the part. After finishing his first nine holes in 40, he broke the Canadian Open record with a 28 on the front nine – 7 under during one seven-hole stretch – then added a 66 in the second round.
Because of a 5-hour rain delay at the start of the tournament, about half the field was going to have to return this morning to finish the second round.
Craig Barlow, Weir’s best friend from their mini-tour days, had a 69 and was at 6-under 142. Stewart Cink (68) and Chris DiMarco (71), among seven Ryder Cup players in the Canadian Open, were at 3-under 139.
Phil Mickelson made two eagles to get to 1 over through nine holes.
Smyth, McCord share lead
European Tour veteran Des Smyth and television analyst Gary McCord shot 7-under 65s to share the first-round lead at the Kroger Classic in Maineville, Ohio.
Tom Kite, David Eger and Doug Tewell were at 6 under, and six players were two strokes off the pace.
Fifty players finished in red figures on the 7,064-yard TPC at River’s Bend, which turned out to be very accommodating after a nearly 5-hour delay because of fog.
The Kroger field is one player short of its 78-player complement because Vicente Fernandez evidently forgot he had committed to play and went home to Argentina, a tour spokesman said.
Season points leader Craig Stadler is not playing this week, after winning the past two Champions Tour events.
Kim has strong start
Christina Kim shot a 6-under 65 and held a one-stroke lead over Annika Sorenstam and rookie Shi Hyun Ahn after the first round of the John Q. Hammons Hotel Classic at Broken Arrow, Okla.
Kim, coming off a second-place finish at the State Farm Classic, had seven birdies and a bogey.
Sorenstam, playing for the first time in five weeks, and Ahn were one stroke in front of Reilley Rankin, another tour newcomer. Three golfers were tied at 68.
Defending champion Karrie Webb, who won last year by nine strokes, shot a 3-over 73.
Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum, Idaho, opened with a 73. Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., is at 75.