logo
Manassero, Fox share PGA Canadian Open lead with plenty in pursuit

Manassero, Fox share PGA Canadian Open lead with plenty in pursuit

Arab News3 days ago

MONTREAL: Italian veteran Matteo Manassero was poised to challenge for his first US PGA Tour title after conjuring seven birdies in a six-under par 64 to share the 54-hole lead at the Canadian Open with New Zealand's Ryan Fox.
Fox also fired seven birdies and a bogey at TPC Toronto Osprey Valley, their 14-under par total of 196 putting the leaders one stroke clear atop a congested leaderboard, with 22 more players within four strokes of the lead.
On a day when as many as 11 players shared the lead at one point, Manassero was the first to reach 14-under with his sixth birdie of the day at the 15th.
He bogeyed 17, where he was in the left rough off the tee and missed a four-footer to save par, but he birdied the par-five 18th.
'It was a really good round,' Manassero said. 'I missed the short one on 17, and I did miss a couple more short ones today. I try to think of them just like a shot really, like a driver, like a six-iron, whatever. It's just a shot.
'It wasn't that hard for me to stay focused into what I was doing and not ruining (it) at the end.'
Manassero, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour, is seeking his first US tour title. The 32-year-old Italian has revived his career after briefly walking away from the game in the midst of a prolonged slump. He claimed his first DP World Tour victory in more than a decade in March of 2024.
'It's definitely made me more mature and much better perspective toward golf, which at one point was everything,' he said of the ups and downs of his career. 'I have a better perspective toward, for example, a day like tomorrow.'
Fox, 38, is aiming to build off his first US PGA Tour title, captured in a playoff at the Myrtle Beach Classic last month.
He launched his round with three straight birdies and had five on the front nine, bouncing back from a bogey at 11 — where he was in the water — with birdies at 12 and 18.
'To be honest, everything went pretty right,' Fox said. 'I drove it great. I think, if you do that round here, you give yourself lots of chances.
'Had a lot of good wedge shots, holed a few putts early. Just played really solid kind of stress-free golf for the most part.'
Americans Lee Hodges and Mat McCarty and Taiwan's Kevin Yu were tied for third on 13-under 197.
Hodges bookended his seven-under 63 with eagles at the first and 18th, with three birdies in between.
Yu had eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 while McCarty had seven birdies in his 64.
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and Americans Jake Knapp and Andrew Putnam were tied on 12-under, one stroke clear of a group of seven players on 11-under 199.
Ireland's Shane Lowry headlined a group of nine players on 200.
Fox said his victory last month had him feeling 'more comfortable in my own shoes,' but he with so many within striking distance he said that Sunday promised to be a shoot-out.
'Obviously there's a lot of good players behind me,' he said. 'I feel like it's going to take a pretty low (score) to get the job done.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jon Rahm: Smaller fields make top 10s easier at LIV Golf
Jon Rahm: Smaller fields make top 10s easier at LIV Golf

Arab News

time4 hours ago

  • Arab News

Jon Rahm: Smaller fields make top 10s easier at LIV Golf

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania: Two-time major champion Jon Rahm comes into the US Open off another top 10 at LIV Golf, which is nothing new. The Spaniard has never come in lower in the 20 events he has finished since joining the Saudi-backed league at the start of last year. Is that a big deal? 'I would happily trade a bunch of them for more wins, that's for sure,' said Rahm, who has two LIV victories but has yet to win this year. 'But I keep putting myself in good position.' One of the criticism of LIV is the 54-man fields over 54 holes, especially with a half-dozen or more considered past their prime and several unproven young players. Rahm delivered some context on his streak. 'Listen, I'm a realist in this case,' he said. 'I've been playing really good golf, yes, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't easier to have top 10s with a smaller field. That's just the truth, right? Had I been playing full-field events, would I have top 10 every single week? No. But I've been playing good enough to say that I would most likely have been inside the top 30 every single time and maybe even top 25.' He considered that impressive, and he figures most of those would be top 10s. Rahm tied for eighth last week in Virginia without ever having a serious chance of winning over the final few holes. He said against a full field, he doubts that would have been a top 10. 'I think winning is equally as hard, but you can take advantage of a smaller field to finish higher,' he said. 'As much as I want to give it credit personally for having that many top 10s, I wouldn't always give it as the full amount just knowing that it's a smaller field.' DeChambeau and LIV Bryson DeChambeau says the contract he signed to join Saudi-funded LIV Golf is up next year and he's already looking ahead to a new one. 'We're looking to negotiate end of this year, and I'm very excited. They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we'll come to some sort of resolution on that,' DeChambeau said Tuesday. 'Super excited for the future.' LIV contracts are confidential and there has been ample speculation whether the Public Investment Fund will shell out the kind of signing bonuses that helped lure players away from the PGA Tour in 2022. Meanwhile, unification with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf appears at a standstill as PIF officials want any future to include team golf. 'I think that LIV is not going anywhere,' DeChambeau said. He said Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor behind the rival league, 'has been steadfast in his belief on team golf, and whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it's a viable option.' DeChambeau believes LIV is going in the right direction and referenced the indoor tech-infused TGL as having teams making money. 'I believe there is a sustainable model out there,' he said. 'How it all works with the game of golf, who knows? But I know my worth.' Xander and YouTube Xander Schauffele might spend less time on his phone than anyone, usually only scrolling through the news. A few weeks ago at the Memorial, during a rapid-fire series of random questions, he was asked who he would take with him on 'The Amazing Race' reality show. 'What's 'The Amazing Race,'' he asked. So when he was told about Tommy Fleetwood's latest venture with YouTube and asked if he would considering doing something like that, Schauffele replied, 'Is that like a serious question?' But he has spent time on YouTube for a reason. Schauffele made his US Open debut in 2017, the year after the Open at Oakmont. What better way to check out the course than watching a US Open at Oakmont? 'I watched some of the '16 coverage on YouTube. I would have watched it on any platform that would have been provided, but I watched some of that coverage there just to see sort of how guys were hitting shots and how the ball was reacting,' Schauffele said. Turns out that wasn't his first experience on YouTube. 'I've been in dark places where I've looked up swing tip things on YouTube as well, trying to make sense of it, just like every golfer has. I'll confess to it,' he said. 'I'm luckily not there anymore, which is probably healthy for myself and my family. 'Yeah, there's a lot on there, I can tell you that much.' Rory and his driver Rory McIlroy expressed concern about his driver after badly missing the cut in the Canadian Open, his last tournament ahead of the US Open. He said he worked at home over the weekend and realized he was using the wrong driver. And he was coy about which one he was using, suggesting that people could always go to the range to find out for themselves. McIlroy got plenty of attention with his driver when it was leaked at the PGA Championship that his driver did not pass inspection. It's a common occurrence, and testing takes place randomly at every major. Scottie Scheffler also had to change drivers after his didn't pass the test. He wound up winning by five shots. So was that a problem for McIlroy at the PGA Championship? 'It wasn't a big deal for Scottie,' McIlroy said. 'So it shouldn't have been a big deal for me.' The best honorary member Dustin Johnson had not played Oakmont since the won the US Open in 2016. That's not to say he hasn't been back to the fabled club. Oakmont Country Club honors its major champions by offering them honorary membership. Johnson went back a few years later for the honor, going to a dinner and getting his green jacket . Honorary membership has its privileges that Johnson doesn't use. 'I'm probably their favorite member because I never come,' he said. Oakmont need not to be offended. Johnson was asked how many clubs he had honorary membership and he didn't bother counting. 'Quite a few,' he said. 'And I don't use very many, either.'

Manassero, Fox share PGA Canadian Open lead with plenty in pursuit
Manassero, Fox share PGA Canadian Open lead with plenty in pursuit

Arab News

time3 days ago

  • Arab News

Manassero, Fox share PGA Canadian Open lead with plenty in pursuit

MONTREAL: Italian veteran Matteo Manassero was poised to challenge for his first US PGA Tour title after conjuring seven birdies in a six-under par 64 to share the 54-hole lead at the Canadian Open with New Zealand's Ryan Fox. Fox also fired seven birdies and a bogey at TPC Toronto Osprey Valley, their 14-under par total of 196 putting the leaders one stroke clear atop a congested leaderboard, with 22 more players within four strokes of the lead. On a day when as many as 11 players shared the lead at one point, Manassero was the first to reach 14-under with his sixth birdie of the day at the 15th. He bogeyed 17, where he was in the left rough off the tee and missed a four-footer to save par, but he birdied the par-five 18th. 'It was a really good round,' Manassero said. 'I missed the short one on 17, and I did miss a couple more short ones today. I try to think of them just like a shot really, like a driver, like a six-iron, whatever. It's just a shot. 'It wasn't that hard for me to stay focused into what I was doing and not ruining (it) at the end.' Manassero, a five-time winner on the DP World Tour, is seeking his first US tour title. The 32-year-old Italian has revived his career after briefly walking away from the game in the midst of a prolonged slump. He claimed his first DP World Tour victory in more than a decade in March of 2024. 'It's definitely made me more mature and much better perspective toward golf, which at one point was everything,' he said of the ups and downs of his career. 'I have a better perspective toward, for example, a day like tomorrow.' Fox, 38, is aiming to build off his first US PGA Tour title, captured in a playoff at the Myrtle Beach Classic last month. He launched his round with three straight birdies and had five on the front nine, bouncing back from a bogey at 11 — where he was in the water — with birdies at 12 and 18. 'To be honest, everything went pretty right,' Fox said. 'I drove it great. I think, if you do that round here, you give yourself lots of chances. 'Had a lot of good wedge shots, holed a few putts early. Just played really solid kind of stress-free golf for the most part.' Americans Lee Hodges and Mat McCarty and Taiwan's Kevin Yu were tied for third on 13-under 197. Hodges bookended his seven-under 63 with eagles at the first and 18th, with three birdies in between. Yu had eight birdies and a bogey in his 63 while McCarty had seven birdies in his 64. Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and Americans Jake Knapp and Andrew Putnam were tied on 12-under, one stroke clear of a group of seven players on 11-under 199. Ireland's Shane Lowry headlined a group of nine players on 200. Fox said his victory last month had him feeling 'more comfortable in my own shoes,' but he with so many within striking distance he said that Sunday promised to be a shoot-out. 'Obviously there's a lot of good players behind me,' he said. 'I feel like it's going to take a pretty low (score) to get the job done.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store