Rory McIlroy frees up his weekend at the RBC Canadian Open, where another homegrown champion is in play
Maybe it was karmic justice being doled out for snubbing Jack Nicklaus last week. Perhaps it's a case of a green-jacket hangover that won't go away.
Whatever the cause, Rory McIlroy's results at the RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto couldn't have pleased tournament organizers. Thanks to a dismal second-round 78 on the North course, the two-time tournament champion and world No. 2 found himself unceremoniously summoning his private jet for a flight back to his Florida home Friday night. McIlroy didn't just miss the cut. He missed the 3-under-par benchmark to partake in the weekend by six strokes. He didn't just play poorly. His performance, which included a quadruple-bogey eight on the par-4 fifth hole that featured a lost ball, left him 149th in the 156-man field.
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Canada Standard
4 hours ago
- Canada Standard
McIlroy no champ at Canadian golf championship
OTTAWA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- On a day when World No. 2 Rory McIlroy missed the halfway cut for the first time in nearly a year, American Cameron Champ carded a six-under 66 on Friday to open up a two-stroke lead through two rounds of the RBC Canadian Open in Ontario. As Champ continued his run of bogey-free golf at the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) to get to 12-under 128 through 36 holes, McIlroy, who won the Masters in April to complete his career Grand Slam, struggled with a new driver on his way to a 78, missing the cut for the first time since last year's British Open Championship. His round featured a quadruple-bogey eight at the 447-yard fifth hole, a double bogey, four bogeys and two birdies, one at them coming at the last. With the U.S. Open at Oakmont next on his schedule, McIlroy said he would have to do "a lot of work" over the weekend to "try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week". "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't," he said. "Obviously going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. Obviously for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now, it isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week." With the weather sunny and warm for the second round of Canada's 114th national championship, American Andrew Putnam shot an eight-under 62 for the low-round of the day to sit two shots off the lead. Overnight co-leader Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen (70) was three shots back in equal third with Frenchman Victor Perez (65) and Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65). Chilean Cristobal Del Solar, the other overnight co-leader, was four shots off the pace after a 71, tied for equal seventh in a group of six players that included 2019 British Open winner Shane Lowry (68). Defending champion Robert McIntyre shot a two-over 72 to make the weekend play exactly on the three-under halfway cut. Beijing native Cao Yi, the only Chinese in the field, improved to a 68 but missed the cut by one stroke. Starting his morning round on the back nine one shot off the lead, Champ got to 10-under when he made a birdie three at the 362-yard 12th hole, his third hole. After making another birdie at the 18th hole, his ninth hole, he picked up two more shots on his back nine, the front nine. "Definitely didn't hit it my best compared to yesterday. Yesterday felt pretty easy, pretty easy flowing. Today kind of hit a couple squirrelly iron shots," said California native Champ, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. "I feel like my game plan, and how I was approaching the holes, playing to the right sides, moving the ball to the hole, again, not trying to hit the perfect straight ball all the time, is kind of working out. I'm very proud of myself for that." Putnam, whose lone win on the PGA Tour came in 2018, matched his low score of the season when he carded eight birdies in his bogey-free round. "I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots too, and my putter was on fire. Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes," said the 36-year-old journeyman from Washington State. "I've always loved coming to Canada. Feel like the people are extremely happy. The sun's out. They have terrible weather all year, so this week they're always very excited to be outside in a short-sleeve shirt. I'm used to that, being from Seattle... I guess I should have been coming here more often." Lee, the Asian Tour regular, made his first cut at a PGA Tour event when he carded a bogey-free round featuring six birdies, including four straight from the first hole, his 10th hole, after starting his morning round on the back nine. "I'm feeling great. Just had a perfect scorecard today and just love being out here in front of the Canadian fans. It's been a while," said the 34-year-old Vancouver native who had a gallery of 10 family members watching him. "I'm sure my dad has a lot of things to say to people about my game, bad and good. If I just perform the way I did today, I think it would probably make him pretty happy."
National Post
6 hours ago
- National Post
Adam Hadwin finally seeing hope in 'hardest period' of golf career
CALEDON, Ont. — The thing with professional golf is that, unless you're Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler, nobody pays much attention when you're not playing well. Article content With the golf world's eyes on the RBC Canadian Open this week, there is one native son quietly hoping that this trip home will be the turning point he has been searching for. Article content Article content 'This is the most comfortable I've felt with my golf swing in six months,' Adam Hadwin said after Friday's round. 'It's been a while. I feel like I'm finally able to kind of set up over the golf ball and have some sort of clue of where it's going.' Article content It's been nothing short of a dreadful season for Hadwin, who has seen his world ranking drop from 59th at the end of 2024, to 105th entering the Canadian Open. Article content 'It's been hard. I've struggled,' he said after his Friday round of 68. 'But I feel like every single week I have a good opportunity to play well, and it just never happens.' Article content Hadwin isn't particularly close to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds at TPC Toronto, but he's not near the bottom either. The 37-year-old Abbotsford, B.C. native is in the mix at five-under par, and for the first time in 2025 he is seeing results that have daylight in sight through the woods he has been lost in. Article content On the course, the camera hasn't been following him much these days. Although there was a somewhat embarrassing moment of frustration at the Valspar Championship — the site of his lone PGA Tour win in 2017 — when he slammed his club, broke a hidden sprinkler head, and set off a dazzling water display he would quickly apologize for. Article content Article content Admirably, Hadwin has never been one for making excuses. On Friday at TPC Toronto, after making the normal media rounds that follow one of Canada's most popular golfers, Hadwin spoke to the Toronto Sun away from the bright lights. Article content Article content 'This has by far been the hardest period that I've dealt with in my career,' he said. 'I've been through swing changes before but I've been able to put together results kind of working through it. With this one, for whatever reason, I haven't been able to do that.' Article content Speaking with him after disappointing rounds at big tournaments in the past you would rarely know anything was bothering him: the smile was always there, the sense of humour intact, the professionalism never wavered. Article content Article content For years, Hadwin's greatest strength on the golf course has been that he has no glaring faults. He won on the PGA Tour, he shot a 59, and he played in the Presidents Cup because he found a way to do a little bit of everything well and get the ball into the hole with whatever game he brought to the course. But recently, that last and most vital part has escaped him. Article content 'Doubt, lack of confidence in what I'm doing, probably all of the above,' he explained as reasons. 'Mixed in with the golf swing stuff.' Article content At home in Wichita, Kansas, Hadwin frequently takes a backseat to the popularity of his wife Jessica, whose often-hilarious insights into life on the PGA Tour have developed a cult following among golf nerds. Article content For the most part, Hadwin is fine with his private life gaffes often being made public. As the comedy straight-man in a social media life that he didn't exactly sign up for, he happily does his part most of the time.
Toronto Sun
6 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Adam Hadwin finally seeing hope in 'hardest period' of golf career
There is one native son at RBC Canadian Open quietly hoping that a trip home will be the turning point he has been searching for. Get the latest from Jon McCarthy straight to your inbox Adam Hadwin lines up a putt on the eighth green during the second round of the RBC Canadian Open 2025 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont., Friday, June 6, 2025. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images CALEDON, Ont. — The thing with professional golf is that, unless you're Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler, nobody pays much attention when you're not playing well. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account With the golf world's eyes on the RBC Canadian Open this week, there is one native son quietly hoping that this trip home will be the turning point he has been searching for. 'This is the most comfortable I've felt with my golf swing in six months,' Adam Hadwin said after Friday's round. 'It's been a while. I feel like I'm finally able to kind of set up over the golf ball and have some sort of clue of where it's going.' It's been nothing short of a dreadful season for Hadwin, who has seen his world ranking drop from 59th at the end of 2024, to 105th entering the Canadian Open. 'It's been hard. I've struggled,' he said after his Friday round of 68. 'But I feel like every single week I have a good opportunity to play well, and it just never happens.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Hadwin isn't particularly close to the top of the leaderboard after two rounds at TPC Toronto, but he's not near the bottom either. The 37-year-old Abbotsford, B.C. native is in the mix at five-under par, and for the first time in 2025 he is seeing results that have daylight in sight through the woods he has been lost in. On the course, the camera hasn't been following him much these days. Although there was a somewhat embarrassing moment of frustration at the Valspar Championship — the site of his lone PGA Tour win in 2017 — when he slammed his club, broke a hidden sprinkler head, and set off a dazzling water display he would quickly apologize for. Admirably, Hadwin has never been one for making excuses. On Friday at TPC Toronto, after making the normal media rounds that follow one of Canada's most popular golfers, Hadwin spoke to the Toronto Sun away from the bright lights. Jon McCarthy has something for every golfer, with a notably Canadian slant. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'This has by far been the hardest period that I've dealt with in my career,' he said. 'I've been through swing changes before but I've been able to put together results kind of working through it. With this one, for whatever reason, I haven't been able to do that.' Speaking with him after disappointing rounds at big tournaments in the past you would rarely know anything was bothering him: the smile was always there, the sense of humour intact, the professionalism never wavered. For years, Hadwin's greatest strength on the golf course has been that he has no glaring faults. He won on the PGA Tour, he shot a 59, and he played in the Presidents Cup because he found a way to do a little bit of everything well and get the ball into the hole with whatever game he brought to the course. But recently, that last and most vital part has escaped him. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Doubt, lack of confidence in what I'm doing, probably all of the above,' he explained as reasons. 'Mixed in with the golf swing stuff.' At home in Wichita, Kansas, Hadwin frequently takes a backseat to the popularity of his wife Jessica, whose often-hilarious insights into life on the PGA Tour have developed a cult following among golf nerds. For the most part, Hadwin is fine with his private life gaffes often being made public. As the comedy straight-man in a social media life that he didn't exactly sign up for, he happily does his part most of the time. 'If anything seems too egregious she usually checks with me first, just to confirm,' Hadwin said. 'But no, it's fine. I'm happy to be the butt of some jokes every now and then, I can take it.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Maddox commentary watching one of the guys putt on PGA Tour live, 'there's no one watching him. If there's no one watching him, why's he even golfing?' Might need to get this girl in the booth for some tough love commentary! — Jessica Hadwin (@jessicahadwin) June 6, 2025 Hadwin says the quiet life in Kansas, near Jessica's family, has been great for the couple and their daughter Maddox. 'We are around her family, I love that for us, especially for her and Maddox when I'm away. Certainly, not the best practice conditions January through April, but plenty of good and it's a great setup for our family.' The golf swing has been a work in progress going back four years when he began a swing change with top coach Mark Blackburn. In an effort to take some of the wrist rotation out of his swing, the pair set about to strengthen the clubface and have it square on the way down, so he could simply turn into the ball at impact. 'In doing that, I got super shut, very flat wrist, very DJ-esque,' he said, referring to Dustin Johnson's unique move. 'We like the wrist position coming down but I was doing some weird things with the wrist on 3D (video analysis). I was kind of super closed, and then opening it, and then closing it again on the down. So very inconsistent, basically.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This past winter they began the process of trying to keep what they liked, and fix what they didn't. Read More 'I've never been a great iron player. I've been a decent driver of the ball but never been a consistent iron player. It's good when it's good, but otherwise it's sort of blah,' he said. 'We are chasing consistency.' With just one top-25 finish so far this year, it hasn't been easy. Social media has a way of sugarcoating things, and while the Hadwin family certainly can't be accused of only putting their best moments forward, you never really know what anyone is going through until they tell you. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I've had a hard time getting away from some of this at times, and not overthinking things during this past six months. I've had a really hard time not taking it off the golf course with me,' he said. 'It's great to be able to get away from the game, and just kind of focus on them at times. I love the simplicity of living in Wichita. So it's really nice to go home and be around family in the off weeks.' With just two bogeys through 36 holes at the RBC Canadian Open there is reason for optimism, and for the entire Hadwin clan, hopefully a weekend and summer of good golf ahead. 'I don't know if I want to say that I found it, because we never really fully find it,' Hadwin said. 'But I feel good this week.' Olympics NHL Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA Columnists
