2024 RBC Canadian Open scores, takeaways: Robert MacIntyre, Ryan Fox share lead heading into weekend

With his father serving as caddy, Robert MacIntyre sits atop the leaderboard midway through the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. Carding back-to-back bogey-free rounds of 64 and 66, the Scot sits alongside Ryan Fox at 10 under and two ahead by Joel Dahmen.

“I think I’m playing well,” MacIntyre said. “When I’m in position off the tee… the approach play has been really good. I’ve been giving myself a lot of chances. When I’ve missed the green, I’ve had a good short game. To be honest, I think I’ve missed in the right places. I’m sorry foul on the opposite side of the green, not the short side, and we can run on it. But, no, I think overall it’s been a good two days.”

MacIntyre’s ball-striking numbers don’t jump off the page – he’s outside the top 70 on approach – but as he said, he missed in the right spots, which is more than half the battle at a tough Hamilton Golf & Country Club . Playing over par for the second day in a row, the par 70 sent quality players like Sahith Theegala, Alex Noren, Cameron Young and defending champion Nick Taylor home on Friday morning.

The leader managed to move up to first place thanks to occasional hard iron hits, but most of the damage was courtesy of the club. Gaining more than six strokes on the greens through 36 holes and another three around them, MacIntyre leaned on his short game and a renewed attitude.

With his father by his side, MacIntyre’s good attitude should persist throughout the weekend and even more so if his good play persists. He will need both if he is to achieve his first PGA Tour victory, as he will face a quality chasing pack, a punishing golf course and the nerves of trying to become a winner on the PGA Tour.

“To be honest, it’s just 36 holes with my dad,” MacIntyre said. “First time in a real tournament. We’re just learning on the run – well, he is, he’s learning on the run and I’m trying to stay as calm as I can. When I miss a shot, I’m not trying to get too angry. Yeah, we’re just trying to have as much fun as we can.

The leaders

T1. Robert MacIntyre, Ryan Fox (-10)

Although he has been on the professional scene for some time, MacIntyre is still just a newcomer to the PGA Tour. There were clear growing pains in his transition from the DP World Tour to the PGA Tour, but the 27-year-old apparently realized them. After beginning his rookie season by missing five of his first 10 cuts, MacIntyre has found his groove with three top 15s in his last three starts, one of which came in the form of a run at the PGA Championship.

“I have the golf game to compete anywhere in the world, and I knew that from playing, obviously, Open Championships and Masters my first time around,” MacIntyre said. “There was something holding me back. There was something holding me back from competing. I felt like I had a bad start to the year. Something was holding me back. We kind of… delved into the stats and stuff and we’re like, it’s okay. here, what is this? And then you have to look in the mirror and say, ‘You could be the problem.’ We sat down and talked about it and I think my attitude was a problem. Now I’m working hard on it, trying to stay balanced and deal with whatever comes.

Other contenders

3.Joel Dahmen (-8)
T4. Mackenzie Hughes, Andrew Novak, David Skinns (-7)
T7. Trace Crowe, Sean O’Hair, Sam Burns (-6)
T10. Nick Hardy, Zac Blair, Ben Griffin (-5)

The round of the day came from one of the Canadians themselves. Hughes was shot out of a cannon on Friday with an early hole-out for eagle on his third hole, the par-4 12th, and made three more birdies before turning. The idea of ​​a possible sub-60 round popped into his head when he sank his second eagle of the day at the par-5 4th to get to 8 under with five holes to play. Instead of continuing in this direction, the Canadian backed away on the last few holes with a few bogeys, but remains within reach of the lead. This week not only represents a return to Canada for Hughes, but also a return to a golf course where he estimates he has played about 50 rounds in his life.

“It feels really good,” Hughes said. “I had a few minutes to process the round and the whole day, and although the ending was disappointing, I look back on all the work. As of today…if you told me I was going to shoot 64, I would have accepted it, so that puts me in contention for the weekend, and that’s all I can ask for.

Another milestone for Rory

After opening with a bogey-free 66 on Thursday, McIlroy didn’t have his best game on Friday and settled for a 2-over 72. While he’s still in this tournament at 2-under, McIlroy might reflect a little tonight on accomplishing yet another feat. Starting this week on the PGA Tour for the 250th time in his career, the 35-year-old made his 220th cut – good for an impressive 88% success rate. Here are some other numbers to put McIlroy’s career in context and the underrated longevity of it all.

• 250 matches
• 220 cuts made (88.0%)
• 121 results in the top 10 (48.4%)
• 26 wins (10.4%)

Updated 2024 RBC Canadian Open Odds and Picks

• Robert MacIntyre: 3-1
• Ryan Fox: 7/2
• Mackenzie Hughes: 8-1
• Sam Burns: 11-1
• Joel Dahmen: 14-1
• Andrew Novak: 16-1
• Rory McIlroy: 20-1

The top of this leaderboard is pretty soft, meaning it might be wise to throw in a few darts and hope they make the most of moving days. Skinns at 28-1 seems like a hair long as he tends to stick around once he enters contention. A little further down the odds board, Zac Blair is just five behind at 125-1 and Tom Kim has the statistical profile ripe for a breakout performance. At 2 under, he is also listed at 125-1.