Canadian Open: Mackenzie Hughes in the hunt
Dundas, Ont., native 2 shots off lead after firing 5-under 67; play suspended due to darkness
Ollie Schneiderjans, Kevin Chappell and Matt Every shook off a two-hour suspension of play to shoot matching 7-under 65s on Thursday to move to the top of the leaderboard at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont.
They entered into a five-way tie with Brandon Hagy and Hudson Swafford, the co-leaders from the morning group.
"I honestly struggled going back out there afterwards," said Chappell, who was thrust to the top by a pair of eagles. "Just kind of caught myself in a little bit of a daze, maybe lacking energy. I tried to eat as much as I could and tried to just kind of pick myself up a little bit.
"That's the hardest part about those delays."
Every, who is paired with Chappell and Danny Lee for the first and second rounds, was happy to let his mind wander.
"I don't know, [the break] wasn't a big deal to me. I probably didn't stay focused," laughed Every, who had seven birdies and never bogeyed. "Just had a coffee and kept my body warm. That's about it."
Schniederjans also eagled twice and finished his round just a few minutes before play was suspended due to darkness. He was philosophical about the thunderstorm disrupting play, saying it just comes with the territory.
"You're going to get one every now and again. Definitely changes the vibe for the day," said Schniederjans, who three-putted on his first hole back after the delay. "Mentally, it's tough to go two-putt a 70-footer after a delay over a giant hill. I was kind of forgiving on that, and got it back with an eagle on 18."
Although a downpour that lasted most of the morning didn't delay the early group, it still affected how the Jack Nicklaus-designed course played. The normally firm fairways and greens softened, letting players stick their drives and play a straight-forward game.
"It's about as gettable as I've seen this golf course but it's in great shape," said Swafford. "The greens are perfect. So you can make some putts. I was just trying to give myself as many chances as possible; if the ball was 30 feet or two feet.
"That was the main concern today, just get it on the greens. Felt great with the putter. Really rolled it beautifully."
Hughes within striking distance
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was the low Canadian from the morning group, firing a 5-under 67 to enter a seven-way tie for eighth.
"If you hit it in the fairway, you can be aggressive," said Hughes. "The few fairways I missed, I was just trying to make par and you have to be a little bit defensive.
"All in all it was a great day. Probably could be a bit better but I made a couple nice par putts, too. Overall, happy with my start."
Jared du Toit of Kimberely, B.C., was 1-under 71 on the day, while Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., finished his round at even-par 72.
There are a total of 17 Canadians competing in the national championship.
Kuchar has 1st-round scare
Matt Kuchar battled dizziness and sought medical attention in the first round, four days after his crushing runner-up finish at the British Open.
The seven-times PGA Tour winner shook off the dizzy spells, including one which came while he was marking a ball, to card a one-under-par 71 that left him six shots back of the clubhouse leaders.
"I had a couple of spells where I got a little bit dizzy and I felt weak. I don't know where it came from," said Kuchar, who did not blame jet lag after flying to Canada from England.
"I've had plenty of time to get over the travel. Hopefully it's just something that passes real quick."
Kuchar missed out on a maiden major title on Sunday when fellow American Jordan Spieth produced a brilliant finish at Royal Birkdale.
Yet Kuchar, eager to move on from that stinging defeat, had four birdies over his first 11 holes at Oakville's Glenn Abbey Golf Club to move into contention but was undone by a double-bogey and bogey over his final seven holes.
with files from Reuters