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OAKVILLE, Ont. — Mike Weir gets asked before every RBC Canadian Open whether he'll be the first Canadian to win the national golf championship since 1954.
He always says he hopes so. But yesterday, his first-round score delivered a more emphatic answer.
Weir shot six-under-par 65 and grabbed a share of the lead before play was halted because of inclement weather.
"I started a little better than what I thought I would," Weir said after his bogey-free round. "I thought somewhere in the 60s, but to shoot 65 is a little better than what I thought."
The weather at Glen Abbey was only good if you're a duck. (Adrian Wyld/CP)
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Bright's Grove, Ont. holds the clubhouse lead after a rain-shortened first-round at Glen Abbey
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The 65 was Weir's lowest opening-day score in 18 Canadian Open appearances. He's never been the leader or co-leader after the first round.
Young hotshot Anthony Kim and Weir's friend Eric Axley also shot 65 at the Glen Abbey Golf Club.
Seven players were tied for fourth place. Richard Johnson, J.P. Hayes, Nicholas Thompson, Ryan Armour and Jason Allred were finished at four under. John Senden and Charley Hoffman were at the same mark, but hadn't finished the rounds.
Even if the weather wasn't a dream, the top of the leaderboard was — Weir is Canada's favourite golfing son and Kim is a flashy, rising star considered a top contender this week.
The three co-leaders started their rounds early yesterday and finished before thunder and lightning moved in at 12:51 p.m., causing a halt to the action.
About an hour after the suspension of play began, a hard rain fell, and play didn't resume until 6:30 p.m. Seventy-eight players didn't finish the first round, which will continue this morning. With more rain forecast, tournament organizers might be pressed hard to get all 72 holes completed by Sunday. The previous time the event was shortened to 54 holes was in 1996.
Abysmal weather has been par for the course at the suburban Toronto layout this week. Incessant rain since last Sunday has saturated Glen Abbey, filling bunkers and creating puddles in fairways. Much of the practice time earlier in the week was washed out.
Not that Weir seemed to mind the soggy conditions yesterday. He said the course, designed by one of his golf heroes, Jack Nicklaus, was vulnerable to low scores because of its softness.
Players could bomb their drives down the fairway and hit their approach shots directly at the flagsticks without fear of their balls rolling wildly.
"It is playing about as easy as it can play," said Weir, whose only other 65 at the Canadian Open was in the second round in 2004, also at Glen Abbey.
Weir went on to tie Vijay Singh in regulation play that year, but lost on the third hole of a playoff — extending the drought for Canadians on their home soil.
"Finally shooting good rounds in 2004 helped me get over the mental hurdle that I can shoot better than 70 out here," said Weir, who's grown to appreciate Glen Abbey after years of disliking it and scoring poorly.
Kim said he likes the 32-year-old course just fine, too, although he didn't share Weir's view that it was a pushover.
The 23-year-old from California said the squishy ground made the course play long and "pretty tough," and some of the pin positions were tricky.
"If you try to go at one of those pins in the back and fire it over the green, that's definitely a bogey," said Kim, who made seven birdies against one bogey yesterday.
The two-year professional, who's won twice on the PGA Tour this year and has climbed already to No.ƒ|14 in the world rankings, is making his first visit to Canada, let alone the Canadian Open.
Kim has been touted as the next challenger to Tiger Woods's supremacy — and fans have been treating him accordingly. Especially here.
"I feel very comfortable out here," he said. "Obviously, I don't have 3,000 people following my every shot and my every move. But, you know, the people that were following me out there have been great. I feel very welcome.
"I think this might be the tournament where I've met the most nicest people."
Weir enjoyed the same kind of love-in. "I think when I get on a roll like today, you can sense the energy," he said. "I think Tiger, you know, that's what Tiger gets a lot. It's nice to have that one time, one week."
If Weir's strong play continues, and he ultimately wins the title that has eluded Canadians since Pat Fletcher triumphed in Vancouver, the roars would grow louder.
