Canadians lead Phoenix Open

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Canadians Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin carded five-under par 66s on Thursday to share the lead as darkness halted the first round of the US PGA Tour Phoenix Open.

The duo — who both live in Arizona — were warmly embraced by fans at the typically raucous event, with spectators in the stadium-style stands at the 16th serenading Hadwin with "O Canada."

Neither was disturbed by the frost delay that pushed back the start of the round by an hour and 45 minutes, or by the blustery winds that greeted golfers once they got underway.

"I feel like a lot of guys that grew up in the cold, we get asked (if we're used to these conditions) a lot," Taylor said. "We did it a lot, but we probably prefer the heat now because we've moved south.

"I've played enough in it where I kind of know what to expect."

Taylor, who practices regularly at TPC Scottsdale, made a bright start with an eagle at the third hole, but a double-bogey six at the par-four sixth and a bogey at the ninth saw him one-over at the turn.

Things warmed up nicely from there as he nabbed four birdies in a row from the 10th through the 13th, then added two more birdies at the 16th and 17th.

Taylor, whose two US PGA Tour titles include the 2020 Pebble Beach Pro-Am, said his second nine was all the tougher in the unusual winds.

"All those holes are playing a lot longer than typical," he said. "I've seen a lot of wind conditions, but this was one of the toughest stretches I've played out here."