Hoey on the hunt after shooting 66

Hoey on the hunt after shooting 66 | Daily Tribune

Filipino-American golfer Rico Hoey shrugged off a rough start to card an impressive 4-under-par 66 in Thursday’s opening round of the RBC Canadian Open at TPC Toronto’s Osprey Valley course.

After opening with a bogey on the par-5 1st hole, Hoey steadied his game and caught fire with a string of birdies, delivering a resilient performance that puts him within striking distance of the early leaders in the PGA Tour event.

The 28-year-old Hoey quickly bounced back with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 3rd, followed by a near-tap-in birdie at the 6th after sticking a wedge to three feet. His back nine featured a strong surge with birdies at the 14th and 15th, though a three-putt on 16 briefly stalled his charge.

But Hoey closed with authority — sinking a 39-foot bomb on the 17th and scrambling for an up-and-down birdie on the par-5 18th — to finish the round at 4-under and just five shots off the lead.

Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and Chile’s Cristobal Del Solar share the top spot with matching 61s, while Cameron Champ sits one stroke back at 62.

Hoey, who is seeking a breakout performance this season, is part of a packed group at 66 that includes Sam Burns, Canada’s Nick Taylor, and France’s Victor Perez.

Olesen, who only made the field through Monday qualifying, caught fire on the back nine. He eagled the par-five 18th and closed with three birdies in his final four holes, draining putts from just inside 14 feet at both the seventh and eighth.

“I played great, but my putting was exceptional,” Olesen said. “I don’t think I missed any putts out there. I holed some long ones, too. It was nice to see everything go in.”

Del Solar, meanwhile, was 10-under through 16 holes and flirting with the lowest round in PGA Tour history before stumbling late with a bogey-par finish. A birdie-birdie close would have matched the Tour record of 58.

“I was actually having fun out there,” Del Solar said. “It’s one of the first few rounds this year where I’ve just let go and played golf. I wasn’t thinking about the score, and that kind of led to a great round.”

The 316th-ranked Chilean is no stranger to low numbers — he earned the nickname “Mr. 57” after carding a 57 at the Astra Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour in February 2024, the lowest round ever in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

The official PGA Tour record remains Jim Furyk’s 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.

Del Solar, who had missed the cut in eight of 13 PGA Tour starts this season, took full advantage of the soft course conditions. He caught fire with birdie runs from holes 5–7 and 9–12, then drained a six-footer at the par-three 14th and a 15-footer at 16 to reach 10-under.

But at 17, he missed a 10-foot par save after a bunker escape, and needing eagle at the par-five 18th to break 60, he left his third shot 15 feet short and couldn’t convert the birdie.

Just behind the leaders, American Cameron Champ sits alone in third with a 62. Fellow American Jake Knapp is one stroke back at 63, followed by Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Americans Trey Mullinax and Ricky Castillo, and Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard, all at 64.

Defending champion Robert MacIntyre of Scotland posted a bogey-free 65 to stay in the mix.

McIlroy opens with 71

Second-ranked Rory McIlroy, fresh off his career Grand Slam win at the Masters in April, shot an even-par 71 in his first competitive round since last month’s PGA Championship.

He closed with back-to-back bogeys but remained upbeat as he continues preparations for next week’s US Open at Oakmont.

“I actually felt like I played OK,” McIlroy said. “It was my first outing with a new driver, and that went pretty well. I hit some drives I liked, so that was encouraging. Obviously, I’ll need to go a bit lower tomorrow to stay in it.”

American Luke Clanton, a 21-year-old making his pro debut, played alongside McIlroy and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg and posted a solid 70.

“It’s cool to be thrown into the fire right away,” Clanton said. “It was awesome.”