OAKVILLE, Ont. – For Mike Weir it was a round of wondering what could have been, and for David Hearn it was more of the same.
Weir, from Bright’s Grove, Ont., and Hearn, from Brantford, Ont., were two of 18 Canadians playing at Glen Abbey Golf Club competing at the RBC Canadian Open. All are trying to find a way to become the first Canadian in 59 years to win the country’s national open.
“I gave myself a lot of chances,” says Hearn, who nearly won two weeks ago at the John Deere Classic and finished with a solid 2-under par in a tie for 29th. “I didn’t make as many of those putts as I would have liked. But overall, it was nice to finish with a birdie, and looking forward to maybe doing a little better tomorrow.”
Hearn finds himself five shots back of round one leader Brendan Steele, who shot 7-under in calm conditions in the morning.
Hearn was paired in a marquee group with fellow Canadian Graham DeLaet. DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., is in the midst of a breakout year and is currently ranked 67th in the world. The group had a large gallery in the morning, though Hearn admits he expected “pretty much volunteers” to be the only ones following the group. That wasn’t the case and while there are plenty of stars in the field this week – Bubba Watson, Ernie Els, and Matt Kuchar – the Canadians drew large galleries.
“We got a lot of family and friends out this week, so it was good to play in front of everybody,” Hearn said.
A lot was expected from DeLaet, who struggled throughout the round that included a wild tee shot on the 14th hole that led to a triple bogey. DeLaet called his round “Jekyll and Hyde,” in which he also made six birdies and finished even par.
“It was pretty scoreable out there,” DeLaet said. “But at the same time I really didn’t shoot my way out of it.”
Other low Canadians on the day included Manotick, Ont.’s Brad Fritsch who birdied the 18th hole to finish at 3-under par in a tie for 16th.
“I felt like I played great,” Fritsch said. “This golf course gives you chances, but there are places where you need to step back.”
Weir, on the other hand, got very little out of a solid day of golf. The golfer, who has been struggling to find his form since having surgery on his elbow in 2011, hit 16 of 18 greens, but found his round derailed by 34 putts. On the 16th hole, where he made his first birdie of the round, Weir threw his hands in the air in mock triumph. It would be the only birdie he’d make all day and he finished at 1-over par.
“It happens,” Weir said. “You know it’s kind of frustrating to play. I’ve been working hard on my game and my putting – I haven’t even thought about working hard on it.”
Weir said he expects to find some breaks in the second round
“I felt like I can make a charge tomorrow morning,” said Weir. “The last couple of months I’ve felt good with my game.”
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