At 47 years, 1 month and 4 days, Paul Goydos would become the RBC Canadian Open’s oldest championshould he go on to win.
There’s certainly a lot of golf to be played, but Goydos has a share of the lead at the moment -- and he has a history of playing well on courses where hitting fairways is paramount.
In other words, this venue clearly fits Goydos’ game maybe more than any other that’s played host to the tournament. Prior to this year, Goydos had never posted back-to-back rounds in the 60s in this tournament, for example. And through his first four holes in the third round this year, Goydos is 1 under.
And just look at Goydos’ season to date: He’s made 12 cuts in 19 starts with his best finish a third-place at THE PLAYERS Championship -- where again hitting fairways was important.
As for who the oldest winner of this tournament, that honor belongs to Mark Calcavecchia who won the last time the tournament was held at Shaughnessy G&CC (2005). He won at 45 years, 2 months, 29 days.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
It wasn’t the 59 he shot a year ago, but Paul Goydos will certainly take his opening-round 66 that included four straight birdies at one point on the back nine.
”I'm very happy with the way I played today,”said Goydos, who added the course played much differently this year without the rain it got this week last year.
”It looks like it plays shorter, and it does play shorter under these conditions, but it definitely plays more difficult. It's hard to squeeze it in under those bunkers and stop the ball close, and you really need to hit the ball well or it won't stop at all.”
Goydos was his typical accurate self, especially off the tee, and he made six birdies and just one bogey as a result.
Still, given the conditions Goydos doesn’t expect to necessarily see any 59s this week.
“The guys who are playing well are going to shoot good scores,” Goydos said. “They're just not going to be ridiculous like last year. “
Not surprisingly, there are already some low numbers being shot in the early stages of the opening round at TPC Deere Run, where Davis Love III and Paul Goydos are each 5 under through 11 holes.
Goydos of course opened last year’s tournament with a 59 before going on to finish second.
Seven others, meanwhile, are a shot back at 4 under. Among them? Steve Stricker. He’s won there the last two years and is again in position, at least early on, to make a run at a third straight title.
Stricker is looking to become just the ninth different player since World War II to win a PGA TOUR event three straight years. Last year, he became the first player to win the event in back-to-back years since David Frost achieved the feat at Oakwood CC in 1992 and 1993.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
CROMWELL, Conn. -- With heavy rain now soaking the course -- and thunder and lightning in the area -- it will likely be a while before play resumes. Six players, however, were fortunate enough to finish their rounds before the horn sounded.
Your leader in the clubhouse at the moment? Kris Blanks, who carded a 2-under 68 that included an eagle on the par-4 15th, which is also this week’s Kodak Challenge hole. Blanks drove his ball short of the green on the 275-yard hole, then chipped in for the eagle from just inside 54 feet.
Ben Curtis, meanwhile, is one back after a 69. Curtis has a history of playing well here with four career top-15s in the event, including a pair of top-5s.
Others already done for the day are: Graham DeLaet (70), Scott Stallings (71), Steve Elkington (71) and Paul Goydos (72).
By John Schwarb, PGATOUR.COM
There aren’t many clubmakers in the world whose products can simultaneously go in a TOUR player’s bag and on a collector’s wall, never even once hitting a ball.
Scotty Cameron inspires that kind of behavior with his famous Titleist-branded putters. There are the TOUR-used models, like Tiger Woods’ famous Newport 2 (in the bag for all 14 of his major titles), then those that collectors crave and sell to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Consequently, his thoughts on the art, science and business of putters are closely followed throughout the
Cameron was asked about the latest color craze in clubs, and noted that the classics aren’t going away anytime soon.
“Good ideas seem to come back around, like the white putter, which is nothing new. The White Fang Jack Nicklaus used was really a Bull's-Eye back in that day with the fang on the back [Nicklaus won the 1967 U.S. Open with that putter],” Cameron said. “These ideas come around. I've done red putters with the Caliente. In my experience there are three colors that sell—not that you can't get far-fetched—but there is black, there is silver, and there is gold.”
HE SAID IT: David Toms won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with a Never Compromise Dinero Tycoon putter, a conventional-length model. Prior to the event, he was asked about the trend on TOUR toward longer putters and whether he had used them.
“I have practiced with long putters before, belly putters. It's a great stroke that way. I have problems setting up with them.
“I think if I could get the set up and feel comfortable I wouldn't mind putting that way because I think it's almost like cheating at times. Especially coming down the stretch last week (at THE PLAYERS) trying to win, you have that nervous factor and nervous energy and all of that and it factors into your stroke sometimes -- where if you anchored something into your body maybe that wouldn't be there. So certainly I would say it's a good way to putt if you can get comfortable.”
SCRATCH GOLFER: Rich Beem switched from Ping G-15 irons to a set from Scratch Golf, the company that once supplied clubs to Ryan Moore and now counts David Duval in its stable of pros. Read more here.
THE LAST WORD: Paul Goydos, last week when asked if he would go from a conventional to a long putter: “I was bad, and I hit some putts with a belly putter. It was worse. My issues with putting really aren't the length of the putt, it's the length between my ears.”
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Rory Sabbatini, who won here four years ago, is among the hottest players who teed off in the morning wave of Friday's second round at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
Sabbatini is 5 under through his first 12 holes, moving him to 7 under for the tournament. That's just one stroke off the lead shared by David Toms and Chez Reavie, who each shot 8-under 62 on Thursday. Toms is scheduled to tee off at 1:24 p.m. ET, and Reavie will tee off at 1:46 p.m. ET today.
Sabbatini had a stretch of four consecutive birdies starting at the ninth hole. At the 10th, he holed out from the fringe just off the green, while at the 12th, he rolled in a putt from just inside 21 feet.
Lucas Glover , winner of the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago, is also making a big move Friday. Like Sabbatini, he's also 5 under through his first 12 holes, leaving him at 4 under for the tournament.
One of Glover's playing partners, Paul Goydos, is also 5 under on his round, putting him at 5 under for the tournament.
Defending Colonial champ Zach Johnson is 2 under through 12 holes and 4 under for the tournament.
Big-hitting Australian Steven Bowditch is 4 under through his first eight holes, moving him to 7 under for the tournament. Bowditch ranks fifth on the PGA TOUR in driving distance.
Like Toms and Reavie, most of the players at the top of the first-round leaderboard do not tee off until this afternoon. They could be dealing with some dicey weather. There is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon.