HAMILTON, Ontario (AP) 鈥� Ryan Fox closed with a 14-foot birdie putt late Friday afternoon for a 6-under 64 and a share of the second-round lead with Robert MacIntyre in the RBC Canadian Open.
Finishing on the front nine at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Fox birdied the par-5 fourth and par-4 fifth, then rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 sixth with the birdie on the par-4 ninth. The 37-year-old New Zealander is winless in 47 career PGA Tour starts.
鈥淚 drove it great, I hit may irons really well and had a few more putts drop today,鈥� said Fox, the the son of former New Zealand rugby star Grant Fox. 鈥淚t could have been really silly, but I still had a lot of good putts.鈥�
MacIntyre had a 66 in the morning for his second straight bogey-free round. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander is winless in 44 career PGA Tour starts.
鈥淲hen I missed the green I鈥檝e had a good short game," MacIntyre said. "To be honest, I think I鈥檝e missed it in the right spots. I miss it fat side of the green, not short-sided and we can kind of run it. If not, we fly it over it.鈥�
The leaders were at 10-under 130 on the traditional layout.
鈥淕olf course kind of suits my eye,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淪imilar grass to what we play at home. Similar kind of old style, tree-lined golf course, which is what I grew up on.鈥�
Joel Dahmen was third, two strokes back after a 65.
鈥淚 believe I should be here. It鈥檚 where I鈥檓 supposed to be, so I鈥檓 excited to hit golf shots under the gun on the weekend,鈥� Dahmen said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 done that in a long time, so I鈥檓 excited for that.鈥�
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes had two eagles 鈥� and two closing bogeys 鈥� in a 64 to join first-round leader David Skinns and Andrew Novak at 7 under.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a few minutes to process the round and kind of the whole day, and while the finish was disappointing, I look at the whole body of work,鈥� Hughes said. 鈥淚f you told me I was going to shoot 64, I would have taken it. It gets me into contention for the weekend and that鈥檚 all I can ask for.鈥�
Defending champion Nick Taylor missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 71. Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, he made an 80-foot eagle putt in a playoff to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954.
Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy, was 2 under, following a 66 on Thursday with a 72 playing alongside Taylor. McIlroy won in 2019 the last time the tournament was in Hamilton and again in 2022 at St. George鈥檚 in Toronto.
Skinns followed his opening 62 with a 71.
鈥淚 just couldn鈥檛 get a putt to go in, that鈥檚 really the story,鈥� Skinns said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 that much different. It looks a lot different on the scorecard, but it wasn鈥檛 that much different.鈥�
Novak shot 67.
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AP golf:
The Associated Press
