Canadian Hughes off to strong start at Royal Troon
Published
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes got his Open Championship off to an impressive start, firing a 2-under 69 Thursday at Royal Troon.
The Dundas, Ont., native was three shots back of leader Shane Lowry at the conclusion of his round, sitting in a tie for fourth. Daniel Brown later took the outright lead at 6-under.
Hughes made five birdies on the day compared to three bogeys, playing the front 2-under and the back at even-par.
Meanwhile, Canadians Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin each fired a 4-over 75 on Day 1 of the Open, putting them in a tie for 83rd.
Hadwin, 36, made five bogeys, recording his only birdie on the Par 3 17th by hitting his tee shot to 11 feet and rolling in the putt. Taylor, the 2023 Canadian Open winner, made three bogeys, a double bogey and a birdie en route to his opening-round 75.
"Not a great start," Taylor said after his round. "Hit some nice shots, just wasn't able to make anything today. That was frustrating, it would have been nice to make that four-footer on the last to make birdie but yeah, just [couldn't] make putts today."
Corey Conners was the fourth and final Canadian in the field this week in Scotland. Conners closed out his round at even-par, bouncing back from two bogeys in his first seven holes to finish at 71.
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