Champ takes 2-shot lead, Canada's Taylor and Lee tied for 3rd heading into weekend at Canadian Open

John Chidley-Hill · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 7:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Cameron Champ wasn't adjacent expected to beryllium present today.

Champ changeable a 4-under 66 to ascent atop the leaderboard connected Friday astatine 12-under wide astatine the RBC Canadian Open for a two-stroke pb implicit chap American Andrew Putnam. A week ago, Champ was the eighth alternate for the lone PGA Tour lawsuit successful Canada, but capable golfers withdrew from the tourney that helium made the field.

"I decidedly didn't deliberation I was getting in, particularly arsenic eighth," Champ told media aft leaving the scorers' country astatine TPC Toronto astatine Osprey Valley. "I cognize the deadline, immoderate guys volition retreat implicit the play but arsenic eighth, I was like, 'yeah, astir apt not getting in.'

"Luckily, I really brought my passport. I don't cognize wherefore I brought it. I was similar 'I'm conscionable going to bring it successful case' for immoderate reason, not adjacent reasoning astir the tournament. So it each worked retired nicely."

It's been 5 years since Champ past won connected the PGA Tour and he's been bouncing backmost and distant betwixt the top-flight circuit and the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour this season.

"It's been a grind. It's been a intelligence battle, that's for sure, going backmost and distant and having constricted starts," said Champ, who has played successful 5 PGA Tour events this twelvemonth and 8 connected the Korn Ferry Tour. "For maine now, it's conscionable much truthful embracing it.

"Embracing the concern I'm successful and conscionable effort to instrumentality vantage of each accidental I can."

Putnam changeable an 8-under 62, the champion circular of the day, to instrumentality sole possession of 2nd astatine 10-under overall.

Vancouver's Richard T. Lee (64), Nick Taylor (65) of Abbotsford, B.C., Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen (70) and Italy's Victor Perez (65) were tied for 3rd astatine 9 under.

WATCH l Canadians Taylor, Lee tied for 3rd midway done Canadian Open:

Taylor was grouped with Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. The all-Canadian trio was easy the astir fashionable pairing connected Friday, with fans going chaotic for each made shot.

"The fans are phenomenal. The ovation connected the archetypal spread alone, we had the nationalist anthem, it felt like, astir each tee box," said Taylor, who had 5 birdies connected the beforehand nine. "It was fun. The Rink Hole was buzzing. It was a amusive day."

McIlroy struggles

Two-time Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy struggled mightily, dropping an 8-over circular to easy miss the chopped astatine 9 over. The par-4 5th spread was peculiarly costly, arsenic the No. 2 subordinate successful the satellite scored an eight.

McIlroy said his mediocre showing is simply a interest up of adjacent week's U.S. Open astatine Oakmont Country Club successful Corinth, Texas.

"You don't privation to sprout precocious scores similar the 1 I did today," said McIlroy, who has been trying retired a caller operator aft his go-to was disqualified by the USGA astatine the PGA Championship. "I came present with a caller operator reasoning that that was going to beryllium bully and lick immoderate of the problems disconnected the tee, but it didn't.

"Obviously, going to Oakmont adjacent week, what you request to bash much than thing other determination is deed fairways. Still benignant of searching for the missing portion disconnected the tee."

Lee and Taylor headlined a radical of 8 Canadians who made the chopped astatine the nationalist men's play championship, matching the grounds antecedently acceptable successful 2023 astatine Oakdale Golf and Country Club successful Toronto and again astatine Hamilton Golf and Country Club past year.

A peculiar aerial prime advisory was successful the country owed to wildfires successful Manitoba and parts of Ontario. An Air Quality Index of 164 — considered unhealthy — was recorded successful the Greater Toronto Area.