Clark claims 1st-round lead at Canadian Open as controversy swirls in golf world

Warm sunshine pierced the overcast sky during the first round of the RBC Canadian Open, even as the PGA Tour event was overshadowed by other news in the world of golf.

Wyndham Clark held on to his clubhouse lead to finish the first round of the Canadian Open atop the leaderboard. No one in Thursday afternoon's wave came close to the American's bogey-free 7-under 63.

"I haven't shot a low one in a while," said Clark. "I've had a couple under par, 3, 4-under pars in my last few events, but really felt like I left a lot of shots out there.

"This round I maximized pretty much everything out there."

Matt Fitzpatrick sat second, a shot behind Clark, at the 111th edition of Canada's national men's golf championship. Doug Ghim and Harold Varner III were tied for third at 5 under. Varner was the only player in the afternoon to crack the top three.

Cloudbursts in the morning and the afternoon kept the course at St. George's Golf and Country Club soft. A strong wind helped keep the temperature down, but sent some drives into the long rough.

"I knew you had to hit the fairway, and that's all I really focused on," said Varner. "It got pretty windy out there, just hard to get it where you need to be to score."

Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was the low Canadian. He was tied for fifth at 4-under with Tony Finau, Lee Hodges and defending champion Rory McIlroy.

"Any tournament, you're kind of working yourself into it on Thursday," said Hughes. "You can't win on Thursday, but you can play your way out of it."

Even as players and fans celebrated the return of the Canadian Open — it was cancelled the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic — controversy dogged the event as it went head-to-head with a new rival.

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