46:I[29208,["/_next/static/chunks/2jhrjnncm5raz.js","/_next/static/chunks/1gw-kb5iisnl3.js","/_next/static/chunks/1yt446igj3lq7.js","/_next/static/chunks/0l-6rirxtdwmo.js","/_next/static/chunks/2garizayuhlpl.js","/_next/static/chunks/3-0vwtd1eg-pp.js","/_next/static/chunks/2udqgiyebnpne.js","/_next/static/chunks/2l-gom9jx5wxg.js","/_next/static/chunks/0dsjsiwpje-72.js","/_next/static/chunks/3vdprxpabg9bg.js","/_next/static/chunks/0s7b7lxeeaa3w.js"],"default"] 3c:Tb2c,

TORONTO (AP) — Corey Conners shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open, the first PGA Tour event since its announcement of a merger with Saudi-funded rival LIV Golf.

Conners is seeking to become the tournament's first Canadian winner in 69 years. Also at 67 were Aaron Rai, Justin Lower and Chesson Hadley.

Two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy opened with a 71 at Oakdale. Matt Fitzpatrick, who will seek to defend his U.S. Open title next week at Los Angeles Country Club, was one of nine players at 68.

At No. 29 in the world, Conners is the highest-ranked of 21 Canadians in the field. The last homegrown winner of the event was Pat Fletcher in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver.

Conners did not speak to reporters after his morning round because he was dealing with an urgent personal matter. His two PGA Tour victories both came at the Valero Texas Open, including this year.

“Really disciplined off the tee, we didn’t try to do too much,” said Danny Sahl, Conners' caddie. “But he had tons of fairways, missed maybe a couple in the first cut.

“Corey’s just tee-to-green hitting greens in regulation, made some good putts, just strong all around.”

Mike Weir in 2008 was the first Canadian to lead after the first round. The 53-year-old Weir shot 72 Thursday in his 30th Canadian Open appearance.

“I think he’s experienced enough to know that it’s so early, that it doesn’t really mean much yet,” Weir said of Conners. “He just wants to, I’m sure, just keep doing what he’s doing.”

Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith and Roger Sloan were among the group at 3 under.

“You can’t win it on Thursday, but you can lose it,” Hughes said. “So definitely nice to be in a good spot after Thursday but it’s going to take four quite nice rounds and some steady golf.”

McIlroy, an outspoken defender of the PGA Tour during its battle with LIV Golf, said in a pre-tournament news conference he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” after the tour changed course and aligned itself with Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. However, he also said Saudi investment in the tour was inevitable and that the deal could be good for the sport long-term.

“At the end of the day, this is business and my job is playing golf,” said McIlroy. “The more that I can focus on that and focus on the birdies and the bogeys instead of the stuff that’s happened in the boardroom, I’ll be much happier.”

An air quality advisory was in effect due to wildfires across Ontario and Quebec that have led to postponements of sporting events in the northeastern United States. There was some rain during the afternoon, but play was never delayed.

3d:Tb2c,

Conners is seeking to become the tournament's first Canadian winner in 69 years. Also at 67 were Aaron Rai, Justin Lower and Chesson Hadley.

At No. 29 in the world, Conners is the highest-ranked of 21 Canadians in the field. The last homegrown winner of the event was Pat Fletcher in 1954 at Point Grey in Vancouver.

Conners did not speak to reporters after his morning round because he was dealing with an urgent personal matter. His two PGA Tour victories both came at the Valero Texas Open, including this year.

“Really disciplined off the tee, we didn’t try to do too much,” said Danny Sahl, Conners' caddie. “But he had tons of fairways, missed maybe a couple in the first cut.

“Corey’s just tee-to-green hitting greens in regulation, made some good putts, just strong all around.”

Mike Weir in 2008 was the first Canadian to lead after the first round. The 53-year-old Weir shot 72 Thursday in his 30th Canadian Open appearance.

Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Taylor Pendrith and Roger Sloan were among the group at 3 under.

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Sebastian Munoz birdied his last five holes of Round 1 to shoot an 8-under 63 and share the first-round lead with Chesson Hadley at the John Deere Classic.

Munoz and Hadley posted the low rounds of the day during the afternoon wave at TPC Deere Run to move past Chez Reavie and Camilo Villegas, both of whom shot 7-under to hold the clubhouse lead for most of the day.

Hank Lebioda, who has placed inside the top five in his last two starts, bogeyed his final hole to drop into a share of third with Reavie and Villegas.

Here's the top of the leaderboard following Day 1:

Place	Player	To Par	Round 1 Score
T1	Sebastian Munoz	-8	63
T1	Chesson Hadley	-8	63
T1	Hank Lebioda	-8	63
T4	Chez Reavie	-7	64
T4	Camilo Villegas	-7	64
6	Ryan Moore	-6	65
T7	Luke List	-5	66
T7	Kevin Tway	-5	66
T7	Cameron Champ	-5	66
T7	Michael Gellerman	-5	66
T7	Doug Ghim	-5	66

Pre-tournament favorite Daniel Berger shot 2-under, as did Sungjae Im.

Round 2 begins at 7:45 a.m. ET.

3f:T997,

Sebastian Munoz birdied his last five holes of Round 1 to shoot an 8-under 63 and share the first-round lead with Chesson Hadley at the John Deere Classic.

Hank Lebioda, who has placed inside the top five in his last two starts, bogeyed his final hole to drop into a share of third with Reavie and Villegas.

Here's the top of the leaderboard following Day 1:

Place	Player	To Par	Round 1 Score
T1	Sebastian Munoz	-8	63
T1	Chesson Hadley	-8	63
T1	Hank Lebioda	-8	63
T4	Chez Reavie	-7	64
T4	Camilo Villegas	-7	64
6	Ryan Moore	-6	65
T7	Luke List	-5	66
T7	Kevin Tway	-5	66
T7	Cameron Champ	-5	66
T7	Michael Gellerman	-5	66
T7	Doug Ghim	-5	66

Pre-tournament favorite Daniel Berger shot 2-under, as did Sungjae Im.

Round 2 begins at 7:45 a.m. ET.

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RIDGELAND, S.C. (AP) — Chesson Hadley moved a step closer to his first PGA Tour victory in seven years, opening a four-stroke lead over Harris English and six over Dustin Johnson on Sunday in the rain-delayed Palmetto Championship at Congaree.

Hadley, English, Johnson and Lee Tain were all on the 18th hole when the horn sounded to stop play because of lightning. Rain followed about 10 minutes later and officials waited more than two hours for things to clear before telling the players they had to return to finish Sunday morning.

Hadley, in the final group, had just driven into the fairway. English and Tain were preparing to putt. Johnson had yet to hit.

Hadley stands 19 holes away from closing out a surprising week with his second career tour victory after entering this tournament off five consecutive missed cuts.

Hadley surged late with four birdies on a five-hole stretch of the back nine to reach 14 under.

English was 10 under. Johnson, who was tied for the lead early in the round, dropped into a third-place tie with South Africa's Garrick Higgo at 8 under. Higgo finished with a 68.

Hadley was holding a halfway lead for the first time in PGA Tour career. And paired with world No. 1 Johnson, Hadley seemed poised to fall — especially after his opening drive went left of the fairway and led to bogey. One hole later, Johnson's birdie had them tied for the top.

But it was Johnson who faltered, looking more like the error-prone bal- striker who missed cuts at the Masters and the PGA Championships the past two months than the one who confidently took control of his home-state Congaree Golf Club in the two opening rounds.

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, 11th in the world, and Bo Van Pelt were tied for fifth at 7 under. Hatton shot a 68 while Van Pelt had the day's lowest score at 66.

Hadley, the PGA Tour's rookie of the year in 2014 whose only victory came that same season, moved back on top with three straight birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th holes. The last was a perfectly struck putt from 32 feet away to separate from the field.

No one could catch up on a hot, steamy South Carolina Saturday, leaving Hadley 18 holes, uh, 19, from his second career tour victory.

Hadley had missed 10 cuts in his last 12 tournaments and acknowledged he wasn't sure what to expect at Congaree, filling in for the RBC Canadian Open which was called off due to COVID-19 for a second straight season.

So Hadley went out and shot 11-under 131 his first two rounds — his best start to a PGA Tour event since 2016 and his first-ever 36-hole lead on tour.

He found that form again when he needed it most on the back nine to regain the lead after surprise challenger Lee (more on that later) had birdies on four of the first five holes to move in front at 11-under.

Hadley held firm after his opening bogey before his birdie run left him on top once more.

Lee is a 31-year-old from Columbia, Maryland, who had to qualify last Sunday to make the field for only his third start on the PGA Tour. He was four shots behind Hadley and in the next-to-last group when his early surge took him to the front.

But Lee, whose biggest accomplishment may be the NCAA Division III individual title he won in 2013 for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps combined college team, could not maintain his poise during one of the biggest rounds of his career with three bogeys and a double bogey over a five-hole stretch of the back nine.

English may be the most capable of spoiling Chesson's chances. English has won three times on tour, including this past January at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

He was bogey free with five birdies through 16 holes. But he missed an 8-footer to save par on the 17th. He has a birdie try on the 18th when English returns to complete the round.

___

More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https:twitter.com/AP_Sports

41:Tfdf,

Chesson Hadley

Chesson Hadley

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