July 27, 2018
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Entering the RBC Canadian Open, there were 21 Canadians in the field. The last time a Canadian-born player has won the tournament was Carl Keffer in 1914.
With 36 holes complete, there will be seven Canadian golfers to have made the cut. That exceeds last year’s number of Canadians entering the weekend, which was only two. Nick Taylor, Ben Silverman, Chris Crisologo (amateur), David Hearn, Mackenzie Hughes, Roger Sloan, and Ryan Yip will be competing this weekend at Glen Abbey, trying to make history by erasing a 104-year streak of non-Canadians winning their national championship.
Nick Taylor Four Back of Leader Kevin Tway
Winnipeg native Nick Taylor is looking for his second win on the PGA Tour, his first victory coming at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. After shooting a first round 68, Taylor followed it up today with a 67, where he had eight birdies on the card.
“I hit it a lot better today,” Taylor stated. “WIth the fairway here, with how soft the greens are, if you’re in the fairway, it’s much easier to attack some of these pins.”
Taylor was 12 of 14 fairways hit, 14 of 18 greens in regulation and 0.796 strokes gained in putting. The last few months, the Canadian has been working on improving his putting and it has yielded positive results.
“I’ve been focusing mainly on my putting speed,” stated Taylor. “I’ve always read greens pretty well, I’ve been starting it on line but it’s just my speed that has been very inconsistent. It’s great to see all the hard work paying off.”
With only missing two fairways today, Taylor is hoping that the confidence driving the ball and his putting will continue into the weekend, where he only sits four shots back of leader Kevin Tway.
“Two of my bogeys today could have been avoidable for sure. Today was a great round. It’s nice to make eight birdies on any course. I hit the ball really well. Even with the wind, it was nice to take advantage of the golf course today.”
Ben Silverman Shoots Lowest Round Ever By Canadian
After a disappointing opening round 73, Ben Silverman came out today and shot not only the lowest round of the tournament thus far but also the best score by a Canadian at the Open with a second round 63.
“I haven’t gotten this low since last year when I won on the Web,” exclaimed Silverman after the round. “Things were clicking. I knew exactly where the ball was going and putts were falling. It was a lot of fun.”
Silverman’s round today marks a new PGA Tour career low score. He had achieved the same feat last week at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky when he shot a 65 in the final round to finish in a tie for 12th. Many of the similar facets of the Canadian’s game from last week were put on display today at Glen Abbey.
“I finally was able to get back to last Sunday when I made five birdies in a row,” said Silverman. “I knew exactly where the ball was going, I could see my lines well and was rolling the putter very well. Everything was flowing.”
Ben’s round was one stroke off the course record of 62, which was set last year by Robert Garrigus. He had nine birdies on the card today, hitting 11 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens in regulation and was two for two in scrambling. Now, sitting five shots off the lead and in contention to win the Canadian Open, Silverman understands the type of golf he needs to play in order to chase the leaders.
“I know pretty much what I have to shoot to secure my card for next year, so I’m still going to be pushing to try to catch the leaders as soon as I can and then contend to win this tournament.”
Amateur Chris Crisologo Embracing Canadian Open Opportunity
Amateur Canadian Chris Crisologo is ready to compete over the weekend at the Canadian Open. With only one top 20 result at the Freedom 55 Financial Open, Crisologo has underachieved tremendously thus far, playing solid golf but not yielding positive results.
That changed this week at Glen Abbey, where he has recorded a 68 and 69 during the first two rounds to make the cut and be in contention to win the tournament.
“The more opportunities you get, obviously you’re going to get a breakthrough eventually,” stated Crisologo. “With that understanding, you have to keep doing the right things and sooner or later success will happen.”
Crisologo recorded six birdies on the card today, but needs to do a better job with driving accuracy, as he only hit two fairways in his second round. But his recovery shots are what saved the young amateur today, recording 7 of 10 in scrambling to propel him to a solid round.
Pretty incredible to see @bc_golfer Amateur champ Chris Crisologo contending at the @RBCCanadianOpen . He's in the clubhouse at -7 and T-15th
— Jon Keen (@JonKeenNLSports) July 27, 2018
“There are going to be ups and downs, but it’s all about managing your emotions through it, understanding that you’re going to have those swings here and there and just making the most of a good swing,” stated the Canadian. “I think the long putt on 17 was the turning point for me. There’s going to be momentum swings out there, and just kind of being ready and prepared for them is the most you can get out of it.”
With Crisologo sitting only six shots off the lead, the young Canadian will rely on the camaraderie of his teammates, while also leaning on personal routines to get him ready for a high-pressure weekend.
“I have my teammates around here, which is nice, so we’ll get together for a dinner. Obviously might do a little practice session just to get the feelings back together. It’s just keeping relaxed and keeping the same routine that we’ve had the past few days. It’s worked out pretty well so we’ll continue to do that.”
