OAKVILLE, Ont. ? Brad Fritsch needed just three holes to leap into contention at the RBC Canadian Open.
With birdies on Nos. 16, 17 and 18, Fritsch heads into Friday?s second round leading the Canadian contingent at 3 under.
?Other than my second hole, which I was very impatient on, I played well today,? he said. ?I looked like I got some horrendous bounces. ? But I stayed patient.?
Fritsch, from the Ottawa area, battled swirling winds and some ?inconsistent? greens on his way to the lowest score of the afternoon. His reward is a chance to start the day in some calmer weather Friday morning.
?It swirled quite a bit, obviously in the valley, which is tough. It always does,? he said. ?It?s probably sun versus shade, which greens get the most of that. [I] struggled a little bit on the back nine.?
Canada?s elder statesmen Mike Weir, 43, and Stephen Ames, 49, shot 1 over and 2 over, respectively.
Other than my second hole, which I was very impatient on, I played well today. I looked like I got some horrendous bounces. ? But I stayed patient
Weir, who may finally be fully recovered from several injury-plagued seasons, was happy with where he sat after the first 18 holes despite a few bumps along the way.
?I obviously scored very poorly for the way I played,? he said. ?Tomorrow morning we?ll get some nice greens and hopefully get something to go in the hole.?
David Hearn opened the day for the 19-man Canadian contingent with a 2-under 70, five shots back of leader Brenden Steele, while top-ranked compatriot Graham DeLaet bounced back from an early triple bogey to finish at even par.
?I hit my tee shot left of the hazard and then had a pretty simple up and down,? DeLaet said of his seven on No. 14, his fifth hole of the day. ?You?re looking back on your round and that?s one that definitely I should have made a five at worse.?
Hearn, playing in the same group as DeLaet, hit 72% of greens in regulation but failed to gain any ground despite five birdies on a clear day at Glen Abbey. Costly bogeys at Nos. 1, 11 and 17 left him in a tie for 29th.
?I gave myself a lot of chances. Didn?t make as many of those putts as I would?ve liked,? he said. ?Hopefully we?ll get off to a better start tomorrow and start rolling the birdies early.?
Amateur Corey Conners and Web.com Tour pro Roger Sloane surprised the home crowd at 1 under. Five Canadians broke par in the opening round.
I gave myself a lot of chances. Didn?t make as many of those putts as I would?ve liked
Another member of the Web.com Tour, Adam Hadwin, who preached the power of patience a day before the tournament, recorded five bogeys and double bogeys on Nos. 7 and 13 for a 6-over 78 in a miserable start to his fourth Canadian Open.
Brian Hadley?s 7-over 79 was the highest score of the day among his fellow countrymen.
Other Canadians in the field include Eric Banks (73), Mackenzie Hughes (74), Peter Laws (74), Riley Wheeldon (75), Eugene Wong (75), amateur Adam Svensson (76), Kevin Carrigan (77), Albin Choi (77) and Bryn Parry (77).
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