Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung grabs Canadian Open lead as Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose charge
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Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung during the third round of the Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf & Country Club on Saturday.
PHOTO: AFP
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TORONTO – Chinese Taipei’s Pan Cheng-tsung opened and closed with back-to-back birdies to grab a two-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open.
Two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy and the English pair of Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood charged into the hunt, but it was Pan, trying to end a four-year PGA win drought, who fired a six-under 66 to lead after 54 holes on 14-under 202.
Pan capped his second 66 in a row with birdie putts from just outside 10 feet at No. 17 and the par-five 18th at the Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto.
“That put me in a good spot, but I still got a lot of work to do. I won’t do too much to change,” he said.
“But you still have to play aggressive because this course, it’s a lot of rough, but if you hit it in the fairway you will have a lot of short irons in and create a lot of birdie opportunities.”
A second-place pack comprised world No. 3 McIlroy, 2013 US Open champion Rose and Fleetwood, a two-time Major runner-up chasing his first PGA victory, plus Americans Mark Hubbard, Harry Higgs and Andrew Novak.
McIlroy fired a bogey-free 66, including three birdies on the front nine and three in a row on the back nine on a putt from just inside 17 feet at the par-three 11th, a tap-in after reaching the green in two at the par-five 12th and a 30-foot putt at No. 13.
“The key to this golf course is getting off to a good start. I was able to do that and kept it going through the middle of the round,” the Ulsterman said.
“Putter went cold over those last five holes. Feel like I could have squeezed a couple more shots out of the round but, overall, really pleased with how I played.”
Fleetwood fired an impressive 64, capping his own run of three consecutive birdies with a 20-foot putt at the par-three ninth. He then birdied five of the last seven holes, including a 14-footer at the 15th and back-to-back birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 and Nos. 17 and 18.
“Got a great round going and you just have to go out and enjoy those days when they come. I drove it great, put myself in position all day and managed to convert, which is a lovely feeling,” he said.
Rose birdied six of the last seven holes in shooting 66, including five in a row starting at No. 12 plus a tap-in after driving the green at the par-five 18th.
“That was a lot of fun on the back nine,” he said.
Canada’s Nick Taylor, hoping to be the first home winner of the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954, fired a bogey-free, course-record 63 to share eighth with England’s Aaron Rai on 205.
“I’m going to try to win a golf tournament. Adding the extra pressure, if you want to call it, of being a Canadian and winning the Canadian Open would be on top of that. But I’m ready for the moment, so we’ll see,” he said. AFP
