OAKVILLE, Ont. — Those in favour of keeping Glen Abbey Golf Club safe from bulldozers should probably enlist the help of Canadian Open clubhouse leader Robert Garrigus.
The American used the word “love” more than once to describe his feelings for this track.
“It’s one of my favourite places,” the 40-year-old Idahoan said after carding a bogey-free, nine-under-par round on Thursday, which he got in before play was suspended for two hours and 14 minutes due to stormy, rainy weather. (But it didn’t hail here, like it did about an hour northwest).
“It’s not just the golf course,” Garrigus continued. “It’s the people, the town, just the whole feel of it. I love it.”
The owner of this Jack Nicklaus-design, ClubLink, has proposed the site for development, which isn’t a popular idea among those who live in the area, those who don’t want to see condos and the like replace these 18 holes.
Garrigus has good reason to praise these 18 holes, too, because they’ve been mighty good to him. Last year, he finished a season-best T5 here, and he’s off to a fine start during a year in which he’s had just two top-10 finishes, and on the heels of a round he’d love to forget, the 79 (which he called “a million”) he fired this past Sunday at the Barbasol Championship.
“I went from my worst round of the year to the best round, which was a pleasant surprise,” Garrigus said with a grin.
These are just early days in the 109th playing of the Canadian Open, with three rounds to go and a bit more for much of the field, who didn’t get through 18 before the horn sounded at 8:04 p.m. Tommy Fleetwood (-5 through 16) and Sergio Garcia (-4 through 16) are among those who will finish Round 1 on Friday.
But certainly in Garrigus’ case, it’s an encouraging start for a player looking for his second win on Tour, eight years after his first.
“I think 20-something-under is going to win, so we’ll forget about it when I get home,” he said. “This was a good day.”
It was, too, for a homegrown player who’s been looking for some success this season — David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. He came in at four-under, and is tied for clubhouse low-Canadian, along with Nick Taylor from Abbotsford, B.C.
Calgary’s Roger Sloan, meanwhile, is three-under through 12, while last year’s low-Canadian here, Mackenzie Hughes from Dundas, Ont., is three-under through 17.
Hearn, who was third at the Canadian Open on this very course in 2015, was rolling along, bogey-free and five-under with just three holes to go, until he hit the par-three No. 7 known as The Rink.
It’s surrounded by hockey boards, and officials on the hole wear referee stripes. It’s supposed to be fun, but for Hearn, it led to his lone bogey of the day.
“That’s a tricky hole for me,” the 39-year-old said. “It’s a left-to-right green and really narrow, and I’m sort of more of a right-to-left ball shape guy. I was hitting such great iron shots, so I tried to take on that pin, and I just pulled it a little bit.
“But overall, I made so many good swings today, I’ll forget about that quickly.”
Hearn doesn’t have full status on Tour this year, and in 18 events this season, he’s made nine cuts, including a T10 back in March at the Zurich Classic, and a T16 earlier this month at the John Deere.
This is his 16th year playing his national open, and he says it’s still not entirely nerve-free.
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“I feel very comfortable, but you still get those first tee jitters when you get on the tee and they announce your name, and you get a little bit louder cheer than you get anywhere else.
“It feels great to be home, and I was happy to make some birdies for the home-towners today.”
On his final hole, Hearn’s approach shot went long, and then he saved par with a six-inch putt to close out with a four-under 68, matching the opening-round score of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson.
“I felt great today. I hit the ball really, really nicely tee-to-green and gave myself lots of chances for birdie,” Hearn said. “I left a few out there today, but overall, I feel really positive about the way I played, and looking forward to tomorrow.”
One of the early tee times, Hearn got his round in before rain hit for the first time, around 1 p.m. That’s when Michael Gligic, a local from nearby Burlington, Ont., reached for his umbrella. Not so fast, Gligic.
“My caddie looked at me and was like, ‘Oh, that’s in the car,’” Gligic said, smiling and mostly dried out after a round of 64. A Mackenzie Tour player who Monday-qualified, Gligic had to take a couple putts with a backwards hat because the rain was dripping off the brim of his white TaylorMade ball cap.
Before the rain hit, more than a few players said Glen Abbey, which is hosting its fourth straight Canadian open, was in as good shape as they’d seen, playing firm, and not dry like it’s been in past years.
Taylor, who recorded three birdies on the front nine, got his round in just before the horn sounded. He said the course wasn’t as soft after the deluge, though.
“I thought I was hitting a little better before the delay, felt a little off the last few holes but made a few putts the last few holes, so that was nice,” said Taylor, who hit a six-foot birdie putt on 18.
Garrigus, meanwhile, had no complaints.
“I’ve always played well in Canada. There’s a lot of good vibes here,” he said. “And the golf course is absolutely pure. I mean, I was walking on the fairway on eight, and it just felt like you were walking on carpet. And you get up on the green, and it’s like grass. The conditions are absolutely perfect. The fans are amazing here. They really, really love their Canadian golfers, and they love golf in general.”
In case you were unconvinced, Garrigus wanted to make this clear:
“I love this place,” he said.