Open on Saturday. With St. George's Golf & Country Club playing nearly two fewer strokes relative to the first two rounds, Tony Finau was the man to make the most of the scoring conditions in Toronto.
"Yesterday, I didn't finish the way I wanted, and I think all it did was light a fire in my stomach to get it done today," Finau said after tying his career-low PGA Tour round with an 8-under 62. "That's more or less what I did. I made some birdies and just played immaculate golf. Then when I did an eagle on 9, I knew I was like, 'oh wow, we're moving up the rankings. And any time you're at the top of the standings and have a great chance to win on the PGA Tour, it's exciting."
The first to enter the clubhouse at 11 under par, Finau was later joined by Rory McIlroy. The defending 2019 RBC Canadian Open champion, the Northern Irishman, shot a five-under 65 on Saturday to share the 54-hole lead with Finau.
T1. Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy (-11): It's been a two-season story for Finau and McIlroy, as the American has struggled for most of 2022. I was sneaking in the back door of the top best five at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
McIlroy said. "So yeah, he sets me up well for tomorrow. I feel like every aspect of my game is in pretty good shape, so go out there and try to post a number and see if it's good enough."
The golfers will split in trios tomorrow, meaning Thomas will join the pair at the top of the leaderboard in the final group. I would have loved to see Burns and Thomas play together, but the grouping of Smalley, Clark and Burns may be beneficial to the LSU product.
Without witnessing the ebbs and flows of the leaders firsthand, Burns could be in a position where he needs to play golf. A four-time PGA Tour winner, a win tomorrow would give him his fifth title in fewer than 30 starts and catapult him into the Player of the Year conversation with his good friend
Scottie Scheffler.
"I told… Rory and Corey that it felt a bit like a big deal. It's weird," Thomas said of the fan support this week. "16 is a cool and unique experience. It is a difficult hole in itself. So, it's just, I mean, I knew some very passionate sports fans in this part of the world, and after being two years away from this tournament, I knew they were going to be ready to go this year."
The warm welcome in Toronto is well deserved for the PGA Championship winner, as he skipped the Memorial Tournament and instead put the RBC Canadian Open on his preparation for next week's US Open. Having competed at TPC Craig Ranch the week before his win at Southern Hills, Thomas could be preparing for a similar performance at The Country Club.
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