Rookie Emiliano Grillo of Argentina posted a bogey-free 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Vaughn Taylor and Brian Harman after the first round of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.
The 22-year-old Grillo, who missed his first PGA Tour victory earlier this year when he lost in a playoff to Alex Cejka of Germany in a playoff at the Puerto Rico Open, holed a 10-foot birdie putt on his final hole, No. 9, to take sole possession of the lead.
“I didn’t get into any trouble, which is important out here,” said Grillo, whose only pro victory came in the 2014 Visa Open de Argentina on the PGA Latin America Tour. “I made a lot of putts to get to 8-under.
“There are four par 4s that are all pretty much reachable and I was able to take advantage of all of them except No. 16, which is the easiest hole on the course. I was able to get out of there with a par, made a nice par save on No. 17 and chipped in for birdie on No. 18 to get some momentum.
“The wind died down and the greens dried out on the front nine, but I was able to give myself opportunities and made some of them.”
Harman, whose only victory came in the 2014 John Deere Classic, made four birdies on each nine and his only bogey at No 14 in a 65 to tie for second with Taylor, a two-time PGA Tour winner who also had eight birdies and one bogey.
Amateur Ryan Ruffels of Australia holed a 37-foot eagle putt on the second hole en route to a 66 and was tied for fourth with two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton and Tyrone Van Aswegen of South Africa.
Chad Campbell, who has four PGA Tour victories, shot 67 and was tied for eighth with Eric Axley, Alex Prugh, William McGirt, Jim Herman, Robert Garrigus, Chesson Hadley, Johnson Wagner and J.J. Spaun.
Jason Day, coming off a tie for fourth in the Open Championship, holed his second shot for an eagle on the 10th hole on his way to a 68 and was in a tie for 17th that included Bubba Watson and Jim Furyk, while Matt Kuchar was another stroke back in a tie for 33rd at 69.
Defending champion Tim Clark, who has been battling a left elbow injury, was tied for 88th at 72.
