Justin Lower sleep-walked through five holes Thursday and then tore up the smoky Canadian Open, seizing an early lead.
The former Northwest High School and Malone University player bogeyed No. 3 and No. 5 at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto, an ominous start six days after he missed the cut in The Memorial in Ohio.
Stuck in an early-bird start, Lower teed off at 7:11 am with Hank Lebioda and Aaron Rai. Only one group started earlier.
It turned out to be a hot pairing, with both Lower and Rai shooting 5-under 67 to share status as co-leaders in the clubhouse, in good shape heading into Friday’s second round regardless of how others still on the course fared. Lower is seeking his first PGA Tour win.
Also shooting 67 was former Kent State golfer Corey Conners, a native of Listowel, Canada who finished sixth in last year’s Canadian Open. Rory McIlroy, who won the last two Canadian Opens and is coming off a seventh-place finish at The Memorial, shot an opening-round 71.
The Canadian wildfires making world news have colored the air in Toronto. The PGA issued a statement saying it would track air quality “closely” and move to suspend play if warranted.
This is a fascinating moment for Lower, who lost his place on the PGA Tour last summer only to regain it amid the defection of players to LIV Golf. The Canadian Open arrived amid news that the PGA Tour and LIV are merging.
Lower and McIlory are both 34 and were born a month apart in 1989. McIlroy has four wins in Majors and a current world ranking of No. 3. Lower’s top finish on the PGA Tour was a fourth place in the Fortinet Championship last September.
Rai, from England, had an even rougher start than Lower, going double bogey, bogey, bogey on holes 3-5. He then went on a torrid run of seven birdies within 10 holes.
Rai led Lower by a shot heading into the par 5 No. 18, which features a twisting creek 290 yards from the tee.
Lower placed a 252-yard tee shot in the fairway, hit a near-perfect 255-yard second shot, and sank an 8-foot putt for eagle. Rai hit his second shot 11 feet from the cup and two-putted for birdie.
Lower’s rally began with birdie putts of 7 feet on No. 7 and 14 feet on No. 8. He opened the back nine by laying up in front of a creek, hitting his 118-yard second shot to within 5 feet, and sinking a birdie putt. He then dropped in a 9-footer for birdie 2 on No. 11.
After five straight pars, he sank a 16-foot birdie putt on 17, setting the stage for his closing eagle.
Among notables Lower led after the first round was crowd favorite Justin Rose, who birdied six of eight holes in one stretch and ended two back of Lower at 69.
Lebioda, the other player paired with Lower and Rai, struggled to a 77.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Justin Lower takes early lead as wildfire smoke hits Canadian Open