Mac Hughes, leads 8 Canadians, Sunday Shootout at RBC Canadian Open...TEE TIMES, Scoreboard..

 PGA Tour : RBC Canadian Open Tee Times  Leaderboard

With another beautiful early summer's day ahead, the stage on the North course at Osprey Valley, TPC Toronto, is set for a Sunday shootout at the RBC Canadian Open, and there is at least 1 Canadian vying to be the leading man.

On May11, Mac Hughes, Ryan Fox and Harry Higgs went into a playoff to decide the winner of the One Flight Myrtle Beach Championship. 

With Hughes 14 feet away and Fox at 55 'in the fringe, Foxy decided to chip in for the birdie 3, Mac and Higgs missed, leaving the popular Kiwi the winner.

Today Fox, who could qualify for the US Open with a top 5, and the former Italian teenage sensation, now back in form, Matteo Manassero lead the tightly bunched pack at -14. 

Both are qualified on the PGA Tour from the DP World Tour. Manassero won the glittering BMW PGA Championship in England at 20 after T13 at the 2009 Open as a 16 year old. 

Mac Hughes rode a moving day 64 to -12 T6 just 2 shots off the pace. He and Fox couldn't end up in another playoff... could they ?!

In between at -13, Lee Hodges 63, Kevin Yu 63 and lefty Matt McCarty 64.

There are 22 players within 4 shots of the lead and they include Canadians, Nick Taylor 69, Taylor Pendrith 67, Adam Hadwin 65 all at -10

If you'd like to take a flutter on a longer shot, Canadians Richard Lee 70 -9, or at -8 Ben Silverman 65, Corey Conners 66. Matthew Anderson 68 is at -7.

Game Plan

With 36 hole leader Cameron Champ 62,66 slipping up with a 71, the door was left open for the charging field, and so they did with 63's 64's 65's in abundance.

With another ideal sunny day ahead we know this North course, hosting it's first of 2 Canadian Opens is very doable, and will yield birdies galore today in the race to the finish.

Often bad weather, like heavy wind or rain, will help separate the men from the boys, mentally and physically. Not so today in ideal scoring conditions, so in my opinion this will turn into a Sunday Shootout. 

I wrote about scoring early and often on the less demanding front 12 holes, so especially those further behind, will be looking for happy hunting to post their score and hope.

3rd last pair.  Hughes -12 and McCarty -13 are set for 1.25 and you'd think 65, 66 will be required to have a chance.

2nd last pair  Lee Hodges -13, Kevin Yu -13 1.35 have better odds, only a shot behind, so 68 67 might be enough.

last pairing  Ryan Fox -14, Matteo Manassero -14 can make this title their own, but any slip up will cost them dearly. 

This day is too close to call, so it should be exciting later this afternoon, out in Caledon.

Bryan Angus