England's David Skinns fires 62 to seize lead at PGA Canadian Open

David Skinns, aged 42, drained a birdie putt from just under 47 feet on his second-to-last hole to secure a one-shot advantage following the opening round of the US PGA Canadian Open on Thursday.

The English golfer, in pursuit of his maiden PGA Tour triumph, also carded six birdies in seven holes to post an eight-under par 62 and claim the lead after the first 18 holes at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in suburban Toronto.

"I hit the ball quite well," Skinns remarked. "I managed to position myself in many favorable spots. It appears that around here, that's half the battle - giving yourself opportunities for birdies. I was able to go after some pins."

Ranked 144th in the world, Skinns, who had previously made the cut in just 20 out of 42 PGA events, produced a bogey-free round in the late afternoon to snatch the lead, with Americans Sean O'Hair and Sam Burns trailing by one stroke at 63.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, who birdied four of his first six holes, occupied fourth place with a score of 64, while American Ryan Palmer was on 65 and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, ranked third globally and aiming for his third win in the last four Canadian Opens, was part of a group in sixth place with a score of 66.

Skinns had finished fourth at the Cognizant Classic and seventh at the Houston Open, both held in March, marking his best results on the tour.

"Once you realize that your strong golf can contend, it becomes much easier to trust in that and feel more comfortable," Skinns stated.

When asked about the significance of a potential victory, Skinns replied, "I believe everyone knows the answer to that. I've been striving for it for over 20 years. However, I need to focus on tomorrow's round first."

Skinns, the back-nine starter, made an impressive birdie putt from just under four feet at the 12th hole. He continued his momentum with tap-in birdies at the 17th and 18th holes.

He then followed up with a 14-foot birdie putt at the first hole, a 35-footer at the third, a tap-in birdie at the fourth, and a six-foot birdie putt at the fifth hole, which allowed him to share the lead.

Skinns concluded his round with a final birdie on a long-range putt at the par-3 eighth hole.

O'Hair matched his career-low score in 1,332 PGA Tour stroke-play rounds. His last 63 was in 2011. This impressive performance came after a tiring journey from Texas to Canada, with a late Wednesday night arrival before an early Thursday morning tee time at 5:56 a.m.

"I was exhausted," O'Hair admitted. "So, I was kind of in a fog today because I was just so tired, but it worked out."

O'Hair's round was flawless, with no bogeys. He made a 27-foot birdie putt at the fourth hole and a 27-foot eagle putt at the 17th hole.

O'Hair had been battling mononucleosis for the past six weeks and was the last player to join the field after others withdrew. His travel plans were disrupted by storms, causing his flights from Texas to be canceled until late Wednesday.

"To come out here and shoot the score I did was definitely kind of a shocker," he said.

Burns capitalized on the rain-softened course by eagling the only two par-5 holes. He sank a 10-foot putt at the fourth hole and holed out from just inside 38 feet at the 17th hole.

"That was really the difference in my round," Burns explained. "Making two eagles kind of kick-started me, and overall it was a solid round."

McIlroy, aiming for his third Canadian Open title, had a bogey-free round of 66. He made four birdie putts from inside eight feet.

"Four birdies with no bogeys was a good day's work," said McIlroy, who has won two of his last three starts.

"I've been playing well in the past few weeks. Hopefully, I can maintain that momentum."