Argentine rides bogey-free 64 to lead

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina followed up last week’s top-10 finish at the Barbosol Championship with an 8-under-par 64 in the first round of the Canadian Open on Thursday.
Emiliano Grillo of Argentina followed up last week’s top-10 finish at the Barbosol Championship with an 8-under-par 64 in the first round of the Canadian Open on Thursday.

OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Argentina's Emiliano Grillo shot a bogey-free 8-under-par 64 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the Canadian Open.

Grillo, 22, birdied three of the four par 5s at Glen Abbey. He earned a spot in the field Sunday with a top-10 finish at the Barbasol Championship in Alabama, just making it in when he birdied the final hole to tie for 10th.

"I played better on the back nine, which is harder, and the greens were drying out," Grillo said. "I kept hitting some solid shots until the end of the round, and I made some good putts on the back nine."

He won the Argentine Open last season for his biggest career victory, and lost in a playoff this year at the Puerto Rico Open.

Vaughan Taylor and Brian Harman were a stroke back. Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton was at 66 along with Steve Wheatcroft, Tyrone Van Aswegen and Australian amateur Ryan Ruffels.

Jason Day, coming off a tie for fourth Monday in the British Open, opened with a 68. Bubba Watson also was in the group at 68.

David Hearn and Adam Svensson were the top Canadians at 69.

Former Georgia Tech player Ollie Schniederjans had a 71 in his pro debut. He tied for 12th in the British Open. South Africa's Tim Clark, the winner last year at Royal Montreal, shot a 72.

Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks) had five birdies and a bogey for a 4-under 68. He is tied in a pack for 17th. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had an eagle, three birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey for a 2-over 74.

EUROPEAN PGA

Havret leads by 1

CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland -- Gregory Havret made a hole in one on the 195-yard, par-3 13th as he shot a 7-under-par 63 to lead the European Masters by a stroke after the first round.

Lasse Jensen of Denmark, who has yet to win on the European Tour, was a shot behind after a 64, while Danny Willett of England, who finished tied for sixth last week at the British Open, was one of the dozen players tied for third at 5 under.

Patrick Reed, playing in his first European Tour event, was tied in a large group on 3-under 67. Fellow American and defending champion David Lipsky was 4 under.

Lee Westwood opened with a 68, and Sergio Garcia carded 69.

LPGA

Trio share lead

BELMONT, Mich. -- Lizette Salas, Katherine Kirk and Dori Carter shared the first-round lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic at 7-under-par 64 on Thursday at Blythefield Country Club.

Jaye Marie Green and rookie Wei-Ling Hsu were a shot back in the second-year tournament.

Michigan-born Kris Tamulis was at 66 along with Q Baek, Ilhee Lee and Jane Rah.

Top-ranked Inbee Park, who lost to Miram Lee in a playoff last year, had three front-nine bogeys in a 70. Chella Choi, the Marathon Classic winner Sunday in Sylvania, Ohio, opened with a 71.

Salas, Kirk, Carter and Green played in the morning in little wind and perfect scoring conditions. Hsu had the best round in the afternoon after the wind kicked up. Park and Choi also played in the afternoon.

Salas eagled the 478-yard, par-5 11th hole in her bogey-free round, hitting a 3-wood approach to 10 feet. She played the back nine in 5-under 30, closing with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th.

Kirk, of Australia and a two-time tour winner, had her best round of the year. She had two bogeys, but made seven birdies and also had an eagle on 11 after reaching the green in two.

Carter, winless on the tour, tied her career best with the 64. She had three consecutive birdies in a front-nine 5-under 31.

Miram Lee withdrew Wednesday, citing a left wrist injury that she said will also keep her out of the Women's British Open next week.

CHAMPIONS

Eight tied at top

SUNNINGDALE, England -- Two albatross twos were recorded on the same hole on a memorable opening day at the Senior British Open, where defending champion Bernhard Langer finished in an eight-way tie for the lead at 5-under-par 65 on Thursday.

Langer topped the leaderboard alongside Americans Michael Allen, Bart Bryant, Marco Dawson, Jeff Sluman and Lee Janzen, Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez, and China's Lianwei Zhang, playing in only his third senior tournament after turning 50 in May.

The albatrosses on the opening hole, a first time in senior tour history, were by England's Barry Lane and American Steve Jones.

Lane holed his 4-iron second from 218 yards on the 492-yard par-5 and, a couple of hours later, Jones did the same with a 6-iron from 179 yards.

Welshman Mark Mouland led the home charge with a 66 alongside American Brian Henninger and Argentine Cesar Monasterio, while Colin Montgomerie was in a group of eight on 67 with playing partner Tom Watson.

Fred Couples, the 2012 champ, was in another large group on 68, while Jeff Maggert, twice a major winner on the U.S. senior tour this year, managed only a 1-over 71.

Sports on 07/24/2015

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