World number 250 Scott Brown shares the Canadian Open lead with Matt Kuchar while Brandt Snedeker is hot on their heels. Both Brown and Kuchar added rounds of 63 to their opening 65 to sit on 12-under par at the halfway stage at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Brown, who has one PGA Tour victory in Puerto Rico on his CV, endured a woeful 2018, with 14 missed cuts and no top-10 finishes but he has improved this year. The 36-year-old Georgian has managed three top-10s, including a share of seventh at the Texas Open, and is in line to challenge over the weekend.
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Conversely, Kuchar is the model of consistency, with victory in Hawaii plus two second-place finishes in 2019 en route to 13th in the world rankings and the US veteran will be able to draw on that experience at the business end of the tournament. Snedeker has not enjoyed the best of years but carded a sensational round of 60 on Friday to shoot up the leaderboard, while Canada’s Nick Taylor shares third place with the US star on -11.
Webb Simpson’s 64 sees the American in fifth spot on -10 while Canadian Adam Hadwin is a place back on -9. Six players, including Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, reached eight-under after 36 holes and the former Ryder Cup star will hope to keep up his form on Saturday and Sunday to finally secure a spot in the Open.
He is desperate to make the year’s final major as it is being held on his home course of Portrush and needs a top-10 to stand a chance of getting the nod. Compatriot Rory McIlroy is in a group of three on -7 while Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson have work to do as they are four-under ahead of the third round.
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