HALIFAX, N.S. – Andrew Landry fired a 4-under par 67 Friday and maintained his lead after 36 holes of the Nova Scotia Open in Halifax. Landry’s two-day total of 11-under 131 is one better than Korea’s D.H. Lee (66) and two in front of Jamie Lovemark (64).

Brasil Champions presented by HSBC winner Peter Malnati is at 7-under 135 and tied for fourth place with Texan Mark Walker (65) and Michael Arnaud (64) of Louisiana.

Ten more players are knotted together at 6-under 136, including Harold Varner III (67), 2013 U.S. Amateur runner-up Oliver Goss (67) and recent Illinois grad Brian Campbell (66), who turned pro after qualifying and finishing T27 at the U.S. Open two weeks ago.

“It was another good round,” said Landry, who lives in Austin, Texas. “It was one of those days where I had a lot of good looks and made a lot of great putts.”

For the second straight day, Landry rolled in a monster birdie putt from about 60 feet, this one from the fringe on the par-3, 8th hole.

“My speed has been just awesome this week,” he said. “You can’t mess things up when your speed is on.”

Lovemark’s 7-under 64 matched was the best of the day, and later matched by Arnaud and put the former All-American from Southern California into contention.

“I feel good going into the weekend,” he said. “If I keep being aggressive and continue to drive it well, I should be able to give myself a bunch of chances.”

Lovemark is also handling the greens at the Ashburn Golf Club, witness his 54 total putts for two days rank him number two in the field.

Canadian Ryan Yip shot a 6-under 65 today to make the cut. He will be joined by Team Canada Young Pro Adam Svensson who carded a 2-under 69 and Eugene Wong who posted a 1-under 70.

Brad Fritsch narrowly missed the cut by a single stroke after rounds of 72 and 70. National Amateur Team member Austin Connelly finished 2 strokes shy of the cutline after a round of 68 yesterday. Canadian Young Pro member Taylor Pendrith also finished 2 back of the 1-under cutline.

SASKATOON, Sask. – Bear, Delaware’s Eric Onesi shot a 6-under 66 on Friday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to take the solo lead heading into the weekend at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, the fourth event of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

The 27-year old reached 14-under and led by one over Moscow, Pennsylvania’s Nicholas Reach and French Polynesia’s Vaita Guillaume through 36 holes.

“The course was setting up well for me, especially on the par-5s,” said the long-hitting Onesi, who has played the par-5s in 9-under through two rounds in Saskatoon. “There was a left-to-right wind, which is my favourable wind, so I was hitting 7- or 8-iron into them and taking advantage of those and making some easy birdies.”

The Old Dominion University graduate, who earned medalist honours at the British Columbia Qualifying Tournament earlier this season, is making a return as a touring professional this year after taking time away from the game over the past two seasons. Onesi earned Web.com Tour status in 2012, but said the expectations to succeed as a young professional got the better of him, and he worked as a caddie at Bay Hill Club and Lodge for parts of the last two years.

“I just put too much pressure on myself back then,” said Onesi of his season on the Web.com Tour in 2012, when he made just three cuts in seven starts and finished 210^th on the Money List. “I had a lot of success right out of college, and when I had Web.com Tour status I kind of thought I should have it every year. When you have early success I think you expect to have it all the time. I hit a little wall and I think I took it hard and the desire went down, but I’m still young in this game and I know I can play out there, so I keep telling myself ‘I belong.’”

Onesi, who has made two of his first three cuts to start the season on the Mackenzie Tour and sits 63^rd on the Order of Merit, said he’s felt at home on the 7,301-yard Dakota Dunes layout since he arrived earlier this week and is excited about the prospect of competing here on the weekend.

“I’m just comfortable out here. As soon as I got out of the car on Monday and was able to hit a few drivers on the range and the course, I was able to settle in and keep my composure and stay focused and positive,” said Onesi.

Earlier in the day, Reach carded the low round of the week with a 9-under 63 to post the clubhouse lead at 13-under, which Guillaume matched with a 65.

The 36-hole cut came at 6-under par, matching the 2013 SIGA Dakota Dunes Open and the 2008 ATB Financial Classic for the lowest cut in TOUR history.

Canadian Matt Hill is currently T11 after a second round 68.

CANADIAN LAKES, Mich. – Daniella Iacobelli, who was born in Detroit, shot an opening round 64 to take a one shot lead after the first round of the Tullymore Classic at Tullymore Golf Club.

“I just kept telling myself to keep giving myself chances,” Iacobelli said. “I made a 7-footer, a 7-footer and a 3-footer to start the day and I was like well if you keep it inside of 10-feet you’ve got a chance so I just tried to hit the greens and put myself in the right spots to give myself the best looks at it and I got on a pretty hot streak on the front, fizzled out a little on the back but it was a good day.”

Iacobelli, who sits a shot clear of Rachel Rohanna and Chie Arimua, was one of 66 players to shoot under par on the day.

“Honestly no,” Iacobelli said on if she thought the course would play this way on day one. “I thought they were going to set up the course to be where 72s and 74s win it but when I got out here today and the course was in such great shape that if you put yourself in position obviously it was feasible since I’m not the only one who went low today.”

Iacobelli is proud to be from the Great Lakes State and enjoys being back for the Symetra Tour’s Midwest swing.

“I just love Michigan golf,” Iacobelli said with a smile. “It’s some of the prettiest golf courses I’ve ever played on, including Tullymore. This place is awesome. I’ve never seen so many people with such attention to details ever. It feels like an LPGA event out here. They’re doing a great job.”

Second round play will begin off the first and tenth tees starting at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The 144 player field is competing for a share of a $100,000 purse with a top prize of$15,000. The top-10 on the year-end Volvik Race for the Card money list will receive their LPGA Tour cards for the 2016 season.

The Canadian trio of Samantha Richdale, Jessica Wallace and Sara-Maude Juneau all posted an opening round of 4-under 68. One shot back is Augusta James with a round of 69.

Clear skies set the stage for the first round of the CN Future Links Quebec Championship at Golf Château-Bromont located in Bromont, Que. Brandon Lacasse took full advantage of ideal conditions and leads the Junior Boys division by one stroke. Céleste Dao and Alexandra Naumovski finished strong to climb to the top of the Junior Girls leaderboard.

Lacasse posted the clubhouse lead with a 3-under 69. The Châteauguay, Que., native made the turn at even-par with two birdies and two bogeys on the card. He opened the back nine with a birdie on hole 10, then proceeded to make six straight pars before finishing with back-to-back birdies.

Lacasse, who finished T3 in the 2013 edition of this competition, was followed closely by Antoine Beaupré-Vachon of Montreal, Que., and Charles-David Trépanier of Québec, Que., who both carded rounds of 2-under 70. Beaupré-Vachon’s performance was highlighted by four birdies and a string of nine straight pars to finish the day. Trépanier concluded his round with an eagle on the final hole. The crowded leaderboard features five Junior Boys two shots back of the lead at 1-under 71.

In the Junior Girls division, Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-L’Île-Perrot, Que., and Alexandra Naumovski of Hornby, Ont., captured the lead with rounds of 2-over 74. Dao kept herself in contention with a strong back nine performance that included two birdies. With a late birdie on 17, Naumovski claimed her share of the lead.

Two shots back in third place with rounds of 4-over 76 are Noémie Paré of Victoriaville, Que., and Madeline Marck-Sherk of Ridgeway, Ont. The Junior Girls division is also tight at the top with four golfers tied for fifth place with a score of 77, including defending champion Alyssa Getty of Ruthven, Ont., and Annie Lacombe of Laval, Que., the reigning Quebec Junior Girls Champion.

The top six finishers in both the Junior Boys and Junior Girls divisions at the CN Future Links Quebec Championship will receive exemptions into their respective national championships. The 2015 Canadian Junior Boys will be contested from August 2-6 at Summerlea Golf and Country Club in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., while the 2015 Canadian Junior Girls Championship will be hosted by Deer Park Golf Course in Yorkton, Sask., from August 3-7. The CN Future Links Quebec Junior Girls champion will also receive an exemption into a 2016 Canadian Women’s Tour event of their choice.

The second round of the CN Future Links Quebec Championship will begin tomorrow morning with the first group of Junior Girls teeing off at 7:30 a.m. ET followed by the Junior Boys at 9 a.m. ET.

For full first round results from the CN Future Links Quebec Championship and Saturday’s pairings, please visit the tournament website here.

Gerry Nelson is blind.  “Completely black, no lights, no shadows.’” For a time, his ears didn’t appear to work either. In his early 20s, Nelson was working hard during the day and partying just as hard at night, for a stint “making bacon” on the assembly line of the Gainers meat plant in his hometown of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and another time hauling sheets of drywall and sacks of concrete around a lumber yard.

Even his drinking buddies told him he should cut way back.  They knew that diabetes and gallons of alcohol were a dangerous cocktail, especially for Nelson who took his insulin every morning, but otherwise didn’t take the disease too seriously.  He learned about drinking from his alcoholic father, but not much about managing his diabetes since his mother died of leukemia when he was 11.

By the summer of 1988, at the age of 25, his eyes were so bad he could no longer play fastball.  He had surgery to re-attach both retinas in November, but within a few days he suffered a “major bleed” in both eyes and his world went dark.

“Mismanaging my diabetes caused me to lose my eyesight,” he says.  “People told me this would happen but I didn’t listen.” What did he do?  “I picked up where I left off : party, party, party.”

Unfortunately, Nelson’s story to this point is not unique to people who grew up in hardscrabble circumstances.  These stories are often told at wakes or funerals, or around the local bar.

But Nelson’s story—or shall we say, the rest of the story—is among one of the most inspiring in the Everyone Has a Story series on: golfcanadagolf.ca that launched in April.

In the video, Nelson, holding a 7-iron, his short hair silvery at age 51, says that when he lost his eyesight, “I had no idea what I was going to do.  I had no idea what I could do.  I thought life was over.  Golf was the catalyst that really got me going again.”

Nelson introduces himself in the video as the Western Canadian Blind Golf Champion.  He fails to mention that he’s won the title 10 times, and that he finished third in the World Blind Golf Championship in 2012.  His passion led him to help found Blind Golf Canada, which he serves as president with assistance from many others, including multiple-winner Brian MacLeod.

While he’s proud of his championships and the organization, they do not provide his greatest joy as a golfer.  “With my love for the game, and the fact that my son (11-year-old Wyatt) can participate in it with me now, there’s no greater joy I’d rather experience.”

The connection he cherishes with his son on a golf course and the feeling of a flushed shot are just some of the reasons Nelson took part in the storytelling series, which is geared toward inspiring more people to take up the game and stay with it.

Nelson is also proud to note he’s been working with the CNIB for 21 years, where he currently helps connect new clients to service providers and those who can help them.

He credits the CNIB for helping stop his spiral as “a guy with a white cane who partied all night and slept all day.” Two CNIB workers knocked on his door and invited him to a three-week educational program on independent living.  He dutifully went to listen, but left after a few hours.

Six months later, he gave the program another shot.  “I was ready,” he recalls. “Those three weeks changed my life and gave me direction.”

Determined to work for the CNIB, he moved to Saskatoon in 1990 and entered the University of Saskatchewan where he taught himself to type and use various accessibility programs.  It not only got him away from his drinking buddies, but also “gave me a purpose.  I was now a somebody.” He finished his degree in 1998 with Athabasca University through a distance program and started working with the CNIB.

After moving to Saskatoon, he was encouraged to take up golf again, which he’d played as a kid, mostly whacking balls around a park.  He had also played hockey and baseball, but considered himself merely “mediocre,” which is how he came to define himself.

A retired member of the Saskatoon Lions Club, who was also a golfer, had been looking for a blind golfer to assist.  Richard (Dick) Achen contacted Nelson and an amazing friendship and journey began. Achen started guiding Nelson on the driving range and around golf courses, and became like a father.

The guide’s role is simple: “Your job is to put the club behind the ball aimed at the target and get the hell out of the way.” On the greens, the guide reads the break, aims the club and tells the golfer if the putt is up or downhill and how far it is.  That’s about it.

During university, Nelson had about five months off every summer, and played just about every day at Greenbryre G&CC thanks to professional Peter Semko, later inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

“I was a natural,” Nelson says with the cheeriness and lively energy that came down the phone line in a recent interview. “With Dick’s help, I got better and better.  I got a taste of tournament play and I was a cocky rooster.  I built confidence in my game and it rubbed off on me as a person.  I started thinking there’s a lot more that I could do.

“As a kid, I had no confidence,” he continues.  “At university, I started to believe in myself.  I had a new identity and I could do all these things such as golf. Golf started it all.  I could take things that I learned playing golf and apply them to situations in life.  I learned to leave out things that are negative for me.  Along the way, I became a very positive person, thinker and a better father.”

People saw what Nelson had and they wanted to share in it, which led to his frequent role as a motivational speaker.  Although The Golf Channel hums constantly when Nelson is home, he doesn’t pay attention to the barrage of technical instruction.

“It’s all about feeling,” he concludes. “Like a sighted golfer, you get into a groove. You’re feeling it.  It’s not any one thing. I’m actually very good at visualization and imagination.  When I’m on a golf course and the sun is shining, I don’t need to see to know it’s a beautiful day and I’m the luckiest guy to be alive doing this.”

Share your golf story by going to: golfcanadagolf.ca.

OAKVILLE, Ont. – In celebration of Canada Day, Golf Canada and RBC are proud to announce the first 15 Canadians, including 10 tournament exemptions, confirmed for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open taking place at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ont., from July 20-26, 2015.

Leading the Canadian contingent at Glen Abbey will be Weyburn, Sask., native Graham DeLaet, fresh off a fourth-place finish this past weekend at the Travelers Championship. The finish moved DeLaet to No. 78 on the World Golf Ranking and secured his spot in the field for The Open Championship at St. Andrews.

Joining DeLaet will be fellow Canadian PGA TOUR players David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., Abbotsford, B.C., natives Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor; Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C. and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., who will be making his 25^th appearance in Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship.

Golf Canada has also granted a tournament exemption to Web.com Tour player Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. who will make his eighth appearance in Canada’s National Open Championship.

Additional tournament exemptions were given to Team Canada Young Pro Squad members Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., as well as National Amateur Squad members Austin Connelly of Irving, Texas and Blair Hamilton of Burlington, Ont.

Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont., won the 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title to earn his exemption into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open. Leading into tournament week, Rank and Connelly will represent Canada at the 2015 Pan Am Games golf competition, July 13-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham, Ont.

PGA of Canada professional Billy Walsh of Markham, Ont., earned his way into the 2015 RBC Canadian Open field as the No. 1-ranked player on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC.

Earlier this week, former Team Canada member Richard Jung of Toronto shot a course-record, 10-under 62 at Rattlesnake Pointe Golf Club to top the 144-player field to earn an exemption through the RBC Canadian Open Ontario Regional Qualifier.

“This is OUR Open and we’re proud to have these 15 deserving Canadians compete in the 106^th playing of Canada’s National Men’s Open Championship,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin. “The depth of talent in Canadian golf has never been stronger and I’m sure each of them will feel the tremendous wave of Canadian pride and support from golf fans across the country.”

The 15 Canadian players announced today will look to become the first Canadian to capture the national title since Pat Fletcher claimed victory in 1954.

The Canadians confirmed for Glen Abbey will join a field of PGA TOUR and international stars that includes World No. 3 Bubba Watson, World No. 5 Jim Furyk, World No. 8 Jason Day, World No. 13 J.B. Holmes, World No. 16 Matt Kuchar, World No. 17 Chris Kirk, World No. 22 Brooks Koepka, World No. 26 Brandt Snedeker, World No. 30 Ryan Palmer, World No. 40 Hunter Mahan, World No. 48 Graeme McDowell, World No. 65 Luke Donald, and World Golf Hall of Fame member Ernie Els.

Celebrating Canada Day at the RBC Canadian Open….

For more than a century, our National Men’s Open Championship has been a celebration of Canada’s most talented golfers. This year, that celebration will be on full display as Friday, July 24 has been declared Canada Day at the RBC Canadian Open. Spectators are encouraged to wear red and white to proudly show their support for Canada’s top golfing talents. Players in the field will also be encouraged to wear Canada’s colours to help celebrate the day.

Pan Am golf champion to earn an exemption…

Golf Canada will also grant an RBC Canadian Open tournament exemption to the winner of the men’s Pan Am Golf Competition happening as part of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. The golf competition will run July 13-19 at Angus Glen Golf Club with 32 players from 16 countries set to compete, including Austin Connelly and Garrett Rank who will represent Team Canada. Besides the champion’s exemption, the rest of the men’s Pan Am golf field will be exempt into the RBC Canadian Open Monday Qualifier happening Monday, July 20 at Heron Point Golf Links near Ancaster, Ont.

Canadian players confirmed to compete in the 2015 RBC Canadian Open include:

Graham DeLaet

• Currently the top-ranked Canadian on the World Golf Rankings (No. 78)
• Currently ranked No. 83 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 7^th RBC Canadian Open

David Hearn

• Currently ranked No. 177 in the world and No. 88 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 13^th RBC Canadian Open

Adam Hadwin

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• Topped the 2013-14 Web.com money list
• Currently ranked No. 174 in the world and No. 114 in the FedEx Cup standings
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open (finished T4 in 2011)

Nick Taylor

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• 2014 Sanderson Farms Championship champion (first Canadian to win on PGA TOUR in six years)
• Former World No. 1 Amateur
• Competing in his 6^th RBC Canadian Open

Mike Weir

• 8-time PGA TOUR winner
• 2003 Masters champion
• Inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2009
• Competing in his 25^th RBC Canadian Open

Roger Sloan

• PGA TOUR Rookie
• 2014 Web.com Tour Nova Scotia Open champion
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Brad Fritsch

• Currently ranked No. 81 on the 2015 Web.com money list
• Career-best PGA TOUR finish: T8 at 2014 Wyndham Championship
• Competing in his 8^th RBC Canadian Open

Corey Conners

• Member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad
• Runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Amateur to earn an exemption into the 2015 Masters
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Taylor Pendrith

• Member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad
• Low amateur at 2014 RBC Canadian Open
• Competing in his 2^nd RBC Canadian Open

Adam Svensson

• Member of Team Canada’s Young Pro Squad
• Two-time runner-up on the Mackenzie Tour PGA Tour Canada
• Competing in his 3^rd RBC Canadian Open

Austin Connelly

• Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team
• Currently ranked No. 13 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• Will represent Team Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games golf competition
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Blair Hamilton

• Member of Golf Canada’s National Amateur Team
• Currently ranked No. 81 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking
• University of Houston (winner of the 2015 NCAA Border Olympics)
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Garrett Rank

• Former Team Canada National Team member
• 2014 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion & 2015 Ontario Mid-Amateur champion
• Will represent Team Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am Games golf competition
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Billy Walsh

• Currently ranked No. 1 on the PGA of Canada Player Rankings presented by RBC
• Competing in his 2^nd RBC Canadian Open

Richard Jung

• Winner of the 2015 RBC Canadian Open Ontario Regional Qualifier
• Competing in his 1^st RBC Canadian Open

Additional player and tournament announcements will be made in the coming weeks. The final field for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open will be released on Friday, July 17, 2015 after 5 p.m. ET.

For information about tickets, FREE 17-and-under junior passes, volunteer opportunities or corporate hospitality for the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, please visit www.rbccanadianopen.com.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – For a change, Tiger Woods got off to a good start.

Woods rebounded from a dismal U.S. Open with a 4-under-par 66 in Thursday’s opening round of The Greenbrier Classic, four shots behind leader Scott Langley.

Helped by a morning rain that softened the Old White TPC course in West Virginia, Woods posted his lowest score of the season and matched his best in relation to par.

It was only the fourth time he shot in the 60s in 21 rounds. None on the first day of a tournament.

“Overall I can’t really say I hit any great shots, but I hit a lot of good ones,” Woods said. “I hit the ball better than what my score indicates.”

Two weeks ago at the U.S. Open, Woods had the highest 36-hole score of his pro career – 156.

Woods came to Greenbrier ranked No. 220 in the world and faced with the prospect of missing cuts in consecutive tournaments for the first time since 1994, when he had not yet turned pro.

For one round, at least, his solid game returned.

“Overall, if you drive the ball well here, you’re going to probably have at least seven shots with 9-iron or below into the greens, and you’re going to have to capitalize on that,” Woods said. “So far I’m one of those guys who did.”

Woods started on the back nine Thursday and birdied three of his first seven holes. He made bogey on the par-5 17th after his drive went into a hazard to the right, and a double bogey from a greenside bunker on the sixth hole left him at 1 under on his round.

Woods said he adjusted his aim later in the round after noticing that playing partners Steve Stricker and David Lingmerth were missing putts on the high side of the hole.

“I lowered my line just a touch, maybe half a ball here and there, and it seemed to pay off,” he said.

Woods finished with three straight birdies, making bending putts of 18 and 19 feet on the final two holes.

“Just trying to get back to 3 (under), and we just happened to pull off a hat trick coming home,” he said.

Jonathan Byrd and Danny Lee were a stroke behind Langley after 7-under 63s. Brian Davis and Ryo Ishikawa were at 64.

Friends Langley and Byrd both said they fed off each other during their morning round. They were tied at 7 under before Langley surged ahead with a short birdie putt at the par-4 16th.

Neither has a top 10 finish this season and both need some solid results to be among the 125 qualifiers for the FedEx Cup playoffs starting in late August.

“I got a little down on myself earlier in the year because the results weren’t really there,” Langley said. “I kind of looked at myself in the mirror and said, you know, at the end of the day, I need to be the most positive guy in the field week in and week out.”

Langley, seeking his first win on the PGA Tour, finished 25th at the Travelers Championship a week ago. He hit 17 greens in regulation in his bogey-free round Thursday.

Byrd is in the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption.

“I’m very thankful just to be in the field this week,” he said.

Leading the way for Canadians in the field was Calgary’s Roger Sloan who shot a 4-under 66, while Graham DeLaet and David Hearn both fired 2-under par.

Fans were certainly glad to see George McNeill and Justin Thomas.

Both made holes-in-one on the par-3 18th, triggering advertised tournament payouts of $100 to fans at the hole for McNeill’s ace and $500 for Thomas’ feat, or a total of about $192,000. The next hole-in-one at any point in the tournament on the 18th would net fans $1,000 apiece.

The tournament also gave McNeill $25,000 and Thomas $50,000 for the charities of their choice.

HALIFAX, N.S. – Transplanted Texan Andrew Landry fired a 7-under 64 and moved into the lead after the opening round of the Nova Scotia Open. Landry chalked up seven birdies and an eagle at the Ashburn Golf Club and leads by one over Georgia’s Joss Broadaway and Tennessee’s Peter Malnati.

Edward Loar and Korea’s D.H. Lee share fourth place after posting 5-under 66’s, while Jorge Fernandez-Valdes and Tyler McCumber are tied for sixth place, three back.

Landry, winner of the Cartagena de Indias at Karibana Championship in early March, plowed his way to the top through his work on the greens.

“The putts were just falling on the front nine,” said Landry, who rolled in an eagle putt, then a 30-footer for par and a 60-footer for birdie on consecutive holes. “It was just one of those days. The only thing you can do is laugh. I felt comfortable over it and my speed was really nice.”

Landry, who graduated from the University of Arkansas but now calls Austin home, leads the field after needing only 25 putts to complete his round.

“You can get some pretty dicey putts out here if you leave it on the wrong side of the hole,” he said. “I left myself in good position for most of the back nine and executed nicely.”

So did Malnati, the No. 2 money winner on Tour to this point and winner of the Brasil Champions the week after Landry won in Colombia.

“Golf is so funny,” he said. “I felt awesome going into the week last week in Wichita (Air Capital Classic) and shot my worst score in a long time on Friday and ended up missing the cut. This week I’ve been feeling that everything was just a little off.”

Whatever was off got back to on when Malnati, an admitted perfectionist, relaxed a bit.

“I always put a lot of pressure on myself. I work really hard and I expect good results,” he said. “You don’t have to be perfect on this golf course. It’s fairly wide. For me not to be perfect and allow myself an out – maybe call it a lowering of expectations – freed me up a little bit.”

Malnati missed enough fairways (5 of 14) to cause him concern, but 27 putts got him high enough on the leaderboard to challenge Landry to become the Tour’s first two-time winner in 2015.

Broadaway, meantime, uses his pinpoint accuracy off the tee (14 of 14 fairways) to give him the clubhouse lead in the morning.

“I just stayed patient,” he said. “I’ve been pressing a little. Last week I played really well and scored terrible every day, just pressing and trying a little hard.”

Broadaway, 36, has been pressing because he’s made only one cut in five starts this year and has limited status on Tour this season.

“This week I came out and hoped to freewheel it a little and just play,” he said. “I didn’t want to worry about the outcome or needing to play well to get in next week and all the smoke and mirrors that comes with everything. I’m just trying to hit each shot and when we get done, add ‘em up and see what we get.”

Austin Connelly, who has dual citizenship with both the United States and Canada shot the lowest score among Canadians. The 18-year old amateur shot a 3-under par round and is placed in a tie for eighth.

SASKATOON, Sask. – Lincoln, England’s David Skinns, Bear, Delaware’s Eric Onesi and Tampa, Florida’s Doug Letson each fired rounds of 8-under 64 on Thursday at Dakota Dunes Golf Links to share the first round lead at the SIGA Dakota Dunes Open presented by SaskTel, the fourth event of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.

Skinns, a 33-year old veteran of the Mackenzie Tour and Web.com Tour, was bogey-free on a day ripe for scoring conditions, while Onesi and Letson had just one blemish on the scorecard each to reach 8-under, one shot ahead of four players at 7-under 65 on day one.

“Seeing the scores out here in the past, you had better shoot nearly 8-under every day or you’ll get lapped,” said Skinns, who missed the cut in his only other start here in 2013. Dakota Dunes has seen its fair share of low numbers in the past, with Matt Harmon’s 24-under total winning in 2014 and the 36-hole cut of 6-under in 2013 tying the record for the lowest cut in Mackenzie Tour history.

For some players on Thursday, the relatively welcoming fairways and length of the 7,301 were a welcome change after playing tight, tricky layouts at Fort McMurray Golf Club and Uplands Golf Club at the last two Mackenzie Tour events.

“I felt good as soon as I stepped foot on the place on Monday. Just being able to swing a little more freely and rip a lot of drivers out there, it gave me a better mindset. It’s not wide open, but there are some spots where you can miss and the last few weeks haven’t been that way. My tee game’s been great this week and today was just as good, and I got some putts to go in,” said the 27-year old Onesi. Letson, a fellow Mackenzie Tour rookie, echoed Onesi’s comments and credited his opening round to a strong day off the tee.

“I was excited to come here and be able to hit drivers, because that’s the strength of my game. I hit driver on every hole that I could, so I was happy. You have to adapt to all the courses you play, but I was excited to be able to hit some drivers,” said Letson.

PC Financial Open co-runner-up Ross Beal was among those one shot off the lead at 7-under 65, joined by Justin Snelling, Matt Hansen and Chase Seiffert.

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan – David Skinns de Lincoln, Angleterre, Eric Onesi de Bear, Delaware et Doug Letson de Tampa, Floride ont tous signé une carte de huit sous la normale à 64 jeudi à Dakota Dunes Golf Links afin de partager la première position suite au premier tour de l’Omnium Dakota Dunes présenté par SaskTel, le quatrième évènement au Circuit Mackenzie du PGA TOUR Canada cette saison.

Skinns, un membre vétéran du Circuit Mackenzie et Web.com Tour, était sans boguey, tandis que Onesi et Letson n’avaient qu’une faute sur leur fiche de score. Le trio est un coup devant un groupe de quatre joueurs à sept sous la normale.

« Sachant les scores lors de cet évènement aux années précédentes, tu dois absolument réussir près de huit sous la normale à chaque tour » a dit Skinns, qui a manqué la coupure ici en 2013. Dakota Dunes a déjà vu des très bas scores, comme le score gagnant de Matt Harmon en 2014 de 24 sous la normale cumulative ou la coupure de six sous la normale suite à 36 trous en 2013, la plus basse coupure dans l’histoire du Circuit Mackenzie.

Pour certains, les conditions ouvertes et la distance de 7,301 yards étaient les bienvenus après avoir joué des parcours serrés et difficiles aux Fort McMurray Golf Club et Uplands Golf Club aux derniers deux évènements.

« Je me sentais bien dès le début. Être capable de faire des coups plus librement, des longs coups de départ, c’était une meilleure approche pour moi. Ce n’est pas complètement ouvert, mais il y a des endroits où tu peux manquer ton objectif sans grave conséquence, ce que l’on ne pouvait pas faire les dernières semaines. Aujourd’hui a bien débuté, j’ai bien fait sur mes coups et mes roulers » a dit Onesi, âgé de 27 ans. Letson, également rookie au Circuit Mackenzie, a fait écho aux commentaires de Onesi et constate que son succès au premier tour est grâce à de bons coups de départ.

« J’avais hâte de jouer ce parcours et faire de bons coups de départs, parce que ça a été ma force. Je suis content, j’ai pu le faire à plusieurs reprises. Tu dois adapter ton approche pour chaque parcours différent, mais j’étais content ici aujourd’hui » a dit Letson.

Ross Beal, qui a terminé en deuxième position ex æquo à l’Omnium PC Financial, est parmi les golfeurs à un coup de la première position jeudi avec Justin Snelling, Matt Hansen et Chase Seiffert.