RBC Canadian Open 2018: Robert Garrigus Leads Before Play Suspended in Round 1

Robert Garrigus used an impressive start to the 2018 RBC Canadian Open to take the lead into the clubhouse Thursday at the Glen Abbey Golf Course in Ontario, Canada.

While this tournament doesn't have the star power of last week's British Open, the field includes world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter and Bubba Watson, among others. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are not participating.

Below is a look at Thursday's action.

RBC Canadian Open 2018 Leaderboard — Round 1

1. Robert Garrigus 63 (-9)

2. Adam Schenk 64 (-8)

3. Chris Stroud 65 (-7)

T4. Ben Crane 66 (-6)

T4. Ian Poulter 66 (-6)

T4. Hudson Swafford 66 (-6)

T4. Byeong Hun An 66 (-6)

T4. Kevin Tway 15 (-6)

Full leaderboard available at PGATour.com

Recap

Garrigus wasted little time in shaking off the struggles he endured his last time out.

During last week's Barbasol Championship in Kentucky, the 40-year-old found himself in contention by shooting an 11-under through the first three rounds—and then Sunday arrived. He shot a seven-over 79 in the final round, finishing in a tie for 66th place.

Garrigus opened the RBC Canadian Open with a near-perfect round, shooting a nine-under 63. He had a run of five consecutive birdies on the front nine and four in six holes on the back nine. Just as importantly, he did not have a single bogey (or worse) on the day. 

His 63 was one off the course record, one he tied in the third round last year. He wasn't satisfied, though.

"Could have been 59 there if a couple putts didn't lip out," Garrigus said, via the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

As good as he was Thursday, Garrigus was not able to separate himself from the pack. That's because Adam Schenk (eight under), Chris Stroud (seven under) and others kept the pressure on by nearly matching him stroke for stroke.

Like Garrigus, Johnson was looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing last week. The 34-year-old American missed the cut at The Open Championship last week after shooting six over during the first two rounds. This tournament offered a chance at a bit of redemption.

Johnson finds himself looking up at Garrigus on the leaderboard, but he had his fair share of highlights on Day 1, including an eagle on the 16th:

Although he had some strong moments, it was an up-and-down day for the top-ranked golfer. He recorded six birdies and an eagle, but he also had four bogeys. As a result, he ended the round five strokes back of the lead.

Meanwhile, nobody had a more interesting day than Tommy Fleetwood. The No. 11 player in the world had three eagles on Thursday:

Per PGA Tour Communications, Fleetwood is the first player to record three eagles in a round since Eric Axley at the 2015 Canadian Open.

Fleetwood went through a stretch of four holes on the back nine where he sandwiched a pair of birdies with two eagles. While all of that would seemingly put him among the leaders, he had a bogey and a double bogey on the front nine that weighed him down a bit. He ended Thursday four shots back. 

Two-time defending champ Jhonattan Vegas is at two under through 16 holes.

The first round featured multiple weather days, with the first one halting play for more than two hours. By the next time Mother Nature made an appearance, the combination of inclement weather and darkness caused play to be suspended for the day.

Fortunately, per the PGA Tour's official website, there is only a 20 percent chance of rain for each of the next three days.