TORONTO – A frustrating Friday wound up helping Tony Finau make sure his Saturday didn’t go to waste in the third round of the RBC Canadian Open.
Finau birdied the final hole at St. George’s Golf & Country Club for an 8-under-par 62 and a share of the overall lead with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the tournament’s reigning champion as its 2019 winner.
“I didn’t finish the way I wanted to yesterday, and I think all it did was kind of light a fire in my belly to get after it today,” Finau said. “That’s pretty much what I did. I made some birdies, and I just played really clean golf. “
McIlroy, who had a 65 to match Finau at 11-under 199 through 54 holes, will try to repeat at a tournament that was canceled the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m just happy to give myself a chance, be in the final group,” McIlroy said. “Once I saw, I think Tony had got to 10 or maybe 11, I think I was on like 8 or 9 at the time. I just said to myself, ‘Let’s just try to get yourself in the final group.'”