Piercy sets pace with 62 at Canadian Open

ANCASTER, Ontario: The normally quick-tempered Scott Piercy kept his cool and shot an 8-under 62 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Canadian Open.
Piercy took advantage of perfect scoring conditions at a rain-softened Hamilton Golf and Country Club, eagling the par-5 fourth and 17th holes and had five birdies and one bogey.
Greg Owen and William McGirt were a stroke back, and Robert Garrigus had a 64.
“I get really mad generally,” Piercy said. “That’s something that I have to very much control. And it’s a lot easier to control when you’re playing well. ... It’s something that I constantly have to work on. I’m kind of a perfectionist in an imperfect game. ... It’s just a constant battle within me that I always have to kind of keep it nice and chilled. Golf is the only time I get really upset.”
Piercy’s 62 matched the competitive course record set by Warren Sye in the third round of the 1991 Ontario Amateur. The 33-year-old Las Vegas player is coming off a third-place finish two weeks ago in the John Deere Classic.
“Hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens today,” Piercy said. “I only missed a couple of greens, and ball-striking around here with the rough being so penal is a must to shoot well.”
He birdied three of his final five holes, punctuated with a 10-foot putt on No. 9.
Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters winner, was at 65 along with 2004 Canadian Open champion Vijay Singh, Troy Matteson, Bo Van Pelt, Jhonattan Vegas, Stuart Appleby and Gavin Coles.
Ernie Els, the British Open winner Sunday at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, opened with a 72.
The course was a soggy mess by the end of the rainy day. Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls on the fairways, and 94 finished at par or better.
“I woke up this morning, I thought the British Open was a week early, looking out the window,” Schwartzel said.
Jim Furyk, the winner in 2006 at Hamilton and 2007 at Angus Glen, shot a 70.
Adam Hadwin topped the 23 Canadians in the field, shooting a 66.
Slumping Canadian star Mike Weir was tied for 112th after a 72. He’s trying to make his first PGA Tour cut of the year.
Pat Fletcher, born in England, was the last Canadian winner, taking the 1954 event at Point Grey in Vancouver. Carl Keffer is the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914.