Manassero, Fox share 1-stroke lead at Canadian Open; Hughes 2 shots back
Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox rose atop a crowded leaderboard Saturday to nab a one-stroke lead heading into the final round at the RBC Canadian Open.
Lee Hodges, Kevin Yu, and Matt McCarty are all in hot pursuit at 13-under par, while Round 2 leader Cameron Champ fell three shots back after failing to make a birdie all day.
| Position | Player | Round 3 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Matteo Manassero | 64 | -14 |
| T1 | Ryan Fox | 64 | -14 |
| T3 | Lee Hodges | 63 | -13 |
| T3 | Kevin Yu | 63 | -13 |
| T3 | Matt McCarty | 64 | -13 |
| T6 | Mackenzie Hughes π¨π¦ | 64 | -12 |
| T6 | Jake Knapp | 66 | -12 |
| T6 | Andrew Putnam | 68 | -12 |
Canadian Mackenzie Hughes is only two strokes behind the leaders thanks to his 6-under 64 - which included four birdies on the back nine - to kick off the weekend.
Hughes is eager to rebound from his heartbreak at the 2024 tournament, when he entered the final round tied for second before fading with four untimely bogeys.
"That memory is still very clear in my mind," he said, per TSN. "I got off to a great start (with three birdies in my first four holes) last year on Sunday. I felt like the results kind of got in my way a little bit, I felt like I was trying to win rather than just trying to execute golf shots and play well.
"I think I just got ahead of myself a bit and made a few mistakes and ultimately couldn't recover. I'm definitely going to draw on that."
Some of Hughes' countrymen are also in the hunt. Taylor Pendrith, Adam Hadwin, and Nick Taylor all sit at 10-under par, while Richard Lee (9-under), Ben Silverman (8-under), and Corey Conners (8-under) aren't too far behind.
It was an interesting day for Taylor, the 2023 Canadian Open champion. He recorded a bogey and no birdies through his first 17 holes before electrifying fans with an eagle on the last.
"Nothing was going in," he said. "So to hit that great of a shot on the 18, give myself a look and make it, gave me a lot of confidence going into tomorrow."
Fox, meanwhile, is chasing down his second PGA TOUR victory after he won the 2025 ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic in May. Manassero has yet to collect his first win and hasn't enjoyed a top-10 finish since 2014.
βI try to get a good attitude, a good thought process, talk well to myself," Manassero said, according to The Associated Press. "Very basic things. I've matured a lot, and I have a better perspective towards, for example, a day like tomorrow."
Fox bagged five birdies during his blistering front nine and recorded one bogey on No. 11 during what was mostly a laid-back round for the New Zealander.
"To be honest, everything went pretty right," he said. "I drove it great. I think if you do that round here, you give yourself lots of chances. ... Just played really solid kind of stress-free golf for the most part."
Manassero and Fox each birdied No. 18 to grab a share of the lead.