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Clark taking nothing for granted at Canadian Open

Tim Clark may be the most notable name on the leaderboard midway through the RBC Canadian Open, but he doesn’t expect his lesser-known rivals to fade under the pressure of the weekend.
Dean Wilson
Dean Wilson is tied for the lead after the second round of the 2010 Canadian Open at St. Georges Golf and Country Club in Toronto on Friday.

TORONTO — Tim Clark may be the most notable name on the leaderboard midway through the RBC Canadian Open, but he doesn’t expect his lesser-known rivals to fade under the pressure of the weekend.

Clark surged to the front of the field as the sun dipped below the tree-lined fairways at St. George’s Golf and Country Club, shooting a bogey-free 64 to join Dean Wilson (65) at 10-under 130 on Friday. They were one stroke ahead of first-round leader Brent Delahoussaye (69) and Steve Wheatcroft (66) on a leaderboard littered with unfamiliar names.

Clark is a cut above as one of just eight players in the field who sit inside the top-30 in the world rankings. But he’s not taking anything for granted.

“You can expect some of them to go low and carry on into the weekend,” said Clark. “So I still need to keep doing what I’m doing, and I’m sure there’s going to be more names creeping up on that leaderboard after tomorrow.”

The group of players two strokes off the pace included J.J. Henry (65), Rob Grube (66), Brock Mackenzie (68) and Hunter Mahan (67). Defending champion Nathan Green (65) was one of five players who were three shots back.

Clark, Mahan and Green are the only players inside the top-20 who have won a PGA Tour event over the last two years. Wilson’s lone win on tour came at the 2006 International and he’s spent a long time chasing another trophy.

“It’s just tough,” he said. “There’s so many good players, and it’s tough to break through. Once you get your game up there and you’re playing well and at the top of the leaderboard is one step. Being able to handle the pressure and sleep with the lead or just feel comfortable doing it (is another one).

“It just takes a lot of experience.”

Canadian Tour player Adam Hadwin is collecting all kinds of experience at the US$5.1-million event. The 22-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., drained a 15-foot par putt on the final green despite shaking because of nerves and signed for a 66 that left him four shots behind.

He had the best score among the Canadians who made the cut. Calgary’s Stephen Ames (68) and Jon Mills (71) of Oshawa, Ont., will also be around for the weekend.

“That’s pretty exciting for me,” said Hadwin, who turned pro earlier this year. “Coming up to that putt on 18, I looked at the scoreboard and I saw Ames at 5-under, and I knew I was at 6-under, so I wanted to make that putt to stay as the low Canadian.

“That was a huge momentum boost for me for the weekend.”

Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., is on his way home. The popular lefty is battling tendinitis in his right arm and had trouble finding the fairways, shooting a second-round 74 to miss the cut at his home tournament for the first time since 2006.

“I was trying as hard as I could,” said Weir.

There were low scores to be had on a muggy day at St. George’s thanks to morning rain that left greens more susceptible to aggressive approach shots. Kevin Sutherland matched Delahoussaye’s course record with a 62 on the scenic Stanley Thompson layout while Tim Herron came in with a 63.

Both players attributed their impressive rounds to excellent putting.

“It got kind of silly,” said Sutherland. “The hole just got so big for me, I was making putts from everywhere.”

The biggest key here seems to be driving the ball in the fairway. The rough at St. George’s is deep enough to cover a player’s shoe and no one has been able to score well without accuracy off the tee.

Interestingly, Clark started closing in on the lead by making a birdie from the rough at No. 17. He managed to gouge his approach onto the green before sinking a 21-foot putt.

“I hadn’t missed too many fairways, and that was one of the few ones that I actually hit in the thick spot,” said Clark. “Any time you’re driving in the rough, you’re pretty much just trying to make par. It’s sort of like stealing a shot there.”

The South African beat a quality field at The Players Championship in May, earning him his first PGA Tour title after eight runner-up finishes. He’s had plenty of experience with the pressure that comes with being in contention.

Delahoussaye got his first real taste of it on Friday after starting the day atop the leaderboard. He hasn’t finished better than 53rd this season so his second round here was pretty unique.

“I (had) a few shot lead, and the cameras started coming around,” said Delahoussaye. “And like I said, obviously from my scores early on this year, I haven’t had cameras coming around ever.”