Cristobal Del Solar and Thorbjorn Olesen lead the RBC Canadian Open
Caledon, Ontario – Cristobal Del Solar, known as “Mr. 57” after his time on the Korn Ferry Tour, was close to a 59 at the RBC Canadian Open.With ten under par and two holes to play on the par-70 course, Del Solar bogeyed the 17th hole and parred the 18th, finishing with a 61, nine under par, sharing the lead of the first round with Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark.
“I was just trying to make good shots. I was trying to stay in the present and have fun. That’s what I was trying to do,” said Del Solar.
Cristobal Del Solar
Del Solar, the 31-year-old Chilean player and PGA Tour rookie, and Olesen took advantage of the soft greens of the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, after Wednesday night’s rain that continued during the morning.
Del Solar earned the nickname “Mr. 57” in February 2024, when he shot a 57, thirteen under par, in the first round of the Astara Golf Championship in Colombia, the lowest score in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.
On Thursday, Del Solar had seven birdies in eight holes in the middle of the round. The former Florida State player made a 6-and-a-half-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole and a 15-and-a-half-foot putt on the 16th hole to reach ten under par.
On the 17th hole, his shot went into the bunker, missing the putt for par. Needing an eagle on the 18th for a 59, his drive went left, and his second shot landed 80 yards from the green.
“I just want to go out and execute every shot. I think everyone sometimes gets ahead and thinks about the result or whatever. You just want to go out and make the golf shots,” added Del Solar.
Cristobal Del Solar
Olesen eagled the 18th hole, his ninth hole of the day, and had eight birdies and a bogey on the course hosting the national championship for the first time.
“Obviously, I played great, but my putting was exceptional today. I don’t think I missed any putts. I definitely made some long ones too. It was nice to see everything go in,” commented Olesen.
Thorbjorn Olesen
Olesen qualified for the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont on Monday, making a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Lambton in Toronto.
“I learned a lot from that last putt,” Olesen said.
Thorbjorn Olesen
The afternoon players occupied the top eight positions and 15 of the top 18, with Masters champion Rory McIlroy bogeying the last two holes of the morning with a 71.
“I missed a couple of greens and didn’t get up and down, especially on the last two holes,” McIlroy said, winner of the tournament in 2019 at Hamilton and 2022 at St. George’s.
Rory McIlroy
Del Solar and Olesen finished one stroke off the tournament record of 60 set by Carl Pettersson in 2010 in the third round at St. George’s, and equaled by Justin Rose in the fourth round in 2022, also at St. George’s.
Cameron Champ shot a 62, Jake Knapp a 63, and Rasmus Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Trey Mullinax, and Ricky Castillo shot 64. Knapp shot a 59 in March in the first round of the Cognizant Classic. The Canadian Taylor Pendrith shot 65 along with defending champion Robert MacIntyre. Alex Smalley, Paul Peterson, Danny Willett, Rafael Campos, Kevin Yu, Alejandro Tosti, and Paul Waring also participated. MacIntyre won last year in Hamilton. The Canadian Nick Taylor, winner in 2023 at Oakdale, opened with a 66.
