DeLaet withdraws, Hearn sitting third on drama filled Red & White Day

On the inaugural Golf Canada Red & White Day at the RBC Canadian Open, which encouraged fans to show their national pride, Maple Leaf flags flew and a large Friday crowd sported our country’s colours. The home advantage worked for some, but not so well for others.

The morning wave in Round 2 was filled with drama. Graham DeLaet, the top-ranked Canadian in the field, injured his hand late in the Round 1. He started Friday hoping to play through the injury. Unfortunately, he withdrew after only a few holes. It was not an easy decision, but it was made with the future in mind.

Overnight, he did some cold plunges with some ice and taped it up prior to the second round, which he said helped a wee bit, but obviously it wasn’t enough.

“It hurts,” DeLaet said in reference to both the pain of the injury and the disappointment of having to drop out. “It’s an important tournament to me. I guess when it all came down to it I felt if I could compete and still hit the ball well, I probably would have kept going. But I didn't have any kind of golf game out there today, and then it was hurting.

“I’ve still got the PGA coming up in a few weeks and a couple playoff events before they make the decisions for the Presidents Cup, and I want to try to be healthy and make a good run with that team.”

The injury doesn’t look too serious. DeLaet plans to first get some imaging done in town and then he’ll get a second opinion back in Arizona. “I’m not a doctor, so I can’t tell you exactly what’s going on right now,” he added.

DeLaet posted this note to his Twitter followers:

Other players felt for DeLaet. David Hearn, playing just in front of his fellow countryman, noticed on 16 that his friend’s name had dropped off the leaderboard.

“That’s got to be tearing at his heart strings not being able to finish his round today,” Hearn said. “I know how much this tournament means to every Canadian in this field and how much it means to Graham. I just hope he gets healthy again soon, so he can put that behind him.”

While DeLaet was in the locker room packing his stuff, Hearn was heating it up on the course. He started — and ended — his back 9 with a pair of birdies. With a sea of red and white crowding the green cheering him on, Hearn rolled in a beautiful 26-footer on No.8 and another one from 11 feet on his final hole. Shouts of “Go Davey!” and “Go Canada!” rained down from the hill around the 9^thgreen. Hearn finished with a bogey-free 64 (8-under) and currently sits T3 heading to the weekend.

After his round, he was all smiles. The affable athlete took time en route to the locker room to sign autographs and pose for selfies with fans.

“It was great to be here so close to home,” he told a throng of media. “There were a lot of fans out here today. They were very receptive on every green we walked up to … lots of warm cheers and high fives and all that good stuff. It was nice to make a few birdies for them, and that got them excited.”

Until tomorrow, Hearn plans to not get too excited, rest up, and forget about all the added pressure of playing in his national open.

“I’m not going to be able to win the golf tournament until Sunday afternoon, so I’ve got a lot of golf to go,” he concluded. “It’s really hard. I haven’t been in this situation in the RBC Canadian Open before. So we’ll see how I do. I feel like my game is in a good spot right now and I have a chance to do something fun this weekend.”