Canadian open suspended due to weather

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SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda – Harry Higgs said he went on a “deep dive” to right himself for this week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course, where he opened with a 7-under 64. He was missing shots left, going through the motions, and generally “having a bad attitude” last season, when he missed the FedExCup Playoffs. Missing left? OK, fine. But hang on. Harry Higgs with “a bad attitude?” The guy who brought the house down at the WM Phoenix Open, has 80,000 Twitter followers, and seemingly connects with fans by the busload? Yes, that Harry Higgs. He confessed that his attitude has been miserable but after starting strong in Bermuda, he asked that you hear him out. “I know there are a lot of people who watch and follow me no matter what I do,” said Higgs. “And that’s great. The last couple of years I’ve had some notoriety for things not tied to my successes on the golf course and I understand that. “But I want to be really good at this game,” he continued. “I have lofty goals. I’m self-aware that I play my best golf when I’m smiling and happy … but in the last six months there have been dark thoughts. I legitimately have not played good golf since (finishing T-14) at the Masters.” Higgs followed his Masters high with 10 missed cuts in 14 starts and only one finish inside the top 30, missing the Playoffs for the first time in three years. That hurt, and while he wants people to know that his sour attitude didn’t impact the big picture (“I still consider myself very lucky to be doing this”), he knew he had to make an adjustment. That has meant kicking himself “in the rear” and letting his lousy season shock his system. Be that as it may, he added with a laugh, that doesn’t mean you won’t see Higgs enjoying himself. You will. Often. “That is who I am,” he said. “It’s not an act.” His improved attitude came into play on his first hole Thursday, when he split the fairway at the par-4 10th and found his ball in a divot. “I could have said to myself, Great, so this is how it’s going to go,” said Higgs. “But instead, I said, I can still hit a good shot here.” He did, too, and while it carried a little long and to the back of the green, the 30-year-old from Camden, New Jersey, got up and down for par. It was the first of many highlights (just 24 putts; he saved par all seven times he missed a green) in a bogey-free round. Higgs did what one has to do on a day when scores were low – he kept himself in it, just two off the torrid morning pace established by Austin Smotherman (62). “It’s very nice to get off to a good start,” Higgs said. “… Fun to get in the mix. Fun to at least look at your name close to the top of the leaderboard again for the first time in a long time.” Fun. He said it twice, and insists that is still a very big part of his persona, but he vows to throw in some better golf to make it even more fun.

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NORTON, Mass. – Keegan Bradley desperately wants to give his New England fans a winning performance. Unfortunately, he’s never really come close at TPC Boston. In six previous appearances at the Dell Technologies Championship, his best finish is a tie for 13th in 2012. That was the year he shot 63 in the third round. Alas, that only moved him within 13 shots of the leader. Two years later, he opened with a 65, leaving him in solo second … and then he gradually dropped down the leaderboard to finish tied for 16th. Yes, the Vermont native – who’s also an unabashed Boston sports fan — gets tons of support here. That also comes with tons of pressure. Now, though, he thinks he can properly channel that pressure. An opening 4-under 67 giving him a share of the early lead suggests this might be the year. “I’ve learned to love coming here,â€� Bradley said. “It used to be a very tough week for me. I put so much pressure on myself. But I’ve learned to go with it.â€� He’s also learning how to let go of disappointment. A week ago, his third-round 62 at THE NORTHERN TRUST moved him into solo second after 54 holes. A day later, in the final group with eventual winner Bryson DeChambeau, he suffered a free-fall, his 7-over 78 leaving him tied for 34th. Considering he hasn’t won a PGA TOUR event in six years and has just one top-3 finish in his last 119 starts, it was a bitter finish. But by the middle of this week, he was over it. “It was tough, because I felt like that was my day to kind of tell everybody that maybe I was back here and I was here to stay,â€� Bradley said. “I may have put too much pressure on myself. But it’s nice to come right back out and play quickly.â€� Will he keep riding the momentum – and successfully manage the expectations – for the final three rounds this week? Bradley certainly hopes so, but it’ll be difficult not to let his mind wander. “I would love to give the fans and my family who don’t get to come to a lot of tournaments see me compete and do well, maybe win,â€� he said. “That would be incredible. So always in the back of my mind, I think how amazing that would be. How cool that would be. “And that’s something that I’ll have to be aware of this week.â€� NOTABLES DJ’S GUARANTEE … In eight career starts at TPC Boston, Dustin Johnson has three top-10 finishes. He’s only held the lead once in 32 rounds here, and has only been inside the top-5 once entering the final round. His promise: That all changes this year. “I don’t understand why I haven’t had more success here because I like the golf course,â€� he said after an opening 68. “I feel like it sets up well for me. And I’m going to have success this year.â€� OFF THE BOTTOM OF THE SHOE … Marc Leishman’s approach into the par-4 sixth was sailing long right and heading into trouble – until it bounced off the bottom of the shoe of a fan who had stumbled and fallen backwards while trying to get out of the way. The ball ricocheted onto the green, and Leishman capitalized on the break by rolling in the birdie putt from 56 feet, 11 inches. “First time that’s ever happened to me,â€� said Leishman, who shot a 68. “It’s nice when it does happen … Hopefully I don’t need those kind of breaks later in the week.â€� Click here for the video of the shoe shot. TURF TALK … A week ago, Chris Kirk tied for last among all players who made the cut at THE NORTHERN TRUST. This week, he’s off to a great start with a 4-under 67. The difference, he said, is his ability to read the greens at TPC Boston after struggling last week at Ridgewood. And why is that? “I suck on poa annua,â€� Kirk said. He said other than a solo second in the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his track record is horrible on poa annua greens. “I wish I somehow had any clue what I did that week,â€� he said. “I’m still using the same putter right now that I used that week.â€� Bentgrass greens, like at TPC Boston, and bermudagrass greens are no problem. “At least I feel good on two out of the three surfaces we play,â€� Kirk said. FEELING FRESH … Beau Hossler played six straight weeks earlier this season. He had another stretch of five straight weeks. But this week is just his third start in the last six weeks. “I feel really fresh, where a lot of players probably don’t right now,â€� Hossler said after his 67. “I would say my game isn’t exactly where I want it to be. But as far as mentally, I feel totally rested and prepared to compete.â€� Hossler’s fast start is no surprise – the rookie is fifth on TOUR in first-round scoring average. QUOTABLES They might be taking an early weekend. Should be in school studying.I’ve learned more about my game this year than any other season, no doubt.

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