Canadian shoots a 64, grabs a one-shot edge
When the Vancouver Canucks scored to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals late Wednesday night, Chris Baryla made enough noise to wake up his wife in their hotel room.
Baryla, a resident of British Columbia, made a ruckus of another kind Thursday in the opening round of the Prince George’s County Open, firing a 7-under-par 64 to take the lead at the University of Maryland Golf Course.
After a beautiful day of low humidity, bright sunshine and swirling winds, Baryla has a one-stroke edge on 26-year-old Arizonan Michael Thompson and 39-year-old Englishman Greg Owen. The Nationwide Tour event runs through Sunday in College Park.
After missing the cut in 11 of 12 PGA and Nationwide tour events this year, Baryla’s round came with little warning, just like the goal scored Wednesday night by his beloved Canucks in the final minute of regulation. Baryla, 28, lives in Vernon, 270 miles northeast of Vancouver.
Coming off surgery 14 months ago to repair a torn labrum in his hip, Baryla has struggled to regain his form from 2009, when he won the Nationwide Chattanooga Classic. His lone highlight since the surgery came at an opportune time. He finished 11th at Q-School in December to retain his PGA Tour card.
“It’s been rough,” Baryla said. “My game’s starting to feel better. Maybe I’m a slow learner.”
In his first competitive round at UMGC, Baryla opened with a three-putt bogey on No. 1 but rebounded with a 30-footer at No. 2 for his first of nine birdies. He took the lead at No. 18, a 547-yard par 5, where he chipped to within four feet and made the putt.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Baryla, who ranks No. 3 on the PGA Tour in driving distance, hit bottom in April at the Texas Open, shooting a second-round 87.
Shortly after that round, he discarded his long putter and mimicked the style of PGA Tour standout Matt Kuchar, who grips low, with the shaft running straight up his left forearm. Baryla needed just 25 putts Thursday.
“It’s better in the wind than a belly putter or long putter,” Baryla said. “It’s been working well.”
