Wilson has 4-stroke lead at soggy Canadian Open

Associated Press

TORONTO

Dean Wilson is taking full advantage of a sponsor exemption — and his long friendship with Canadian star Mike Weir.

Relying on his past champion status to get into tournaments after finishing 152nd last year on the PGA Tour money list, the 40-year-old Wilson — Weir’s teammate at BYU — received a sponsor exemption into the Canadian Open.

“I really appreciate that,” Wilson said Saturday after shooting his third straight 5-under 65 to take a four-stroke lead over record-setting Carl Pettersson, Tim Clark and Bob Estes at rainy St. George’s.

“Last year didn’t turn out so good, and I’m a little more appreciative of getting in tournaments and playing and being out here and fighting and being in the battle. That time away, makes you think about what you don’t have.”

Before Wilson and Clark teed off, Pettersson shot a 10-under 60 in calm and dry morning conditions to break the tournament record, missing a 59 when his 30-foot birdie putt from the fringe grazed the left edge on the par-4 18th.

“I hit a pretty good 6-iron in there, but the wind sort of got it,” Pettersson said. “And you can’t go past the hole because then you got no chance. And it was actually a difficult putt to get to the hole because it was very steep uphill.

“I hit a good putt. I told myself, ‘You cannot leave this short. You got to give this a chance.’ And I hit a solid putt and it was just hovering right on the left side. ... With 6 inches less pace it probably would have gone in.”

Estes had a 66, and Clark shot a 69 to match Pettersson at 11 under. Bryce Molder (63), Kevin Sutherland (65), Trevor Immelman (65) and Brock Mackenzie (68) were 10 under, and Jeff Quinney (64) and Cliff Kresge (66) were another stroke back.

Wilson, a six-time winner in Japan who won the 2006 International for his lone PGA Tour title, made his move midway through the round in the rain, birdieing Nos. 9-11. He holed a 5-footer on the par-5 ninth, an 8-footer on the par-4 10th and another 5-foot putt on the par-5 11th to open a three-stroke lead.

“Another day in Hawaii,” said Wilson, from Kaneohe. “You just can’t fight [the rain]. You know that it’s going to be there. You can’t complain about it, and you just got to be a little tougher than the rain.”