Ruffels roars in first US PGA Tour start, while Allenby fires caddie mid-round

It’s been a crazy start to the RBC Canadian Open for the Australians with plenty of stories through just the first round.

Ryan Ruffels is playing in his first PGA Tour event courtesy of a sponsors invitation to one of the world’s highest ranked amateurs. The 17-year-old Victorian has returned the favour firing a superb 6-under 66 to be two shots out of the lead.

Ryan Ruffels is the son of tennis great Ray Ruffels and has been widely tipped to become one of Australia’s best golfers.

Jason Day has also made a good start shooting 4-under around Glen Abbey Golf club which included a superb hole-out eagle at the par-4 10th hole.

But the story that (unfortunately) has people talking is the mid-round barney between Robert Allenby and his caddie. According to the PGA Tour, Allenby fired his caddie Mick Meddlemo after a disagreement over club selection on the par-5 13th hole.

“I said to him, ‘You know this happens every week. This has happened for like, the last three or four or five months. We keep making bad mistakes and you’re not helping me in these circumstances.’”

On the advice of Meddlemo, Allenby hit an 8-iron – instead of the 7-iron Allenby thought was the right club – into the green at the par-5 13th. The shot with the 8-iron ended up in a creek. Allenby proceeded to make a triple-bogey on the hole.

“He just lost the plot at me,” Allenby said. “He got right in my face as if he wanted to just beat me up. I said, ‘Stop being a such-and-such and calm down and get back into the game.’ And he just got even closer and closer and I just said, ‘That’s it, you’re sacked.’ I said, ‘I will never have you caddie again.’”

A local school principal asked Allenby if he needed help over the closing holes. To his surprise Allenby called him over but finished the nine at 3-over par and withdrew from the tournament.