VICTORIA, British Columbia—Marc Casullo shot a 5-under round of 65 Thursday to take the clubhouse lead at the weather-delayed Reliance Properties DCBank Open. The Aurora, Ontario, native holds a two-shot lead over Travis Fredborg and Eric Banks with half the field still looking to complete the first round after heavy rain delayed play for four hours.

“Pretty much everything,” said Casullo on the parts of his game that were working at Uplands Golf Club. “I hit my driver pretty straight, and that’s the key out here. I made some timely putts and next thing you know you get a few birdies here and there.”

Fredborg, of Selkirk, Manitoba, also got as low as 5-under through 16 holes before finishing with back-to-back bogeys. His round was highlighted by five birdies and an eagle.

“I played super steady,” said Fredborg. “I didn’t really make many mistakes. I drove the ball in play, hit a lot of greens and made the putts I needed to. I left a few out there, obviously, and it was a tough finish, but I like where my game’s at, and I’m ready to keep it going.”

Bedford, Nova Scotia’s Banks also shot a 67, with four birdies and, like Casullo and Fredborg, was feeling confident with the longest club in his bag.

“I got off the tee really well today,” said Banks. “I hit a good driver early in the round, it got my confidence up and I just kept going to it all day. I hit some nice wedge shots and was able to convert the birdies.”

Four golfers are in the clubhouse at 1-under, tied for fourth place, including amateur Noah Steele who sits in second place on the Points List.

The first round will resume at 7:45 a.m. PDT with the second round scheduled to get underway at 11:05 a.m.

Key Information

 Points List Standings

Through GolfBC Championship

Complete Points List

• Officials suspended play due to darkness, with 66 players set to finish their first rounds Friday morning.
• Points leader Callum Davison of Duncan, British Columbia, recovered from three bogeys over the first five holes to post an even par round of 70.
• Tied for fourth with Noah Steele in the clubhouse at 1-under are Kelowna’s Cole Wilson, Quebec City’s Baptiste Mory, and Sadiq Jiwa of Vancouver.
• The top three-players on the Points List, Callum Davison, Noah Steele, and Brendan Leonard of Cambridge, Ontario, are playing in the same grouping for the first two rounds.
• Raoul Menard began this week No. 5 on the Points List. He is not playing this week in the season finale, instead competing in the Korn Ferry Tour first-stage Qualifying Tournament in West Palm Beach, Florida. Through 54 holes, Menard, of Ange-Gardien, Quebec, is tied for 10th, at 8-under after a 67-73-68 start. The top-20 players following Friday’s final round will advance to the second-stage qualifier.
• With Raoul Menard not in this week’s field, only three players—Noah Steele, Brendan Leonard and Michael Blair—can mathematically catch Points List leader Callum Davison.
• In 13th place on the Points List is Maxwell Sear, who is also playing in the West Palm Beach, Florida qualifier. He will begin the final round one shot outside the cutline. He shot 71-69-72 and is tied for 26th, with six others, at 4-under.
• Jared du Toit, No. 8 on the Points List, is playing in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Dayton, Nevada, qualifier. He opened 69-70-66 and is alone in ninth with 18 holes to play, currently well inside the cutline. The top-20 advance out of this qualifier at Dayton Valley Golf Club.
• At the end of this week, the top-five players on the Points List will earn 2022 PGA TOUR Canada membership. First place on the Points List will receive fully exempt status for the 2022 PGA TOUR Canada season, while those in the second-through-fifth positions will earn exempt status up until the first reshuffle based on player performance.

Quotable

“I take pride in my wedge game and short irons—hitting it close and not making errors from there.” –Marc Casullo

“I was halfway out the door and saw the delay. I said I’ll just stretch and get myself ready, and I fell asleep a couple times. I woke up and was like “Well, I guess I’ll go play some golf.” –Marc Casullo on the four-hour rain delay  

 “It’s wet, but the greens crew has done a fantastic job to get us out there. The course was fantastic. For the amount of rain they got, and the weather they’re having, it’s phenomenal.” –Travis Fredborg on the conditions of Uplands Golf Club

 “It’s definitely an advantage to get the first round in and go out there and post a number like that. I just have to keep it going.” –Travis Fredborg on being able to complete his first round Thursday

 “A little bit of experience has taught me that it’s better to be fully rested and ready rather than overtired and overworked.” –Eric Banks on only playing one practice round this week

 First-Round Weather:

Coo and cloudy with rain. Rain delayed play at the beginning of the day for four hours. High of 15. Wind SE at 27 kph. Gusts in the afternoon reached 37 kph.