After a two-year hiatus, the RBC Canadian Open returns this week and it will give us a fascinating glimpse into how the top players are shaping up. With the third Major of the season – the US Open looming large – the players will be hoping they haven’t peaked too soon.
The Canadian Open will be staged in Toronto at the St George’s Golf and Country Club, and there are a few intriguing stats to keep at the forefront of your mind:
- Rory McIlroy is the reigning champion as he won the event in 2019 by seven strokes, and the last two years of the tournament were cancelled due to COVID-19.
- St George’s will be hosting the Canadian Open for the sixth time.
- Carl Pettersson holds the course record for the lowest round carded (60) and he narrowly missed a putt for a 59.
- The Canadian Open hasn’t had a homegrown winner since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
The PGA Tour always makes for irresistible viewing for fans and online golf bettors alike, so ahead of the Canadian Open, we have picked out a few tips for you to feast on.
Rory McIlroy could come up trumps again
Playing just north of 7,000 yards, St George’s is far from the longest course on the PGA Tour, however, this will suit McIlroy’s game well as he is very long off the tee and he likes to produce a lot of elevation with his approach shots too.
The Ulsterman likes the Canadian Open as he is the defending champion and he will be keen to make a statement of intent ahead of the US Open. There have been signs of late that McIlroy is trending in the right direction as he finished eighth at the PGA Championship, and although he tailed off at the Memorial, he still managed an overall score of -2 which was enough to earn him a top-20 finish.
McIlroy’s stats have been impressive in some departments (third for strokes gained) and he is also third for driving distance (an average drive of 319 yards), so you imagine he will be in contention.
The outright market usually provides good value and McIlroy is trading at +900 with SugarHouse to step into the winner’s circle this weekend.
Sam Burns to make an impression
At times, it feels that Sam Burns gets overlooked especially when he is surrounded by a galaxy of stars on the PGA Tour, which includes Cameron Smith, Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm. Nevertheless, Burns, who took a week off after his exploits at the Charles Schwab Challenge, has already clinched three PGA Tour titles this season and let’s not forget that he’s only 25.
The American will relish tackling St George’s which will give him a good idea of what to expect at the US Open. Nothing seems to faze him and he has this aura of calmness which will stand him in good stead. A top-5 finish could be on the cards for Burns and BetMGM is offering him rather tasty odds of +275 to do so this week.
Don’t worry about a playoff
The Canadian Open is always a fun watch, but a cursory glance at the honors board suggests the winning margin hasn’t been that tight. Indeed, there has only been one playoff in the past six editions of this event.
McIlroy left his rivals trailing in his wake three years ago, and while the winning margin might not be so wide, you shouldn’t necessarily expect the Canadian Open to go into overtime. You can get a very short price of -770 with SugarHouse for the Canadian Open to be decided within the regulation 72 holes.
