Golf enthusiasts will never forget the show that Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson put on in their duel at The Open Championship on Sunday when Stenson narrowly edged out Mickelson to win his first major title in epic fashion. The focus will shift dramatically this week as some of the best in the world make their way to the Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, Canada for the RBC Canadian Open. It would be unreasonable to expect the same epic finish we were treated to over this past weekend at Royal Troon but the Canadian Open has been a very entertaining tournament over the years and that should be the case again beginning this Thursday morning.
Event Details
Event: RBC Canadian Open
Category: PGA
Date: July 21-24
Location: Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
This will be the 107th edition of the Canadian Open and while the majority of marquee names take the week off following The Open Championship there is still a strong field for this week’s event. World No. 1 Jason Day and world No. 2 Dustin Johnson will lead the way as the two biggest names in the field but the fact that they are the only top-16 players that will compete has created an expectation that they should dominate.
Past Five Winners
2015: Jason Day-17
2014: Tim Clark -17
2013: Brandt Snedeker -16
2012: Scott Piercy -17
2011: Sean O’Hair -4 (Playoff)
What To Know About The Course
The stats for this event don’t really help much in terms of trying to forecast winners. Tiger Woods ranked No. 1 in Driving Distance when he won here in 2000 and Vijay Singh ranked fifth in that category when he won in 2004 but the three winners at Glenn Abbey before Day ranked 34th or worse in that department. Meanwhile, Day ranked 73rd in Driving Accuracy when he won here a year ago while Bubba Watson and David Hearn tied for 43rd in DA while finishing second and third. Greens In Regulation hasn’t been essential to winning but it could factor in. Experience should be important this week with Day looking to successfully defend his title after a dominant performance here a year ago.
The Field
Day is the defending champion here and the obvious betting favorite at +500 with Johnson right behind him as a +550 play to win the RBC Canadian Open outright. Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Jim Furyk round out the top five picks according to the betting odds at +1600, +2500 and +2800 odds respectively. Meanwhile, the Canadian content offers some intrigue as well with David Hearn and Graham DeLaet both listed at +5000 odds.
A Good Matchup To Bet: David Hearn over Graham DeLaet
What about betting on an all-Canadian matchup for this week’s RBC Canadian Open? Hearn is Canada’s top-ranked golfer and he is looking to build off of last year’s solo third after he actually held the lead entering the finale but couldn’t hold off Day. Hearn led the field in strokes gained and putting at last year’s tournament and he has recorded top-20 finishes in three of his last five starts. He’s played pretty well recently, finishing in the Top 20 in each of his last two starts. Meanwhile, DeLaet is coming off a strong finish at the Barbasol Championship but he has struggled with consistency on the PGA Tour this season so we definitely like Hearn in this head-to-head matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Dustin Johnson
The defending champion Day is a tempting pick in this spot but we prefer to take a chance on D.J. with the hope that he can continue his high level of play this week. Johnson has recorded five straight top-10 finishes including back-to-back victories at the U.S. Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and a ninth-place finish at The Open Championship last week. Johnson was the co-runner up at Glen Abbey in his only prior trip back in 2013 and he should be a strong bet to finish in the top-five this week.
Top 10 Odds To Win The RBC Canadian Open
Jason Day +505
Dustin Johnson +550
Matt Kuchar +1550
Brandt Snedeker +2250
Jim Furyk +2550
Emiliano Grillo +3050
Danny Lee +4550
Charley Hoffman +4550
William McGirt +4550
Tony Finau +3550
Chris Kirk +4550
Ryan Palmer +4550
