Welcome back, ehh. For the first time in three years the PGA Tour will tee it up north of the border at this week’s RBC Canadian Open. The global pandemic wreaked havoc on the sports world but no event was impacted more than this tournament, twice cancelled due to the virus. Headlined by defending champ and betting favorite Rory McIlroy, the field will navigate one of the finest courses in the country with St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto hosting. The venue was to host in both 2000 and 2021 before COVID. A four-time winner this season Scottie Scheffler makes his tournament debut as the second favorite. Corey Conners is the top-ranked Canadian in the recent FedExCup standings leading a contingent of 21 Canucks in the field. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win RBC Canadian Open
Rory McIlroy +860
Scottie Scheffler +950
Justin Thomas +1125
Cameron Smith +1250
Sam Burns +1600
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1725
Shane Lowry +1800
Tony Finau +2400
Corey Conners +2650
Tyrrell Hatton +2850
Harold Varner III +3050
Patrick Reed +4500
Adam Hadwin +4850
Chris Kirk +4850
Sebastian Munoz +5050
Keith Mitchell +5250
Brendon Todd +5750
Jhonattan Vegas +7050
Sahith Theegala +7050
Justin Rose +7050
Mackenzie Hughes +7550
C.T. Pan +7850
Patrick Rodgers +8050
David Lipsky +9000
Dylan Frittelli +10000
Pat Perez +10000
Cameron Champ +10050
Adam Schenk +10050
Alex Smalley +10050
J.T. Poston +10050
Wyndham Clark +10550
Odds Analysis
Corey Conners +2650
A Canadian hasn’t won this tournament since 1954 so I can’t begin to understand the pressure Conners feels as the highest ranked Canadian in the field. This is a different kind of pressure than attempting to drain a 30-foot putt to win the Masters, though, and I’m sure Conners has dealt with it in the past. Helping to relieve some of the pressure is his solid recent form. His MC at the PGA was his only one in nine starts which saw him record three top-15s. He was third at the WGC Match Play and T6 at the Masters. Most recently he finished T13 at the Memorial.
Tony Finau +2400
With his putting stroke returning we saw Finau return to his dominant self with a T4 a few weeks ago at the Schwab. It was his second top-5 in four starts following his runner up at the Mexico Open. When Finau gets into a groove it can typically last for a number of tournaments and he’s more confident with his putter, not missing from inside 7-feet at Colonial. The rest of his game is solid with plenty of distance to score on the par 5s making him a value play.
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1725
Fitzpatrick went the other way with his putting last week leaving him below the cut line. It was the worst measured putting week of his career keeping him from a top-10 spot at the midway point last week had he just performed to his average. There are different ways to look at this, but I’m expecting Fitz to get back to burying his putts. The other is obviously less desirable for Fitzpatrick and his backers and that’s if he starts to slump. He’s been too good to do that, though.
Justin Thomas +1125
I’ll give Thomas a pass for his MC at the Schwab since it came a week after his PGA Championship title. Now he’s ready to peg it up on a course that seems like a good fit for his game. JT is well-equipped to handle a classical layout with all the shots he has in his bag and he’s long enough to take advantage of the few scoring chances. While he may not win outright, Thomas has some value at his price and should be considered in alternate markets as well.
Brendon Todd +5750
What Todd did at the Schwab should make everyone take a deeper look at him ahead of this tournament. He was solo third at Colonial playing a strong game off the tee and making few mistakes on and around the green. He faces a similar test this week and he easily passed last time out. He’s always been a strong player in those areas so what happened a few weeks ago isn’t a surprise. If he performs as well as he did he should be in contention and his price is right.
Course: St. George’s Golf and Country Club – 7,014 yards, Par 70
It’s been a few years since the Tour last played St. George’s and things are different. Long known as the finest course in Canada it’s only fitting that the Open returns after a two-year delay. St. George’s last hosted in 2010 and was on the schedule the previous two years but was shuttered over COVID concerns. A classical layout that stretches to just over 7,000 yards at par 70, it isn’t long by any standards. But it likely won’t be a contest of wedge shots either. Three of the par 5s are considered short while four par 3s play over 200 yards and five par 4s are over 460 yards. We have a good mix of short and long holes to test the field. Back in 2010 eventual champion Carl Pettersson set a course record with a third-round 60 after making the cut on the number.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, CBS
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