The PGA Tour makes its only stop in Canada this week for the RBC Canadian Open and there’s a surprisingly strong field even though it’s being played the week before the U.S. Open. The golf odds favorite is Dustin Johnson at +550.
2019 RBC Canadian Open Odds, Preview & Predictions
<ulv- When: June 6th to 9th
- Where: Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario
- TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
- Radio: Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
- Live Stream: Golf.tv
Odds to Win the 2019 RBC Canadian Open
- Dustin Johnson +550
- Brooks Koepka +650
- Rory McIlroy +1000
- Justin Thomas +1600
- Matt Kuchar +2000
- Webb Simpson +2000
- Sergio Garcia +2500
- Scott Piercy +2800
- Henrik Stenson +3000
- Brandt Snedeker +4000
- Shane Lowry +4000
- Bubba Watson +3500
- Jim Furyk +4500
- Jason Dufner +5000
RBC Canadian Open Gets New Date
If it seems like the RBC Canadian Open is being played earlier than ever… well, that’s correct. It had been staged the week after the British Open but was moved ahead of the U.S. Open this year and going forward as part of 2018-19 PGA Tour schedule changes.
Historically, the Canadian Open was held in September, but starting in 2007 it was played in late July, the week after the British Open, causing many of the PGA Tour’s top players to miss the tournament as they recovered from the challenging major. Now the event is taking over the FedEx St. Jude Classic’s spot. The St. Jude slot was empty due to TPC Southwind gaining Firestone’s WGC event, to be held after the British Open.
It’s still not an ideal spot on the schedule as many big-name guys don’t like to play the week before a major, either, but it’s still much better than after the British Open. In addition, organizers increased the overall purse to $7.6 million US for 2019, up from $6.4 million last year.
The Canadian Open is the third oldest continually played tournament on the PGA Tour behind the British and U.S. Opens. The tournament has been at Hamilton Golf and Country Club five times, first in 1919 and most recently in 2012 when Scott Piercy won. This tournament is also part of the “Triple Crown” of golf that includes the U.S. Open and British Open. In 20000, Tiger Woods became only the second golfer to win all three the same year, joining Lee Trevino (1971). Tiger’s not playing this week.
A Canadian has not won the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Mike Weir nearly did in 2004 but lost in a playoff to Vijay Singh. Canadian David Hearn took a two-shot lead into the final round in 2015. He still had the lead as late as the 15th hole but couldn’t hold it. A dozen Canadians will seek to end a 65-year drought in their national championship this year.
At just under 7,000 yards, Hamilton Golf and Country Club is shorter than most everything else on the PGA Tour and the lush rough will be counted on to keep players honest.
World’s Top 2 Lead Favorites
World No. 2 Dustin Johnson was the top-ranked player last year when he won with a score of 23-under 265 at Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario. Tied for third-round lead with Kevin Tway, Byeong Hun An and Whee Kim, Johnson shot a 6-under 66 for a three-stroke victory over Kim and An. Johnson also finished second in this tournament in 2013 and 2016. He always plays this event because DJ has an endorsement deal with title sponsor RBC and fiancee Paulina is hockey great Wayne Gretzky’s daughter, adding to the American star’s popularity in Canada.
Current world No. 1 Brooks Koepka is +650 this week as he tees it up for the first time since repeating at the PGA Championship – he’s also the defending champion of next week’s U.S. Open. Koepka has a share of 18th and a missed cut in his two previous Canadian Open appearances.
Rory McIlroy is +1000 as he plays this tournament for the first time. McIlroy has sputtered to slow starts in each of his past two tournaments; at the PGA he rallied for a top-10 finish, while at the Memorial he came up one shot short of the cut line.
Justin Thomas is +1600. Thomas is coming off a wrist injury and was a last minute addition to the field. The world No. 6 is looking to erase memories of a missed cut last week at The Memorial, where he shot 71-80 in his first start since missing the PGA Championship. Thomas took in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday as part of his first trip to Canada.
Matt Kuchar and Webb Simpson are each +2000. Kuchar is one of the RBC endorsers with plenty of experience at this event when it was held in late July, and he finished T-34 the last time it was played at Hamilton back in 2012. Simpson is building a strong summer season, having finished inside the top 30 in each of his last four starts. That includes a T-5 finish at the Masters and a T-29 result at the PGA Championship.
Expert 2019 RBC Canadian Open Prediction
Take Johnson and Kuchar for Top 10s but the winner is Henrik Stenson at +3000. He leads the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained approach-the-green and has five Top-25 finishes with just one missed cut this season.
