The Canadian Open is set to take place this weekend at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario. It is the seventh time that the tournament has been held here with the course widely regarded as one of the very best in the country.
The field in Canada this week is missing some big names, with the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele electing to stay in the US to continue preparations for the US Open in two weeks. However, Rory McIlroy is teeing it up this week with the Northern Irishman set for his first outing since the PGA Championship.
The course at Hamilton Golf & Country Club has been renovated in recent years which has made the course more difficult and longer. Bunker avoidance is still key and accuracy off the tee combined with imagination and bravery with irons will decide who comes out on top.
Canadian Open betting tips
Rory McIlroy E/W (10 places) – 7/2
Rory McIlroy is the standout name at this week's Canadian Open and it's not difficult to work out why the Northern Irishman has chosen to play when several other big names have elected not to. Firstly, McIlroy will feel he has some momentum at the minute after two wins in the last month and won't want to lose any of that in the midst of major season.
Secondly, he has enjoyed great success in this tournament in the past so will feel like it's a good opportunity to add another win to his resume. The world number three won this tournament in 2022 but perhaps more importantly, won the last time the tournament was held at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in 2019. It wasn't just an ordinary win, either, as he won by a margin of seven strokes.
Although the course has undergone changes since that win, the fact it has added length will only benefit McIlroy given his strength off the tee.
Tommy Fleetwood top ten finish – 2/1
Tommy Fleetwood has never been closer to breaking his PGA Tour duck than at this event last year when he went down the 18th needing a birdie on a short par-5. Fleetwood ultimately made a five after a couple of nervy shots and subsequently lost the playoff to the home favourite, Nick Tayor, after a miraculous 72-foot putt.
Fleetwood will be hoping that a year later he can break his duck at a golf course that could perhaps be better suited to his game than last year's at Oakdale. Given the narrow fairways and countless fairway bunker traps, accuracy off the tee will be important and Fleetwood currently ranks in 3rd place in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour this season.
The 33-year-old has had a steady year so far without exploding which makes us feel a win could be beyond him this weekend. However, he does have two top-ten finishes in his last five starts and another one here, given the course and the weaker field, should be easily achievable.
Corey Conners top 20 finish – 11/10
Nick Taylor did every Canadian golfer a massive favour last year when he ended the 69-year wait for a native champion at the Canadian Open. That should mean the pressure is off the likes of Adam Hadwin and Corey Conners this week as they look to make it two wins in two years for a Canadian at their national championship.
Conners, who is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, has been enjoying a solid yet unspectacular season so far. He is yet to miss the cut in 14 starts in 2024 but he is also yet to record a top-ten finish. His last three results are 11th, 13th and 26th which suggests a top ten finish is just around the corner but given he is odds-against to finish inside the top 20, we're settling for that.
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
