The PGA TOUR heads north of the border this week for the Canadian Open – the final stop ahead of next week’s US Open.
Oakdale Country Club will make its debut on the PGA calendar, making betting and tipping a tough proposition with so many unknowns heading into the weekend.
Rory McIlroy broke a long drought last year prevailing by two strokes over Tony Finau, and it’s no surprise to find the Irishman atop the market as he hopes to become the first since Jim Furyk in 2007 to win the Canadian Open in back-to-back years.
Further down, Corey Conners looks to be the top pick of the locals – the 31-year-old hoping to become the first Canadian to win since 1954.
Four of the last six editions of the Canadian Open have been won by the favourites, and with enormous value on offer ahead of the third major next week, we’re here to help you find a winner!
Canadian Open Best Bet
Shane Lowry – $17
The Irishman is back with unfinished business in mind.
Lowry finished Top 10 at last year’s Canadian open at St George’s, storming home on day four with a stunning final round 66.
Since then, Lowry has gone on to finish Top 20 at both the Masters and the PGA Championship this year, while most importantly, he’s been one of the best on TOUR in a key statistic this week, Approach.
This might be our first real look at Oakdale, but the tight fairways surrounded by trees should favour accuracy over distance off the tee.
Lowry has been among the Top 20 best in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green, while he’s also been one of the best at finding the centre of the fairway with the driver.
Canadian Open Best Value
Sahith Theegala – $26.00
Leish was absent at Augusta a couple of weeks ago, so he should be fit and raring to go.
The Adelaide event was one of the main drawing cards for the Aussie when he made the Saudi switch last year, and although he’s plummeted in the world rankings, the 39-year-old is still playing some solid golf.
Leishman owns Top 30 finishes in his last three LIV events, storming home late at Orlando a few weeks ago with a final round 68.
Given he’ll likely garner less attention than his Ripper GC teammate Cameron Smith, Leish might be the better bet of the Aussies this week.
Canadian Open Best Roughie
Brendon Todd – $61.00
Watching Mickelson strut around Augusta a fortnight ago was almost surreal.
The long-time maverick rubbed some golf fans the wrong way when he made the switch to LIV, changing his persona, his appearance, and playing in front of record-low crowds.
The fans fell back in love with lefty on his way to a final round 65 at Augusta though, a performance he can certainly build on this week in Adelaide.
I’m not sure if the skinny fairways will suit his game, but like I said earlier about Reed, he did rank highly in accuracy off the tee at the Masters.
Whether that was due to course familiarity is a fair question, but with a warm reception likely again this week, I think this is a huge price for Phil.
