Is This the Year a Canadian Finally Wins the RBC Canadian Open? What the Odds Say

We’re assuming old Pat Fletcher would never have known it would take 69 years before another Canadian followed in his footsteps to win a Canadian Open golf championship.

Fletcher, who died in 1985, won at Point Grey Golf Club in Vancouver in 1954. Today is the best chance in recent memory to see a Canadian hoist the RBC Canadian Open Trophy.

Winnipeg’s Nick Taylor came into Sunday's final round at 11 under par, and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., began the day at minus-10. Conners tees off at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto today at 1:35 p.m., followed by Taylor at 1:45 p.m.

The best sports betting sites have Rory McIlroy as the favorite, but Taylor and Conners are there. 

'It's Been Far Too Long'

“I mean, it's been far too long,” Conners said. “So I'm going to be letting it fly, giving it my all (today), and I'm sure he's going to be doing the same thing. I've got some ground to make up, but you never know. We have a chance.”

C.T. Pan, from Taiwan, led coming into today at 14-under, followed by several Brits and Americans – Tommy Fleetwood, defending champion Rory McIlroy, and Justin Rose, all at 12-under, and Americans Mark Hubbard, Harry Higgs and Andrew Novak, also at 12-under.

“There will be two guys having a great chance,” said Taylor, who shot a course record 63 yesterday to put himself into the conversation for today. “I think that's all we can ask for. I'm sure the crowds will be very excited going into tomorrow if Corey's playing well. And I played with him the first couple days and I expect him to play great today, too, because he's hitting it phenomenal. So, yeah, we're doing all we can, you promise you.”

Players Have to Get Off to a Good Start

For either player to have a chance, they will have to avoid the rough, especially through the first six holes. As Taylor said, if you can get through that at even par, you’ll have a good chance at shooting a great round. Conners is 11th on the PGA Tour in green in regulation percentage, at 68.91 per cent, so that bodes well for him, in terms of staying on the narrow fairways at Oakdale.

McIlroy, who tees off today at 2:05 p.m., is going for this third win in a row at the Canadian Open. 

“Look, I would love to win the Canadian Open for the third time,” he said. “I've never won a tournament three times in a row. I felt like last year the win wasn't just for me it was for a few other things (namely, LIV Golf). But this one, this year, if I were able to get over the line, will be solely for me.”

But for the Canadians in contention today (Adam Hadwin isn’t far off either, at 7-under), it’s a little different. The Canadian Open is one of the most raucous events on the PGA Tour, in terms of boisterous fans, and if the Canadians get beyond those early holes in good shape there will be a level of energy never seen at the national championship.