WE still haven’t really been able to catch our breath after what was a truly absurd final round at The Open just a couple of days ago.
From making it look like us mere mortals could hit a better tee shot, to somehow reincarnating the old school Tiger spirit, Jordan Spieth beat our pre-tournament tip Matt Kuchar to lift the Claret Jug.
You’ve got to hand it to the young superstar; his celebrations will likely carry on long into the week.
All depending on how much wine the jug can really hold of course. Whereas for the likes of Kuuucchhh, it’s off to Northern America and the RBC Canadian Open.
This is one of the more prestigious events on Tour but usually struggles to attract with its slot straight after a major.
However, there are a few noteworthy names to get those post-Open juices flowing.
World number one Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter are just a few who are making the trip over and with a course that traditionally yields plenty of birdies, we could be in for a golfing treat.
Glen Abbey has played host to more Canadian Opens than any other course. It is Jack Nicklaus’ first ever solo design and features the infamous ‘Valley Holes’ – a stretch from the 11 th to 15 th including a tee shot off a cliff roughly 60ft up in the valley.
⛳ Canadian Open Tips ⛳
By Lewis Pacelli
- Tony Finau (28/1 – add to your betslip): ‘Seriously, this guy can really hit a ball a mile.’
- Charley Hoffman (25/1 – add to your betslip): ‘It just seems too obvious a bet not to go with.’
- Sung Kang (66/1 – add to your betslip): ‘We’ve had our eye on Sung Kang for a while now.’
- Rory Sabbatini (125/1 – add to your betslip): ‘There are still some signs of life in the 41-year old.’
A traditional tree-lined par 72, it is one of the shorter tracks in the calendar, measuring in at just 7,253 yards so you’d instantly think it can be overpowered with ease.
However, when you look at the list of winners, you realise there’s not one type of player to look out for here. We’ve had the straight hitting Tim Clark who topped the driving accuracy stats for his win in 2014 but only averaged 266 yards off the tee, right through to the brute power of Jason Day in 2015.
One thing to note is all winners have ended up putting well for the week because of the desperate need to hop on the birdie train. -12 is the lowest winning score in the last 5 renewals, so whether you’re a big hitter or plodder, you need to be dialed in with the short stick and attack those pins.
We will also be looking into Par 5 stats, as there are 3 that are very reachable and could make all the difference come Sunday.
Happy Betting.
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CANADIAN OPEN TIPS
Tony Finau (28/1 – add to your betslip)
Our first pick is the big hitting Tony Finau. Seriously, this guy can really hit a ball a mile.
He’s 8th for driving distance across the season and this could be prime time for him to build upon some promising recent form.
At the Open he finished a respectable T27 in only his 5 th ever Major and T7 at the Greenbrier a few weeks back. There he showed his love for birdies, shooting 4 rounds in the 60’s – something that has to be done this week.
Whilst his irons have been looking in fine fettle as well (4 th for Greens In Regulation on Tour) the fact he started to putt well at the Travelers Championship last month really gave the signal to watch out for him.
Because when Finau gets going with the putter, he is very dangerous.
As a par 5 specialist who has now racked up two outings here, he will be more aware of the places to attack.
Interestingly, his best performances seem to come on birdie fest courses; He won on the Web.com shooting a ridiculous -22 so whatever happens, going with Finau will certainly guarantee entertainment.
Charley Hoffman (25/1 – add to your betslip)
It just seems too obvious a bet not to go with. The Hoff has played well here before, finishing T7 two years ago and we saw enough glimpses of him at The Open to know he’s still in fine fettle after some class performances recently.
T5 after a promising first round, he ended up catching the worst of the weather, but it’s still enough to think he will have a say this week.
We’ve also seen him record another top 10 at a US Open and a very impressive T3 at the Travelers in the past month and generally he likes to attack pins and get on a roll with the putter.
All his pro victories have been low scoring affairs, so definitely one to keep an eye on.
Sung Kang (66/1 – add to your betslip)
We’ve had our eye on Sung Kang for a while now – ever since he popped up with a T18 at the US Open last year.
He’s been in and around the PGA Tour for a couple of years again after losing his card back in 2012 and he is showing signs of real maturity and someone who could go well this week.
He finished a respectable T44 at The Open but looked in outstanding form at the Quicken Loans National, where nerves seemed to get the better of him over the weekend; the same of which can be said when he recorded a 2nd place at the Shell Houston.
Yes, Russell Henley played golf more akin to a Tiger/Spieth hybrid, but he still had a huge opportunity to get his first PGA Tour title.
We are looking at it like lessons learnt and if you’re shooting a 63 there, you could go seriously low here. 14th in par 5 birdie or better leaders and 37th for scoring average give that bit of extra credence when going for this 66/1 shot.
Rory Sabbatini (125/1 – add to your betslip)
A slightly left field bet, especially considering he hasn’t won since 2011, but there are still some signs of life in the 41-year old.
Firstly he is a sort of Nicklaus course specialist. He won the Honda Classic, been mightily close at the Memorial and (arguably) more importantly has three top-10 finishes in five starts here.
He recorded a couple of back-to- back top 20’s before a very impressive 62 last week, all be it eventually falling well short in the final round.
He has a new set of irons and they are clearly doing the trick slowly but surely.
The similarities to compatriot Tim Clark (2014 winner) are obvious and that would just be lovely symmetry of he were to get back in the winning circle.
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CHEEKY DOUBLE
Combining the European Tour tips, which can be found HERE, it’s always worth a cheeky double because you just never know…
Two to look at this week would be –
- Tony Finau (28/1) and Thorbjørn Olesen (20/1) = 608/1
- Charley Hoffman and (20/1) and Alexander Björk (50/1) = 1070/1
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