While the Canadian Open will never be able to match the prestige of last week’s Open Championship, it’s a tournament with a proud history in its own right, as the world’s best have been making the journey north to play in this event since its inception in 1904. The list of past champions reads like a who’s who of golfing legends: Hagen, Snead, Nelson, Locke, Palmer, Trevino, Norman, and more.
Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario will host the tournament for the 27th time; Glen Abbey was Jack Nicklaus’s very first course design back in 1976 and it’s held up nicely over the years as a straightforward test that favors players who drive the ball well. Brandt Snedeker prevailed the last time this event was held at Glen Abbey– back in 2013– but was forced to withdraw this week with a hip injury.
While the memorable scenes from St. Andrews last week were fun to watch and great for the sport in general, they certainly didn’t do our bank account any favors. Though Matsuyama, who was recommended at 42.0, briefly contended and provided his backers a small window to trade out, the other two selections were utter failures. Tommy Fleetwood missed the cut after a nice opening round, and it turns out my dream about Francesco Molinari winning was just like my dream about my wife cooking me breakfast– pure fantasy. In fairness, though, we haven’t fared particularly well in any of the European events (we’ll include the Open here), but have been much better with the PGA Tour. Let’s hope these guys can help recover some lost money and missing mojo:
WIN MARKET
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Matt Kuchar (19.5)- Kuchar thrives north of the border, posting three top-5 finishes in this tournament in the past five years, including a T2 at Glen Abbey (this week’s venue) in 2013. And while he hasn’t won in awhile, he did finish 2nd at the Scottish Open two weeks ago and he made the cut in both recent major championships (12th at U.S. Open, 58th last week), so we know his game is in good shape. While the odds are a bit on the short side, I still think Kuchar’s a worthwhile play here.
Tony Finau (47.0)- If Kuchar is your typical “blue chip” bet this week, Finau is more of the high risk/high reward type. Well, maybe that’s being a bit unfair… after all, the only thing risky about Finau is the fact that he’s a 25-year old rookie who has never played the Canadian Open and has yet to win on Tour. It sure doesn’t seem like he’s “at risk” of playing poorly, as he’s managed to shoot 72 or better in 27 of his past 29 competitive rounds and has finished in the top-25 in 7 of his past 8 events. Finau is one of the longest guys in professional golf, averaging nearly 310 yards per drive this year, and Glen Abbey is the type of course that can be overpowered, so if the rookie keeps it in the fairway he could be in for a stress-free week. I’ll certainly be rooting for him.
Chris Stroud (104.0)- Stroud doesn’t have much of a record in the Canadian Open and he’s still searching for his first PGA Tour win, so he’s rightfully regarded as a longshot this week. As longshots go, though, he looks pretty interesting. After a slow start to the year he’s really caught fire over the past four weeks, shooting 16 consecutive rounds of 70 or better (!), including a final-round 63 at the John Deere Classic (where he finished 5th) and a final-round 66 at last week’s Barbasol Championship (Did you know there was a tournament called the Barbasol Championship? Me neither. It was played in Alabama and an amateur finished 3rd. This is all true, I swear). With a full head of steam and lottery-type odds, I think Stroud is worth a small bet this week.
TOURNAMENT MATCH BETS
Jim Furyk (1.91) vs. Bubba Watson (1.91)
Furyk is always a great bet north of the border. A two-time champion of this event, he finished 9th in 2013– the last time it was played at Glen Abbey– and 2nd last year. Waston, on the other hand, has a missed cut and a T21 in his two visits to Glen Abbey. I realize Watson has been contending in nearly every non-major he’s played, but I wouldn’t bet against Furyk in this situation. Recommendation: Furyk at 1.91
Graham DeLaet (1.91) vs. J.B. Holmes (1.91)
While the Canadian DeLaet is the sentimental choice this week, he’s not someone I feel good about. He has a bad history at Glen Abbey, missing the cut here in 2013 and finishing 46th in 2009, and the pressure of playing in their national open doesn’t always bring out the best in the natives, as it’s been 54 years since a Canadian won this tournament. Holmes has established himself as a force on the PGA Tour, finishing in the top-25 in 7 of his last 9 regular Tour events (not counting majors), and I think he’s a good bet to beat DeLaet this week. Recommendation: Holmes at 1.91
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