PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For RBC Canadian Open
PGA Power Rankings: Top 5 Golfers For RBC Canadian Open
The 2024 RBC Canadian Open is set to get underway from Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada this week.
It's the site where Rory McIlroy won by seven strokes in 2019, going 22-under-par en route to setting a 72-hole record. Martin Ebert's five-year restoration effort since McIlroy's win may wind up proving significant, as he lengthened this par 70 track by over 100 yards, including changes to the greens and their locations on the course.
McIlroy has won two of the past three RBC Canadian Open events, with Canadian golfer Nick Taylor pulling off a historical four-hole playoff win at Oakdale to seize the 2023 RBC Canadian Open title over Tommy Fleetwood. A 72-foot eagle putt was drained by Taylor, who barely qualified for the weekend, narrowly missing the cut before going on an epic run during the final two rounds.
Fleetwood is the second betting favorite behind McIlroy, although they are separated by a vast number, with oddsmakers assigning +360 odds to McIlroy, versus +1600 odds for Fleetwood. The Englishman is still seeking his first outright win on the PGA Tour, which he lost in heartbreaking fashion due to Taylor's memorable eagle putt last year.
Sahith Theegala is the other betting favorite in this field of 156 golfers, getting 18-1 odds following five top-ten finishes recorded in 2024. PGA handicapper Matt MacKay is back to share his latest betting insights, including a course analysis of Hamilton G&CC, ahead of Round 1 that tees off Thursday morning.
RBC CANADIAN OPEN DATE, START TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: May 30-June 2, 2024
- Where: Hamilton Golf and Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Where to Watch: ESPN+, Golf Channel, CBS
RBC CANADIAN OPEN COURSE: HAMILTON GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
Hamilton Golf and Country Club will play as a 7,084 yard par 70 course in 2024. Martin Ebert's redesign has added nearly 120 yards in length on various holes, while replacing the greens with pure Bentgrass instead of a mixture with Poa annua surfaces.
The bluegrass rough is still a beast, standing over 3.5 inches tall, but the Bentgrass greens are 6,000 square feet on average, some of the bigger areas we've seen played in recent events. The Stimpmeter indicates putting velocity will sit at 11.5 feet, while the tree removal and bunker removal create new ways for players to find greens in regulation.
Water hazards are few and far between around the greens, so we should see a bit more scoring at Hamilton than we've watched in other recent events. Around the green is trimmed lower, so there will be opportunities for good scramblers to showcase their talent from the sand bunkers, surrounding fairways, and rough.
RBC CANADIAN OPEN ODDS
| GOLFER | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Rory McIlroy | +360 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +1600 |
| Sahith Theegala | +1800 |
| Sam Burns | +2200 |
| Shane Lowry | +2200 |
| Corey Conners | +2200 |
| Alex Noren | +2200 |
| Cameron Young | +2200 |
| Maverick McNealy | +3300 |
| Adam Scott | +3300 |
| Keith Mitchell | +3500 |
| Aaron Rai | +3500 |
| Tom Kim | +3500 |
| Mackenzie Hughes | +3500 |
RBC CANADIAN OPEN POWER RANKINGS
1. Rory McIlroy (+360) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Rory McIlroy is the overwhelming betting favorite in this field based on winning the RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton in 2019. He also won the event at a different venue in 2022, while he's coming off of back-to-back wins and a T12 finish at the second major of the year held at Valhalla.
+360 odds is extremely short in golf outright winner markets, especially with McIlroy struggling to gain strokes around the green and putting. He's undoubtedly one of the best golfers off-the-tee and strong with his approach shots though, so investing in him makes a ton of sense, despite the short number.
2. Sahith Theegala (+1800) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Sahith Theegala at 18-1 is much more enticing. Theegala already has an outright win under his belt, which came last year, although he doesn't have any experience playing at Hamilton G&CC.
Theegala ranks 24th strokes gained: approaching the green, 23rd strokes gained: off-the-tee, and fourth strokes gained: putting. He's been bad with his short game around the green, but the Californian has been able to record five top-ten finishes in 14 events this season. At 18-1, we're landing good value on Theegala, who is strong with his approach shots as well, so a half unit wager suffices here.
3. Shane Lowry (+2200) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Shane Lowry's runner-up finish at Hamilton in 2019 has the public investing in his 22-1 odds heavily. We saw Lowry team up with McIlroy to win the team-format Zurich Classic of New Orleans a few weeks ago.
Now, the Irishman is coming off of his own T6 finish at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. Ranked 26th in total strokes gained, including 37th off-the-tee and 10th on approach, the putting woes are the only thing holding Lowry back from an outright win this season.
He tends to start firing in Round 1, scoring well early, and he's first in driver accuracy, so at 22-1, Lowry warrants a 0.25 unit wager in the outright winner market.
4. Tom Kim (+3500) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
We're getting Tom Kim at 35-1 odds and it feels like stealing. Yes, he has yet to record a top-ten finish in 2024, but we've seen strong stuff from the South Korean golfer lately.
He imploded at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Round 4 this past week, costing him his first potential top-ten finish. Ranked 40th in total driving, including 13th driving accuracy and averaging over four birdies per round, Kim shouldn't be forgotten about at this price.
5. Taylor Pendrith (+5500) CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS
Of course we have to invest in a Canadian golfer at the RBC Canadian Open. Instead of Corey Conners, who is the much bigger betting favorite by the public and oddsmakers at 22-1, we're going down to the 55-1 range and targeting Taylor Pendrith.
Pendrith is coming off of his first outright win on the PGA Tour at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, winding up 23-under-par and winning by one stroke. A T10 at the Wells Fargo Championship was another strong finish before missing the cut at the PGA Championship, which is why we're getting the Canadian golfer at a discounted rate.
He's among the best putters on the PGA Tour, ranked 12th strokes gained: putting and he's also 48th strokes gained: around the green. Yes, he's a bit volatile off-the-tee, but Pendrith's game is well-suited for a birdie-fest like Hamilton. A 0.10 unit wager still returns over five units of profit, so sprinkle accordingly.
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GOLF ODDS
Matt is an avid writer, editor, and researcher. He enjoys analyzing the game within the game which is fantasy sports and sports betting. Music is another constant in his daily life. Matt loves spending time with his wife and three pets. He likes to read, listen to podcasts, and is constantly motivated to create the most accurate and engaging content in the sports betting industry.