CANADIAN OPEN

As we highlighted prior to the Travelers, the tournament immediately after a major has a habit of throwing up a shock winner with so many of the top players either taking a break or having given their all a week before. OK, so Jordan Spieth defied that trend at the Travelers, but nothing Mr Spieth does should surprise any of us. Glen Abbey, where this week’s RBC Canadian Open is played, has much in common with Torrey Pines and players who play well at one course tend to do well at the other, statistics show. One man who plays Torrey Pines extremely well and who hinted at a return to form last weekend is Bubba Watson, available at 33/1 with Betfred and Sportingbet. Length off the tee is a huge asset here and Bubba hits it a mile so may be worth an investment. I have long been a fan of young New Zealander Danny Lee and he comes to Canada with his game in rude health, given that he has made the top-10 in four of his last seven outings. He has real talent and Betfred’s 45/1 underestimates that ability. Another prodigious hitter is Gary Woodland, ranked in the top-20 on tour in driving distance.  Fatherhood may have distracted him earlier in the season but he played some great stuff at Birkdale, carding a 69 and a 70 before a somewhat disappointing weekend. On a course made for long hitters who like to fade the ball, Sportingbet’s 70/1 may be on the generous side and he is a confident each way selection. Also at longer odds, I am tempted by the general 66/1 available on Patrick Rodgers. After an appalling start to the season when he couldn’t seem to make a cut, he has done nothing but improve, culminating in a second place in his last outing at the John Deere. He is another who hits the ball huge distances and may be worth a small each way flutter with Coral who are paying for seven places this week. Finally, no tournament as lacking in strength and depth as this, should have Sean O’Hair as a 140/1 shot but that is the price that Bet365 are offering about a man who had two top-10s back in May and who played four rounds at Birkdale, none worse than 73.

The Green Reader  

GLEN ABBEY - THE KNOWLEDGE

Glen Abbey was Nicklaus’ first solo design back in 1976 and he returned this week, promoting the Canadian national tournament and taking part in various celebrations. It’s a big year, Canada’s 150th, which is how the tournament comes to be back here at the home of The Royal Canadian Golf Association and The Canadian Hall of Fame on a course that has already staged the event 28 times before this week.  

That’s not to say the tournament’s here without some small merit. Glen Abbey, a public course, just west of Toronto, has some good holes, some great holes even, not least the gambler’s short par-5 18th, the one where Tiger hit that astonishing bunker shot to win the tournament in 2000. But for all that the course is well-known it’s not entirely well-loved. It only recently escaped being turned into housing and the axe still hangs over it.

Scores will be low, -20 and perhaps lower.

tour the course here

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A Drawing based on the sculpture ‘Lets Go with the Glenabbey Show