The RBC Canadian Open will be held at St. George's Golf & Country Club for the first time in over 4 decades.
The St. George's Golf & Country Club has not been used as a stage for the Canadian Open since 1968. With no course form to go on, we are guessing which players will be best suited but what we do know is that it’s a par-70 (34-36) layout with, unusually, five par-3s, all of which are at least 210 yards long. Therefore, those players that are high up in the par 3 scoring and par 3 birdie or better stats are worth close inspection.
The highest-ranked player on show is Paul Casey, who is bidding to put the disappointment of his final round of 75 at the Open behind him. bet365 make him their 18/1 co-favourite alongside Sean O’Hair and Luke Donald, who finished seventh and 11th at St Andrews respectively.
My Three Off The Tee:-
Brendon De Jonge @ 60/1 Stan James
Hardly a household name but regular golf followers will have seen his name on several leaderboards of late, including when seventh at the John Deere on his latest start and ninth in the Travelers Championship two starts back. He was also fourth in a much better field than this at Quail Hollow, a classical course not dissimilar to this one, and ranks 32nd on Tour for par 3 scoring (15th for GIR and 11th All-round). Even better, with his card for next year already secured, he can continue to be aggressive and go for the win; I like him a lot this week.
Brandt Snedeker @ 50/1 Ladbrokes
After a solid start to the year which included runners-up spot at Torrey Pines, my second pick lost the plot completely. However, he looks to be finding his best form again with high finishes in two of his last three starts, including an impressive 8th at Pebble Beach, and has good event form having finished fifth in 2009 and 7th in 2007. Some have questioned his resolution in the past but he's found the winner's enclosure before at the Wyndham Championship in 2007 and that event was played on a bent-grass, tree-lined par-70 track much like this one. Coincidence?
Chad Collins @ 125/1 Skybet
My final pick is a bit more speculative but this event does have a habit of throwing up big-priced winners and, besides, there are sound reasons for choosing him. Firstly, he looks to be creeping back into form (three early top-10s) with two top-25's on his last four starts. Secondly, and of more significance to this week, he's been doing his best scoring on par-3's (ranked third on Tour), while he has no peers when it comes to scrambling (ranked first). A maiden win might be asking too much but the 125s (66/1 in a place) offers real each-way value.
Nearly made it in: Brian Davis (125/1 Skybet)
The Englishman has finished runner-up twice already this season and this course should suit his neat and tidy game down to the ground. The fact he's currently ranked third in par 3 scoring also bodes well for his chances.
One to be wary of: Paul Casey
As you can see, I don't fancy any of the favourites this week and Casey in particular looks underpriced considering this is his first look at the course. Besides, last week must have taken plenty out of him and he'll do well to bounce back here.
Recommended Bets:
Brendon De Jonge 1pt each-way @ 60/1 Stan James
Brandt Snedeker 1pt each-way @ 50/1 Ladbrokes
Chad Collins 1pt each-way @ 125/1 Skybet
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