After Three Long Years, the RBC Canadian Open is Back
A photo of Rory McIlroy kissing the trophy adorns the front of the RBC Canadian Open website, and it doesn’t begin to tell the story of all that has taken place since the Northern Irish golfer shot a final-round 61 to capture the tournament.
The year was 2019 and that was the last time the Canadian Open was played.
It was McIlroy’s first visit to the tournament and he won his 16th PGA Tour title.
Collin Morikawa, who has won two major championships since then, was making his PGA Tour debut as a pro having recently finished school at Cal. He tied for 14th.
There was no chatter about the Premier Golf League, let alone the LIV Golf Invitational Series – which had yet to come into being.
Just like the rest of the sporting world, the Canadian Open – which dates to 1904 – had to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Starting at the Players Championship in March, a series of events were canceled, some rescheduled.
Among those that had to sit out was the Canadian Open, due to travel restrictions in crossing the border. Making matters worse? When most of the golf world was getting back to normal a year ago, the Canadian Open still could not be played, due to the difficulty of travel across the border.
“It was incredibly disappointing,’’ said Bryan Crawford, the tournament director who works for Golf Canada. “Our tournament was coming off a pinnacle moment in 2019. It was the first year of our new date the week prior to the U.S. Open. There was a magical performance by Rory. We were instituting other elements to our tournament, coming off the most successful tournament we ever had, and with a ton of momentum leading into 2020 to build off of. To not be able to do it was very disappointing.
“We all recognize what was happening in the community. It wasn’t the appropriate time for a major event like ours. And then last year wasn’t quite the time yet. Now here we are, and we’re set to have the biggest tournament ever by a longshot. The energy and excitement is through the roof. With the bad came the good. Golf has seen an unbelievable spike in participation over the last two years.’’
Like all tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule, the Canadian Open had to deal with the issues associated with limited or no spectators or not playing at all. Missing two years meant two years without revenue from ticket sales, hospitality, pro-ams and merchandise. And there were still bills to be paid, including any staff associated with the event.
Golf Canada is the U.S. equivalent of the United States Golf Association, so perhaps there was some built-in ability to withstand such a shutdown. That still didn’t make it easy.
“No tournament faced with cancellation had it easy,’’ said Andy Pazder, chief tournaments and competitions officer for the PGA Tour. “There’s an impact on charitable dollars, an obvious economic impact. There’s just a lot of strain and pressure put on the host organization. And while the PGA Tour partners with each of these tournaments and helped support them at the most dire time during the pandemic, it wasn’t any easier on Golf Canada.
“They dealt with the most severe case, having to cancel. For a long time, our tournaments played without spectators or hospitality which is a very significant impact. It wasn’t really until we turned the calendar to 2022 before we started seeing full capacity, full pro-ams and attendance.
The tournament has attracted a strong field which includes McIlroy, Masters champ Scottie Scheffler, PGA winner Justin Thomas and Players champion Cam Smith.
And the tournament has returned to St. George’s Golf & Country Club in Toronto for just the third time and first since 2010.
The tournament still faces some issues, including a requirement to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in order to travel to the country. According to Golf Canada, both Webb Simpson and Matt Kuchar, RBC ambassadors who were entered in the tournament, had to withdraw due to travel restrictions.
This still promises to be a big week, with RBC and the PGA Tour helping to bridge a long gap.
“They made sure these weren’t crippling moments that could have had long-term impacts on the organization,’’ Crawford said. “We didn’t lose a partner. All of our partners stayed on board and supported the organization all the way through and we’ve gone from nine to 24. We’ve had new ones come on board.
“And there aren’t too many big names that are not teeing it up here. That’s some really good fortune for us that the players have chosen to play their way into the U.S. Open (next week). We’ve found the guys really enjoy the experience up here and the courses we play at for our national championship.’’
Preparing for the (next) Open
There are all manner of ways to prepare for a major championship, and the task is particularly difficult at the venues that are not well-known to the players. Only a handful of those competing in next week’s U.S. Open at The Country Club will have seen the course prior to this year. Some have gone to check it out. Some will play the Canadian Open. Some will practice at home or get some early intel.
Jack Nicklaus said last week that he understood when Justin Thomas called to tell him why he wouldn’t be playing at the Memorial Tournament this year. He had played the week prior to the PGA Championship at the Byron Nelson, then won the major. He wants to try the same thing with the U.S. Open, hence he is playing the Canadian Open and skipped Nicklaus’ tournament.
“I said 'well, I don't want to wish you bad luck, but I hope it's an unsuccessful experiment. I said, no, no, I'm just kidding,'’’ Nicklaus said. “I said to him, 'JT, I understand; I had the same situation when I was your age. Everybody wanted us to play everywhere, and you can't play everywhere.’’’
Nicklaus later explained his philosophy on preparing for major championships. (Nicklaus had 18 victories and 19 runner-up finishes.)
“Well, I go back to 1962. I played -- and nothing against Greensboro, mind you, because I enjoyed playing there. But I played Greensboro in '62 and didn't win the Masters. I finished 14th or something.
“I skipped Greensboro in '63 and won the Masters because I went in the week before and practiced at Augusta. (In) '64 I liked Greensboro so I went back to Greensboro. I didn't win the Masters. (In) '65 I didn't go to Greensboro and went in the week before and prepared, and I won. I did the same thing in '66. Huh, how about that?
“So I started looking at things, and sort of the light goes off and you think about, 'yeah, this is what I did and this is why, this is the result I got.' A little bit like Justin Thomas. He wanted to play the week before. I don't think that's the proper preparation.
“Gary Player in 1965 was — he was up at the house and we were talking about the (U.S.) Open at Bellerive coming up, and I said, “Gary, give yourself a chance, go the week before, go with me and we'll go practice at Bellerive and see what. He says, 'Jack, I can't afford to — I'm over here for just a few weeks, I can't afford to give up a week and go practice.’ I said, 'if you win the U.S. Open you can.’
“So Gary went with me to Bellerive, and sadly for me, he won. I wasn't in contention, though. Gary never did that again. Gary might have won more majors if he had gone back and prepared for them, but he was a young guy who still — he wanted to get back home to his family and stuff, and I can understand that.’’
Finau Inside the Ropes
As part of a sponsorship with American Express, Tony Finau will take a card member with him during a practice round to watch him practice, get a lesson and also walk with him inside the ropes as he prepares for the U.S. Open at The Country Club.
“I’ve been a proud ambassador for a few years and it’s been a great relationship,’’ said Finau, a two-time PGA Tour winner who is ranked 16th in the world. “A lucky cardholder will get the chance to walk inside the ropes with me, get that experience, kind of a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Sort of like being a caddie, and I’ll be showing them around and I think it’s something that is pretty cool.’’
There is also a special Card Member Lounge off The Country Club’s 6th hole that will offer indoor and outdoor seating as well as other amenities.
Finau, who has two top-10 finishes at the U.S. Open among 10 in majors, is playing this week’s RBC Canadian Open as prep. It is the first time he is playing in a tournament prior to a major this year.
“And I’ve never been one to play a venue in advance,’’ he said. “My beat on it right now is I just enjoy getting there the week of (the major) and being excited about seeing the golf course. I see it twice and then get ready to go. That’s how I’ve always done it. I’ve contended in quite a few. And it seems to work for me.
“My schedule definitely revolves around the major championships and being properly prepared. I expect to contend. I want to make sure on the weekend of major championships I’m ready. Not out of gas.’’
Fore! Things
1. With his win at the Memorial, Billy Horschel has moved to a career-best 11th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
2. Horschel’s final-round 72 was the first time a winner on the PGA Tour shot par or higher in last round since Scottie Scheffler shot par 72 in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
3. The JP McManus Pro-Am on July 4-5 in Ireland is attracting quite a field. If it gave OWGR points, it would be giving 56 to the winner, according to world ranking guru @nosferatu. That’s better than 20 events so far this season on the PGA Tour.
4. C.T. Pan, who was the bronze medalist at the 2021 Olympic Golf Tournament, made a 10 during the opening round of the Memorial Tournament on Muirfield Village’s par-5 11th hole. He became the first player on the PGA Tour since 1997 to make a 10 or worse during the first or second round and go on to make the cut. He tied for 53rd.
A Shrewd Move?
Kevin Na’s decision to resign from the PGA Tour in the wake of playing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series event this week outside of London might have come as a surprise, but could also be viewed as a preemptive move that helps keep him in the major championships
PGA Tour players competing in the LIV events will undoubtedly be sanctioned by commissioner Jay Monahan, who has not granted any conflicting-event releases. One such possibility is a suspension, and if that happens, the U.S. Open and next month’s British Open could elect to honor those suspensions by keeping players out of their tournaments.
But if you’re not a member and then don’t get suspended, then what?
Na, 38, went into the weekend ranked 38th in the world. He is qualified for both the U.S. Open and the British Open. Aside from playing on a rival circuit that the various governing bodies might not like, what has Na done wrong? How would they keep him from playing?
The Tour is another matter because of its rules. It requires permission to play in such events. Without that permission, it seems Monahan is within his rights to dish out some sort of punishment – although these matters could eventually end up in court.
Dustin Johnson, Louis Oosthuizen and Sergio Garcia are also playing in the LIV event and are exempt into both Opens.
The Associated Press reported that Na, who made his resignation public, is one of six players who have decided to give up their Tour membership.
U.S. Open Countdown
There are 10 days until the first round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and Monday is big for determining a sizable portion of the field. There are nine qualifiers taking place, one in Canada and eight more in the United States. These qualifiers will yield approximately 60 to 65 places in the U.S. Open.
Other qualifiers were determined Sunday based on the Official World Ranking top 60 following the Memorial Tournament and the European Open. The European Open was also the final event for DP World Tour players in lieu of no U.K. final qualifier.
The top 10 aggregate point earners among players not otherwise exempt from the Betfred British Masters, the Soudal Open, the Dutch Open and the European Open earned spots at The Country Club.
They are France’s Victor Perez, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen, England’s Sam Horsfield, Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg, Finland’s Kalle Samooja, the Netherlands' Wil Besseling, Germany’s Yannik Paul, England’s Richard Mansell and Germany’s Marcel Schneider.
The only other way into the field now is for a player who makes the RBC Canadian Open his second victory of this current PGA Tour season who is not otherwise exempt.
Social Matters
> Kevin Na announced his intentions to resign from the PGA Tour.
> The folks at Augusta National don’t mess around. The club only recently closed for the summer, but already extensive work has begun on the adjacent Par 3 Course.
> An interesting feature at this week’s RBC Canadian Open.
> Despite playing in the NBA finals, golf was not too far from Steph Curry’s mind.
Next Up
After missing the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the RBC Canadian Open is back with a strong field that includes three of the top five in the Official World Golf Ranking. Masters winner Scottie Scheffler, PGA champ Justin Thomas and Players Championship winner Cam Smith are in the field.
Canada’s national Open dates to 1904 and is the fourth-longest continuously running event behind the British Open, the U.S. Open and the Western Open/BMW Championship. Prior to 2019, the only times the tournament was not played were during World Wars I and II.
The tournament will be played at St. George’s near Toronto for the first time since 2010. Rory McIlroy won the last Canadian Open played in 2019 at Hamilton. He returns to the tournament as well.
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