We stand on guard for thee!
RBC Canadian Open
Hamilton Golf & Country Club
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
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Bet365: Top of the Board
Rory McIlroy (4/1): The two-time champion has racked up three top-10 paydays on three different courses, including T9 at Oakdale last year. With two victories in his last three starts on TOUR, I can easily make the case for him again this week. This field is nowhere near the depth of the PGA Championship, and with only one water hazard, he is free and clear to fire away.
Tommy Fleetwood (18/1): Making his third start in Canada, the Englishman has lost in a playoff and cashed T6 in his previous two appearances. Hamilton will be his third different course in three starts, and the changes won’t be new to him.
Sahith Theegala (20/1): The 2023 is an outstanding putter and doesn’t mind new Bentgrass greens. Finishing T12 at Valhalla, he continues to produce results on unfamiliar greens. The only weakness in his game is around the greens, but he sits in the top 32 of the other Strokes Gained categories.
Corey Conners (22/1): After the drought finally broke last year, I am starting my card with an Ontario native this week. The Listowel native, a two-time winner on TOUR, will not have a nation sitting on his shoulders. Asking him to play target golf and pound greens in regulation is the perfect recipe. If he makes a few putts, away we go!
Shane Lowry (25/1): Martin Ebert also oversaw the renovation at Royal Portrush, the scene of his only major championship. Finishing seven shots behind McIlroy in the 2019 event, the Irishman has cashed T12 or better in three of five weekends. After T6 at the PGA Championship, I can’t dismiss him.
Alex Noren (25/1): Cashing T26 or better in 10 of 12 events, the days of finding any value on the Swede are long gone. Sitting fourth in SG: Total and eighth in SG: Tee to Green, it’s easy to see why. Like Fleetwood, he’s still looking for his first win in North America.
Sam Burns (28/1): The new father tends to make money with the flat stick. Maybe a few quiet nights out of the country will rejuvenate his game!
Cameron Young (28/1): One of the best drivers of the golf ball on TOUR, he’s still looking for his first win. Finishing second at a hilly, tough-driving Innisbrook makes me take a second look this week. Cashing T63 at Valhalla, his third consecutive T34 or worse payday pushes me away.
Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:
Tom Kim (33/1): Making six cuts in a row, four have resulted in T30 or better. Something is cooking here, and I don’t want to be late.
Aaron Rai (40/1): Placing T3 and T13 the last two seasons suggests he enjoys golf in the Toronto area.
Adam Scott (40/1): Outside of a missed cut at Valhalla, the veteran has racked up T30 or better in five of his last six.
Erik van Rooyen (55/1): Cranking out frequent results of T25 or better since last fall, the South African has three top-10 paydays in his last nine.
Taylor Pendrith (60/1): The Canadian has not produced the goods on home soil, but he’s won and cashed T10 and T11 in three of his last four starts on TOUR.
Greyson Sigg (125/1): For the gamblers only! His last four starts have resulted in MC-T13-MC-T9. The 29-year-old sits 12th in SG: Approach and 30th in SG: Tee to Green.
Bud Cauley (175/1): Finishing T4 in 2012, it’s been a long road back to Hamilton. There are not many in the field this week who cashed a check in that edition. Kevin Kisner is the only other player in the field who cashed in the top 10.
Robby Shelton (225/1): Cashing T9 last week, he was second in Putting and T9 in Fairways.
David Lipsky (300/1): Finishing T9 at Colonial last week, he led the field in GIR. Now, about that putter…
Stuart McDonald (500/1): A winner on the PGA Tour Americas this spring, the Canadian played the weekend last year at Oakdale.
Mike Weir (2500/1): The Presidents Cup captain was T14 at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship last week in Michigan. Drop a loon on him to make the cut!
Mike Glasscott: RBC Canadian Open Tips:
Win: Corey Conners (22/1)
Top 10: Adam Scott (4/1), Shane Lowry (13/5), and Alex Noren (13/5)
Top 20: Taylor Pendrith (12/5), Greyson Sigg (15/4), and Ben Silverman (9/2)
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Hamilton Golf & CC |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,084 |
| Par: | 70 (35-35). |
| Greens: | V8 Creeping Bentgrass; 6,000 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 11 to 12 feet. |
| Rough: | Poa annua, Kentucky Bluegrass and Turf Tuff fescue at three inches plus. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 72/1/1 |
| Architect(s): | HS Colt (1916); Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie (2019). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Nick Taylor (-17*) at Oakdale |
| Defending Champion (course): | Rory McIlroy (-22) 2019. |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Rory McIlroy (2022, 2019), Jhonattan Vegas (2017, 2016). |
| Course Record | 61; Rory McIlroy (Round 4, 2019), Ben Silverman (Round 2, 2019). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | 258, 22-under; Rory McIlroy (2019). |
| Facts of the Week: | Every tee box, bunker, and green complex was renovated after the 2019 event. |
Hamilton Golf & CC
One of just two Harry S. Colt designs in Canada, Hamilton Golf & CC opened outside Toronto in 1916. Located in Ancaster, the club has 27 holes, but the event uses the 18 holes (West and South) designed by the legendary architect Harry S. Colt.
Martin Ebert and Tom Mackenzie renovated the entire property after the conclusion of the 2019 event. The 2024 edition will play 7,084 yards (Par-70), 117 yards longer than the 2019 tournament.
The tee boxes, greens, and bunkers were reconstructed, and a new irrigation system was added. The most noticeable change will be the return to the bunkering from Colt’s original design from photographs found at the club. The penalty for finding the sandy areas, 72 total, will include increased depth, jagged edges, and fescue “eyebrows.”
New tee boxes provide additional yardage, and the expansion of the putting surfaces features pin positions new to all.
Reducing trees throughout the property added new sightlines, fresh angles of attack, and better growing conditions for the turfgrass.
The elevation changes up and down the valley requires navigating sidehill lies and properly judging yardage.
For the third week in a row and fourth time in five events Bentgrass (V8 Creeping Bentgrass) will comprise the putting surfaces. The new, expanded greens, now covering 6,000 square feet on average, will provide bigger targets to attack. The Stimpmeter will run between 11 and 12 feet.
Recent Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Zurich Classic | Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Taylor Pendrith (first time) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| 106th PGA Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Davis Riley |
RBC Canadian Open
Preceded by the Western Open in 1899, the RBC CO, established in 1904, is the second-oldest non-major championship.
Hosting for the seventh time in history and the fifth time this century, Hamilton Golf & CC has crowned Bob Tway (2003), Jim Furyk (2006), Scott Piercy (2012), and Rory McIlroy (2023) as champions. As of Tuesday, McIlroy is the only one entered this week.
The invitational field of 156 players includes 12 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf rankings, led by No. 3 Rory McIlroy.
After two rounds the top 65 and ties play the final 36 holes. The last two editions at Hamilton produced cuts of 2-under (2019) and 1-under (2012).
Nick Taylor, the 2023 winner at Oakdale Golf & CC after defeating Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff, became the first Canadian to win this event since 1954.
The 2019 champion, Rory McIlroy, also won the 2022 edition. No event was played in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Jhonattan Vegas won the 2016 and 2017 editions at Glen Abbey.
The winner will take home 500 FedExCup points plus $1.692 million from the $9.4 million purse.
Recent Winners – RBC Canadian Open
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Nick Taylor (-17*) | First Canadian to win since 1954. Defeated Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff by holing a 72-foot eagle putt at Oakdale. |
| 2022 | Rory McIlroy (-19) | Defended his 2019 title defeating Tony Finau (not entered) at St. George’s. |
| 2021 | No Event | |
| 2020 | No Event | |
| 2019 | Rory McIlroy (-22) | Equaled the course record, 61, on Sunday to win by seven shots over Shane Lowry. |
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Max Homa | 329,000 |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau | 145,125 |
| Cognizant Classic | Russell Henley | 32,850 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | 4,000,000 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Will Zalatoris | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Sam Burns | 0 |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Wyndham Clark | 54,418 |
| Valero Texas Open | C Bezuidenhout | 67,735 |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy | 175,500 |
| RBC Heritage | Patrick Cantlay | 1,160,000 |
| Zurich Classic | Nick Taylor | 122,375 |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Stephan Jaeger | 112,100 |
| Myrtle Beach Classic | Daniel Berger | 20,350 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Sahith Theegala | 47,000 |
| 106th PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka | 113,962 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Taylor Moore | 0 |
| Total Winnings: | 7,626,632 |
His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – 78th Charles Schwab Challenge
MY CHOICE: Taylor Moore – MC
My pal Chadders thinks he has a curse. Well, I just halted a streak of 15 straight for Moore at Colonial.
What a game.
Others to Consider:
Jordan Spieth: Those of you who have been saving him, it’s time. It’s time for him to get his wrist fixed. Imagine cashing T37 but hitting 39 of 56 Fairways (T2).
Tony Finau/Collin Morikawa: I don’t love the prize pool for using either of these two, but with the new greens they should be chomping at the bit. Finau cashed T17 after imploding with 75 on Sunday. Morikawa took home solo fourth after four rounds in the 60s.
Thomas Detry/Billy Horschel: Both are sizzling recently and can get it going with the putter. It has been suggested by TOUR pro Michael Kim that the approach play will be EASIER after the renovation, but the new grass will make it play firmer this week. Reaffirming there is no reason to ever stretch in this game, Detry cashed T56 and Horschel T24.
Tom Hoge: Played at Texas Chrisitan down the street and kills it on approach. T17, solid angle and payday if you went off the grid.
Mark Hubbard: If you’re looking to zig, he’s had too many good weeks in a row. T65 Taylor Moore’d it but with $19,292.
This Week – RBC Canadian Open
I’m loading up on any and all hockey players, curlers, and Tim Horton franchisees.
MY CHOICE: Mackenzie Hughes
I was surprised to remember I have used Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, AND Nick Taylor! Gotta go with what’s available!
Others to Consider:
Taylor Pendrith: The Canadian produced a spectacular run of results over the last month but was halted at the PGA Championship with a missed cut. Winner at TPC Craig Ranch earlier this season.
Adam Svensson: His victory was on a Par-70 with big greens at The RSM Classic two years ago.
Shane Lowry/Tommy Fleetwood: SOMEBODY HAS TO WIN THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, RIGHT?
Rory McIlroy: One angle this week is the field isn’t deep enough. The other angle is the prize pool isn’t worth it.
Good luck! You’ll need it!
Glass Houses 