Niall Lyons has sided with the favourite in his two tips for the Canadian Open.
Canadian Open
The RBC Canadian Open is one of the rare events on the PGA Tour that regularly switches venues and this year is no different as we head back to Hamilton.
Nick Taylor won at Oakdale last year, whilst Rory McIlroy landed his second Canadian Open title the year before at St George's.
You have to go back to 2019 before the pandemic to see the last time we played here at Hamilton and McIlroy and Lowry made it an Irish 1-2 at the head of affairs. The only other relevant event here prior was the 2012 edition won by Scott Piercy.
The 1st and 2nd that year were ranked inside the top 10 in driving distance for the week, whilst McIlroy was the longest in the field when winning back in 2019. Of the remaining four that made up the top five that year none of them finished inside the top 40 in driving distance.
We can deduct from that that McIlroy blew the field apart from the tee, and with all other aspects of his game firing there was no beating him.
Across the last two renewals scrambling was important with six of the 11 placers inside the top 10 in that statistic for the week, whilst only one of the eleven was outside the top 20.
Canadian Open Tips
Let's look at the key stats from the last two times the tournament was played at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Hamilton, Ontario.
Now let’s look at my two tips for the week in more detail.
Rory McIlroy @ 4/1
Rory McIlroy has no doubt endured a tough time over the last few years both on and off the golf course but he looks to have turned a corner and he has a huge chance to make it three wins in four starts and lay down a marker ahead of the year's final two Majors and Fedex run in.
In what seems to be a remarkable case of history repeating, when McIlroy last had troubles off the course back in 2014 he went on a run winning the BMW PGA, The Open, Bridgestone and PGA Championship all within the space of a couple of months.
Alongside his roller coaster relationship with the PGA Tour over the last two years, with some clarity and tension released the Irishman may just be free wheeling now and although it didn't happen for him at the PGA, he is trending towards winning one of the big four.
Whether that comes in the next few months time will tell but the way in which he dispatched the eventual PGA Champion Xander Schauffele at Quail Hollow was special. He can continue winning form similar to Quail Hollow when he returns to Hamilton this week where he won back in 2019.
He will no doubt prove popular among many punters in the upcoming Majors, but I can't help but feel backing him in these tournaments at slightly shorter odds is the way forward.
He ranked 9th from tee to green at Valhalla and had he managed a bit more form with the putter he could have been much closer to the lead over the weekend.
He dominated here back in 2019 winning by seven shots and the players in behind him in the market have plenty of questions to answer after a dismal season so far by many of them. It isn't easy to go in at short odds but Rory is firing right now and I expect him to grab these opportunities with both hands.
Tommy Fleetwood @ 16/1 (Eight Places)
In a simple two pronged attack this week I'm adding Tommy Fleetwood as my only other selection. The Englishman continued a run of fine form in Majors with a 26th at the PGA which means seven Major cuts in a row with the worst finish of them being 33rd.
It wouldn't surprise me should his time come soon in those events sometime soon but getting over the line on the PGA Tour is a major stumbling block, and it could come outside of the United States this week. Fleetwood has put away some sneaky good appearances of late finishing 12th at Quail Hollow, 3rd at Augusta and 7th in Texas.
There was a similar period on the DPWT a long time ago where it looked like he was having trouble getting over the line then the victories came along like buses. His graft and determination make him a good candidate to finally get the monkey off his back soon and this looks like a good venue.
Driving distance hasn't mattered all too much here at Hamilton down the years and scrambling has always been part of the equation here. His short game has been remarkably consistent all year and he can gain plenty on the field in that department this week.
Should the putter behave he could have a huge chance on Sunday to break his duck and in turn get him into the conversation for Pinehurst and Troon.
2pts each-way T.Fleetwood 16/1 (1/5 8) William Hill, 888sport
