This article is part of our Golf Picks series.
RBC Canadian Open Betting Preview
The PGA Tour takes a trip north of the border for the RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Country Club in Toronto.
With this tournament sandwiched between a designated event that saw Viktor Hovland triumph in a playoff over Denny McCarthy on and next week's U.S. Open, the field contains just five of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking and is headlined by favorite Rory McIlroy, who checks in with 5-1 odds.
Last year, McIlroy -- at 9-1 -- defeated Tony Finau by two strokes for his second Canadian Open win and 21st PGA Tour victory.
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 1:30 PM ET Tuesday.
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Course Characteristics
This event will be held at a different course for the fourth time in as many instances, and this will be the first time Oakdale has hosted a professional tournament. It will be played at 7,264 yards, and the breakdown is unique for a par-72, as there are just three par-3s and three par-5s. Although we don't have any prior data to draw from, it looks like this well set up as a second shot track, with five of the par-4s playing under 400 yards. The fairways aren't particularly wide and the rough is expected to be long, which should put a premium on accuracy over distance off the tee. This course should yield plenty of low scores, so you will want to target accurate drivers, strong iron players -- especially inside 150 yards -- and birdie-makers.
Approach the Bench
The following players, on a per-round basis, gained the most strokes on approach over their last 20 rounds.
- Mark Hubbard: 1.15
- Justin Rose: 1.09
- Shane Lowry: 0.96
- Corey Conners: 0.69
- Nate Lashley: 0.68
Hubbard has been red hot with his irons, gaining strokes on approach in six straight tournaments and ranking third at Colonial in this department en route to his first top-10 of the year. His lack of distance with the driver has always been his biggest detriment, but with that unlikely to be a key factor at Oakdale, he is an intriguing low-cost DFS option and a dark horse to win at 130-1 odds. A bit higher up the betting board is Lowry, who is tied for the eighth choice at 20-1. This will be just his second non-designated event this year, and although he hasn't been a threat to win he did post three top-20s over his last five starts. Among the favorites, he will be one of the top golfers to target.
RBC Canadian Open Bets: Outright Picks
Corey Conners (18-1)
A Canadian last won his country's Open 69 years ago, and Conners -- who posted his first top-10 in this event last year -- is the best bet to snap that drought. He's an excellent ball striker -- ranking top-25 in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Approach this season -- and is in good form with a pair of top-15s over his last three starts.
Justin Rose (18-1)
Rose continues to show up near the top of leaderboards, and he now owns a win, three top-10s and six top-20s over 11 events this year. He elected to skip The Memorial and is coming of a T12 at Colonial in which he led the field in SG: Approach.
Eric Cole (50-1)
Cole nearly picked up his first PGA Tour victory earlier this year at PGA National, and he has continued trending upward, with four top-25 finishes over his last six starts. The rookie -- who qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday -- and has been stellar in the short game and ranks 31st in SG: Total.
RBC Canadian Open Bets: Top-10 Wagers
Michael Kim (11-2)
After nailing a top-10 bet on McCarthy last week, I'll try to keep things going with the resurgent Kim, who is gaining strokes off the tee and on approach this season. He posted two top-10s over his last three events -- one of which was designated -- but is still being a bit undervalued by the oddsmakers.
Vincent Norrman (7-1)
Norrman also made it through U.S. Open qualifying Monday, and his ceiling makes him someone to keep an eye on, as he's sixth in eagle rate and 10th in driving distance this season. He flashed his potential with a T8 at both the Mexico Open and Byron Nelson, and another quality finish could be in store given the weaker field and the likelihood this turns into a birdie-fest.
Carson Young (15-2)
The 28-year-old rookie has quietly been trending in the right direction, with four of his five top-25s on the season coming over his last six starts. He's been getting by with driving accuracy and iron play, gaining strokes on approach in four straight tournaments.
RBC Canadian Open Bets: Head-to-Head Matchups
Adrian Meronk (+100) over Keith Mitchell
Meronk is a player golf fans should get to know, as he is in good shape for a spot on the European Ryder Cup team with two wins and four top-10s overseas since December. This will be his seventh PGA Tour start this year, and his best finish was a T14 at The Honda Classic. I like him as an underdog against Mitchell, who has struggled mightily with his irons of late and hasn't posted a top-20 since February.
Nick Taylor (-120) over Alex Smalley
I'm willing to lay a little juice on Taylor in his home country, as he's enjoying one of his best seasons on Tour and sits 32nd in the FedExCup Standings. He's a more reliable player and better target in matchups than Smalley, who missed four of his last seven cuts and has not finished better than T18 this year.
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