The PGA TOUR heads north of the border for the RBC Canadian Open this week, which be played at the North Course (par 70, 7,389 yards, bentgrass/POA mix greens) of TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario. There will be 21 Canadian golfers competing and, below, I have featured my favorite pick to win the RBC Canadian Open among these 21 Canadian players.
Taylor Pendrith (+2800)
Pendrith returns home for the RBC Canadian Open playing outstanding golf. In his last two starts, Pendrith has finished T5 at the PGA Championship and T12 at the Memorial Tournament, both of which featured world-class fields. Despite both these events being played at very challenging courses, Pendrith shot under par in five of his eight rounds during this stretch. Plus, his T5 finish at the PGA Championship is the best major finish of Pendrith’s career.
Its safe to say Pendrith’s game is firing on all cylinders right now, and after these past two impressive outings, he has six top 13 finishes in 15 starts this season and he sits at a career-best No. 36 in the World Golf Rankings. The Canadian will now look to carry this momentum over to the North Course this week, which might be a new track for the PGA TOUR, but this is a venue Pendrith is very familiar with, as he grew up less than hour away from the par 70. “I’ve spent a lot of time at TPC Toronto — played a couple of Mackenzie Tour events there. I’ve practiced there a lot and played with family and friends. It’s a beautiful venue and I can’t wait to get back,” Pendrith told Golf Canada.
Having this experience at the North Course is a distinct advantage for Pendrith this week and he has the tools to win at the long par 70. This track will require elite work with your driver and elite scoring on the par fours, both of which are skills Pendrith excels at. This season, he ranks fourth in SG OTT and fifth in par four performance. The North Course measures in at 7,389 yards, and when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at par 70s of at least 7,300 yards in length, Pendrith ranks sixth in strokes gained per round.
Pendrith is only 13 months removed from his breakthrough win on the PGA TOUR at last year’s CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and him rejoining the winner’s circle in front of his family and friends at the North Course this week would be extremely fitting. Pendrith needs to be on your betting card this week at these +2800 odds and backing him at +360 to be the highest finishing Canadian Open is also a great call.
