For the final event before next week’s U.S. Open, the PGA TOUR is hosting the RBC Canadian Open 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 156 players competing this week and a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Below, I have featured some head-to-head tournament matchup bets to consider for the RBC Canadian Open.
Davis Riley over Niklas Norgaard (-115)
Neither of these players have competed at an RBC Canadian Open before, so there is no advantage for either player in that department. However, Riley has massive advantage in talent and form, making him the obvious choice for this matchup.
This season, Norgaard has only made 5-of-11 cuts and he has only finished inside the top-20 once. That finish is a T5 at the Myrtle Beach Classic, which is an event that featured a very weak field, as it was played simultaneously with the Truist Championship, which is a Signature Event that featured all the PGA TOUR’s best players. Overall, Norgaard is the No.103 ranked player in the world.
On the other side of this matchup, Riley has made 9-of-15 cuts and he has carded four top-25 finishes this season. In fact, three of these finishes have come inside the top-seven, including a runner-up at last month’s PGA Championship, which was one of the best performances of Riley’s career. Currently, the two-time PGA TOUR winner is the No.54 ranked player in the world.
When we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, Riley impressively ranks fourth in total strokes gained, while Norgaard ranks 47th. Riley should have been far more favorited than just -115 to win this matchup and investing him quickly is wise, as there is a strong chance of this line continuing to move in Riley’s favor before Thursday morning.
Cameron Young over Wyndham Clark (+100)
Young travels to Canada in much better form than Clark. Young has made five of his last six cuts and he has finished inside the top-25 three times during this stretch. Clark has also advanced to the weekend in five of his last six starts, but he has only supplied one top-25 finish during this time.
Both these players competed at last week’s Memorial Tournament and Young finished T25th, while Clark finished T56th. Clark’s ball striking was his main problem, as the veteran finished dead last among the 72-man field in SG APP. As for Young, he also lost strokes on approach, but it was a much more respectable performance, as he ranked 40th of the 72 golfers in the category. At Muirfield Village, Young’s average score was a 73 in his four rounds, while Clark’s was an ugly 75.25. When we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, Young ranks 57th in total strokes gained and Clark ranks 87th.
Both of these players only have one made cut in Canada on their resume and while Clark’s T7 in 2022 is obviously a better finish than Young’s T57 in 2023, this doesn’t mean much, as a brand new venue in the North Course is hosting the RBC Canadian Open this week.
Young is simply playing far better golf than the struggling Clark right now and Young is a stellar bet to win this matchup at these +100 odds.
