First staged in 1904, the Canadian Open is the third oldest continuously running tournament on the PGA Tour and the oldest non-major.
Rory McIlroy, the favourite this week, has won the event twice, including the last time the event was held in Hamilton.
Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Lee Trevino and Byron Nelson stand out among the long list of illustrious winners.
Key Stats/Skill Set Required
- Driving Accuracy
- Strokes Gained: Off The Tee
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- Putting Average
- Bogey Avoidance
- Scrambling
- Strokes Gained: Around The Green
- Proximity
Hamilton Golf & Country Club is a classic course designed by the revered Harry Colt.
It rewards accuracy off the tee and requires great distance control and golf smarts.
Form on the difficult greens is key with the ability to get up and down the most important element.
Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments
- Wentworth
BEST BET
TOMMY FLEETWOOD
The knock on Tommy Fleetwood is that he struggles to get over the line and it is certainly true on the PGA Tour where Fleetwood remains a maiden, but there is no knocking his suitability to Hamilton and his form.
The Englishman won in Dubai in January and has five Top 15 finishes since including a T-3 at The Masters.
He has played this event twice and finished Top 6 twice. Form at Wentworth is elite too, finishing Top 13 in three of his last four.
Ranks third in Driving Accuracy, seventh in Scrambling, 13th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green and 14th in Bogey Avoidance.
BEST VALUE
ALEX NOREN
Swede Alex Noren is playing such elite golf of late that he has ascended to No.17 in the world on Data Golf’s rankings.
While he has not won in a while, he has finished Top 25 in his last eight starts that includes two Top 10s and a T-12 at the PGA Championship.
Noren leads the Tour in Scrambling while he ranks third in Bogey Avoidance and 4th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green.
He is just sure to to be in the mix, particularly as he is a former winner at Wentworth.
AARON RAI
Englishman Aaron Rai has been playing very good golf of late and is again in the selections as we look to English golfers who have performed well at Wentworth.
A tremendous iron player fits that bill, Rai finished second at Wentworth in 2023 and has been Top 15 in two of his last three.
He has also finished Top 13 at his last two Canadian Opens, has five Top 25s this year and made cuts in both the Players and the PGA Championship in his last 10 starts on the back of some outstanding ball striking.
Ranks seventh in Proximity and in Bogey Avoidance, plus tenth in Driving Accuracy.
BEST ROUGHIES
BEN SILVERMAN
Underrated newcomer Ben Silverman has enjoyed a strong debut PGA Tour season with four Top 20s, most recently two starts back in the Myrtle Beach Classic.
He ranks sixth in Bogey Avoidance and tenth in Scrambling, Silverman’s game suits Hamilton and he looks a very nice bet to finish in the Top 20.
AARON BADDELEY
Look, it has been a long time between drinks for Aaron Baddeley but his numbers are so strong on round the green that he has to be included this week.
The veteran Australian ranks third in Strokes Gained: Around The Green and fourth in Scrambling while he also ranks second in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and 13th in Bogey Avoidance.
Not to mention a pair of Top 20s from in his last seven starts in this event.
TOP AUSTRALIAN
AARON BADDELEY
Get around Baddeley this week, who is a huge price in this three-man field.
Adam Scott is the deserved favourite but Baddeley’s game is suited to Hamilton and he is a big price.
TOP CANADIAN
MACKENZIE HUGHES
There are 25 Canadians in this event but the best value to top them is Mackenzie Hughes.
Hughes has finished Top 32 in four of his last five with an impressive T-6 at the Wells Fargo.