No Canadian golfer has personally won the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA Tour in back-to-back years, which Nick Taylor will be attempting this week in Hamilton. Rory McIlroy is favoured on the PGA golf odds.

The RBC Canadian Open, the third-oldest continuously running tournament on the PGA Tour, rotates sites and will be played this year at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, which is hosting the country’s national championship for the seventh time – last in 2019 when McIlroy won. Some tweaks to the course earned it “Best Renovation” by Golf Digest last year. It’s a par 70 at approximately 7,085 yards. TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s renovated North course is set to host the 2025 event.

Canadian odds at the RBC Canadian Open

At least 25 Canadians are set to tee it up this year with some through exemptions. That includes reigning Canadian Men’s Amateur champion Ashton McCulloch and veteran PGA Tour player David Hearn, who will compete in his 20th RBC Canadian Open. President’s Cup International Team captain and former Masters winner Mike Weir will compete in his 31st RBC Canadian Open, one back of fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer George Cummings’s record 32 starts. Sudarshan Yellamaraju declined an exemption in order to focus on his season on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Before last year, no Canadian had won this event since Pat Fletcher in 1954, but he was born in England. Carl Keffer had been the only Canadian-born champion, winning in 1909 and 1914. Weir lost a playoff to Vijay Singh in 2004. But Taylor beat England’s Tommy Fleetwood in the 2023 playoff at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto – the first time that course had hosted.

Odds that a Canuck will win the tournament opened at +1000.

Golf Bets: Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin should contend

Both finished 72 holes at 17-under 271 – impressive for Taylor considering he shot an opening-round 75 that left him in a tie for 120th. However, he shot a course-record 63 Saturday and followed it with a 66 Sunday. It took until the fourth sudden-death hole for things to be decided with Taylor draining an epic 72-foot eagle putt on No. 18.

That set off quite the celebration with countrymen Weir, Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin running onto the green to congratulate Taylor – although Hadwin was tackled by a security guard while spraying champagne from a bottle. Fleetwood had three makeable chances to win the tournament, including in regulation, but missed them all.

We actually picked a Canadian to win last year, but it was Conners at +1600, and he finished T20 after a final-round 74 dropped him out of contention. The top three finishers not otherwise already exempt this week qualify for the British Open.

Nick Taylor looks to repeat as RBC Canadian Open Champion

No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is the highest-ranked player in the world teeing it up this week as he goes through some issues off the course with a divorce. It hasn’t affected McIlroy’s game as he had won two straight starts on Tour before a T12 two weeks ago at the PGA Championship. He won this event in Hamilton five years ago and then at St. George’s in 2022.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood is next down on the golf odds board at +1600, followed by Sahith Theegala (+2000), Corey Conners (+2200) and Shane Lowry (+2200). Theegala plays at Hamilton for the first time and was T38 last year at Oakdale. He ranks fourth in this year on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting. Lowry was one of two runners-up to McIlroy here in 2019.

The Canadian Conners is off a T26 at the PGA Championship. He’s not missing cuts in 2024 but also not getting Top 10s. Conners did miss the cut here in 2019. He’s the +300 favourite to finish as top Canadian.

Defending tournament champion Nick Taylor (+6000) was 27th here when it last hosted. He comes off a missed cut at the PGA Championship. We won’t list every player from Canada, but Mackenzie Hughes is +4000, Adam Hadwin +5000, Taylor Pendrith +5000, Adam Svensson +8000 and Ben Silverman +12500.

The RBC Canadian Open Golf Picks

Take McIlroy for a Top 10, but we like Sweden’s Alex Noren at +2500 to win his first Tour event. He has been Top 25 in eight straight outings this year.