Power Rankings: RBC Canadian Open

Editor's note: Joseph Bramlett withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open on Tuesday, June 6th.

The week after the latest class of shiny, new toys were released into the wild, a shiny, new test is poised to host the RBC Canadian Open. It includes a pair of the freshly minted professionals, Ludvig Åberg and Sam Bennett, but it’s not a new test at all.

Oakdale Golf & Country Club is about to turn 100 years old but it’s hosting Canada’s national championship for the first time, and it won’t be the last.

Continue reading beneath the ranking of projected contenders for details on the plan, how the composite course for the tournament will test and more.

Cameron Young, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar and Keith Mitchell will be among the notables reviewed in Golfbet Insider.

If Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., could pull a home run nine miles from the Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto, it’d land on one of the three nine-hole courses that comprise Oakdale G&CC in the North York District. It makes its debut in the 114th edition of the RBC Canadian Open as the 37th different host in tournament history.

The 18-hole routing uses parts of all three tracks, but the entirety of the George Knudson Course serves as the back nine this week. The front nine is formed using seven holes of the Wilf Homenuik Course and two from the Stanley Thompson Course. Each dignitary for whom the courses are named holds an important position in the history of golf in Canada. Part of Knudson’s fame is that he’s an eight-time winner on the PGA TOUR, so he shares the most victories among Canadians on the circuit with Mike Weir.

As of Monday, Weir is one of 21 Canadians in the field of 156. All of Canada’s top nine in the Official World Golf Ranking are committed. It’s a strong contingent that should have an edge in the context of course history, if barely. Since a widescale renovation on the property in 2018, the only significant event on the course was last year’s open qualifier ahead of St. George’s latest turn as the host.

When it hosted the 18-hole sprint, Oakdale played as a par 71 stretching 7,333 yards. For the RBC Canadian Open, it’s a par 72 measuring 7,264 yards. (Only Angus Glen in 2002 and 2007 has tipped longer than Oakdale for this tournament.) The 18th hole will be a 496-yard par 5. A year ago, it was a 500-yard par 4 and averaged exactly one stroke over par. Overall, the course averaged 74.99 and Patrick Flavin medaled at 3-under 68. One of this week’s four-spotters, Drew Nesbitt, finished T12 at 1-over 72. Because par now is 72 and because the talent of this week’s tournament proper is stronger pound for pound, scoring will be much lower.

There are three par 3s and three par 5s on the composite course. The greens on the front nine are comparably smaller and potentially more challenging than the targets on the inward side. This isn’t unusual given how the walk was determined. Speaking of which, because of the distance needed to cover, there will be approved transportation shuttling players from the ninth green to the 10th tee.

All greens possess a blend of bentgrass and Poa annua, and all will be ready to run up to 11½ feet on the Stimpmeter. Whether that will be the reality is up to Mother Nature as usual. It should be through at least Saturday, but a reasonable chance for rain parachutes into the equation on Sunday. Daytime highs will bob around 70 degrees throughout. Although wind shouldn’t be a factor, some consternation over swirling breezes aloft could emerge. It’s always a possibility at classic, tree-lined facilities.

Professional golfers are quick studies, but because the nuances of the putting surfaces require advanced education, ball-strikers tend to shove forward in a short time frame. Further benefiting the sharpshooters is the fact that the bluegrass rough will be as high (or higher) than five inches. Because of the variation of overall square footage, missing fairways on holes 1-9 could present more penalty, while scoring overall should be higher on that side especially with four consecutive par 4s ranging 460-490 yards on Nos. 3-6.

Rory McIlroy is the fourth of five two-time defending champions this week, but unlike Viktor Hovland at Mayakoba (T10), Sam Burns at Copperhead (T6) and K.H. Lee at TPC Craig Ranch (T50), he’s poised to tackle a third different course, which, as noted throughout this preview, itself is made up of three courses. And because of the pandemic, his streak dates all the way back to 2019 when Hamilton Golf & Country Club was the stage before the two-year hiatus.

Everyone who enjoys the experience will look forward to Oakdale’s return as host in 2026 when the club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled.

MONDAY: Power Rankings

TUESDAY*: Sleepers

WEDNESDAY: Golfbet Insider

SUNDAY: Payouts and Points, Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle

* - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.