RBC Canadian Open 2024 Preview, Picks & Analysis

Tommy Fleetwood will be desperate to go one better at this week’s Canadian Open. Fleetwood will be making his third appearance after finishing runner-up last year following a thrilling four-hole playoff with eventual champion Nick Taylor at Oakdale Golf and Country Club. 

It was just the latest near-miss for the Englishman, who is still looking for his first victory on the PGA Tour. This season he has earned three top-10 and three top-25 finishes in eight events on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood has won eight international tournaments during his career and has been runner-up five times on the PGA Tour. A former Race to Dubai winner, he was one of the stars for Luke Donald’s European team as they thrashed the USA in Rome last year.

Fleetwood was born in Southport on January 19, 1991. He was a top amateur, winning the Scottish Amateur Strokeplay in 2009 and the English Amateur in 2010 and playing for GB&I in the Walker Cup in 2009. In July 2010 he finished second in the English Challenge on the Challenge Tour, while still an amateur.

He turned pro in 2010 and secured his European Tour card for 2012. His first victory came in 2013 at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. He had to wait until 2017 for his second win, at the Abu Dhabi Championship. He also finished second at the Shenzhen International and was fourth at the US Open. In 2017 he also secured the Race to Dubai.

He won the Abu Dhabi Championship in 2018 and finished second at the US Open after closing with a round of 63. In 2018 he formed an unbeaten partnership with Open champion Francesco Molinari as Europe defeated the USA in the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National. 

In 2019 he finished second at The Open and won the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the end of 2019.

He won the 2022 Nedbank Challenge, his first win for three years. He also won the Dubai Invitational earlier this year for his seventh victory on the DP World Tour.

But it is a different story in America. He has made 136 starts on the PGA Tour, making 114 cuts. He has finished second five times, third five times and had 23 top-five finishes but is still looking for his first victory.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

He will be joined in Canada by Shane Lowry, who was in contention to win his second major at the recent PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he recorded an astonishing third round of 62, the joint lowest score ever shot in a major. His best finish at the Canadian Open came in 2019 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club where he finished tied for runner-up with Webb Simpson, behind eventual winner Rory McIlroy. 

Lowry won his third career PGA Tour event recently at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside McIlroy. He has also earned four top-10s and five top-25 finishes in 10 events on the PGA Tour this season. Among his three victories on the PGA Tour is his 2019 Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. It was there that the Irishman won his first major by six strokes over Fleetwood.

Nick Taylor will, of course, be back to defend his title and will be joined by McIlroy, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young and Sam Burns.

"As title sponsor of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open, we are pleased to welcome back 2023 runner-up Tommy Fleetwood and recent Zurich Classic of New Orleans Champion, Shane Lowry," said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. "We have a talented field to look forward to featuring top player Rory McIlroy and Team RBC, including Taylor Pendrith fresh off his first PGA Tour win."

A full Canadian contingent will also challenge for the national championship led by Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Svensson, Ben Silverman and Roger Sloan. Canadian golf is in a good place right now and there are also a number of bright young home prospects in the field - Aaron Cockerill, Wil Bateman and Myles Creighton. Cockerill is enjoying a successful season on the DP World Tour while Bateman and Creighton are riding high on the Korn Ferry points list.

Also accepting an exemption to compete is Mike Weir, who will be competing in his 31st Canadian Open, trailing only fellow Canadian Golf Hall of Famer George Cumming for the record of 32 starts in tournament history.

There is nothing quite like winning your home Open. And Canadians had to wait a LONG time to see it. When Taylor won in 2023 it ended a rough that stretched all the way back to 1954. That is 69 years!

Taylor did it the hard way but has since won again on the PGA Tour and has been joined in the winners’ circle by fellow Canadian Pendrith in 2024.

"It was amazing last year to see Nick win, and it would be incredible to go back-to-back," said Pendrith. "I know myself and all the other Canadians on the PGA Tour see it as a huge goal, especially seeing Nick do it last year, it was a big inspiration and knowing that it can be done by a Canadian. Hopefully there’s a bunch of us in contention coming down the back nine on Sunday. That’d be pretty exciting."

Taylor and Pendrith are the top-ranked Canadians on the PGA Tour, having both won in 2024. Taylor was victorious at the WM Phoenix Open and Pendrith earned his first PGA Tour title at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

As long a wait as it was for a Canadian to win the national title - Pat Fletcher was the last to do it in 1954 - it has been even longer since Canadians won it in consecutive years. Albert Murray (1913) and Karl Keffer (1914) were the last homegrown back-to-back champs.

Taylor laughed when asked about the new challenge of consecutive wins for Canadians. "You lose one question and another is added," joked Taylor. "I think we’re all going there expecting. hopefully, to compete and try to win again. If my win helps take that monkey off the back for people, not have the expectations, I think that’ll help all of us."

Tournament Winners

It was won in 2015 by Jason Day, in 2016 and 2017 by Jhonattan Vegas, in 2018 by Dustin Johnson, in 2019 and 2022 by Rory McIlroy, and last year by Nick Taylor. There was no tournament in 2020 and 2021.

The course

Hamilton Golf and Country Club was designed by Harry Colt and was recently renovated by Martin Ebert. It is a classic parkland course, with thousands of trees and tight fairways. It measures a tad over 7,000 yards and is a par 70.

Form Guide

Rory McIlroy is a two-time winner and recently won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in partnership with Shane Lowry and won the Wells Fargo Championship in his next start. He came up short at the PGA Championship but don’t be surprised to see him bounce right back this week.

To Win

Rory McIlroy. Two-time winner

Each Way

Tommy Fleetwood. Looking to go one better this time

Each Way

Shane Lowry. Enjoying a good season

Five to Follow

Rory McIlroy. Will be frustrated by what happened at Valhalla

Tommy Fleetwood. Superb iron player

Shane Lowry. Stunning short game

Cameron Young. Must win soon

Sahith Theegala. Class act

Five Outsiders to Watch

Aaron Cockerill. Canadian who is playing well on the DP World Tour

Daniel Berger. Looking to emerge from a slump

Ryan Fox. Starting to look like the player we know he is

Matt Kuchar. Does he have one more win in the bank?

Adam Svensson. Can he do it for the home fans?