RBC Canadian Open tries to regain past glory
Once a marquee event on the PGA Tour, the RBC Canadian Open has struggled in the past few years to attract top players. That situation, however, is changing.
There was a time when the RBC Canadian Open was one of the premier events on the PGA Tour.
It is here that Arnold Palmer won his first career PGA title in 1955. Jack Nicklaus was runner-up seven times, and considers not winning the biggest regret of his career.
Then there is Tiger Woods, who hit the most famous shot in the event’s history out of a fairway bunker to the green on Glen Abbey’s 18th hole on his way to winning in 2000.
But Woods has not played in the Canadian Open since 2001. Beginning in 2007 the tournament has been the week after the Open Championship, and as a result has struggled to attract the star players. What was once a must-play event has become an afterthought for the tour’s top players.
That situation appears to be changing. It is evident this week as several top players have made the journey from Carnoustie to Glen Abbey. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson is in the field, as is U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka. Former Masters champions Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia are here, as is rising European star Tommy Fleetwood.
Johnson, a two-time runner-up at the Canadian Open, says he looks forward to this event every year. It doesn’t hurt that he is married to Wayne Gretzky’s daughter.
“It’s always good to come back here. I really like this golf course,” he said at his press conference Wednesday. “I’ve had some success here. I enjoy coming to play in the Canadian Open, especially…having ties to Canada. I get a lot of fans out here. They’ve been great the past few years, and I’m always excited to come back here and play.”
For Koepka, his appearance at Glen Abbey is more out of necessity. He missed the first four months of the season with a wrist injury, and says he decided to play in order to make up for lost time.
“I kind of had to re-evaluate,” he said. “Missing four months, you know, the schedule got completely flipped around for me. I’ve having to play a lot right now, to play some events, because I missed so much time.”
If there is a perfect example of how prestigious the Canadian Open once was, it is Lee Trevino. In 1971, Trevino completed the Triple Crown by winning the U.S., British and Canadian Open in the same year; only Woods has done that since. He also won the first time the tournament was held at Glen Abbey, in 1977. Taking part in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame ceremony on Tuesday, Trevino says the tournament always had a special meaning for him.
“Any time you can win a country’s open, it’s a feather in your hat. I don’t care where it’s at, if it’s the open of that country, that means every player in that country tried to qualify to get into that tournament, so the competition’s stiff,” he said.
The PGA Tour is doing its part to bring the top players back to Canada. Next year the tournament is moving to the week before the U.S. Open, a date that will likely attract a better field. Johnson says the change will only help the event.
“I think it will be good for the golf tournament,” he said. “A lot of guys like to play the week before the U.S. Open, so, you know, you’ll definitely get some different guys and I think the field will definitely improve. Even though, I think this year we have a very good field at the RBC. But I think the move is good, and I think the field will get stronger for sure.”
It’s not there yet, but the Canadian Open is slowly regaining the status it had in the days of Palmer, Nicklaus and Trevino.