Hamilton Golf & Country Club hasn’t held the RBC Canadian Open since 2019 and has undergone some major changes since then. The course has been lengthened, the bunkers were rebuilt, all 18 greens were redone (and now feature new grass), and many trees were removed from the property.
Given the course changes and that the only data point we have on the course was from five years ago, we can safely throw out course history this week.
The course is a par-70 that now measures 7,084 yards. The fairways are narrow at 29 yards wide and are surrounded by thick four-inch rough.
Golfers have described this as more of a positional course off the tee, so accuracy should be more important than distance this week. Ultimately, focusing on Total Driving or Strokes Gained: Off the Tee is the best way to approach driving statistics since many of the longer hitters could club down on several holes.
The greens here are 6,000 square feet on average and feature Bentgrass. The field hit 62% of greens in regulation here in 2019. While changes have been made to the course, that low of a number does bring scrambling into play for this week. The last time we saw this course in action, there was a very equal distribution of approach shot lengths.
While we should see some favorable scoring conditions, I do expect Hamilton to provide a solid all-around test of golf.
After getting blanked with last week’s betting card, let’s bounce back with a big week.
Find my 2024 RBC Canadian Open Predictions below.
- Starting bankroll: $1,000
- Last week: -$100
- Current bankroll: $390
2024 RBC Canadian Open Predictions
Alex Noren
To Win +2500 (BetMGM) | Top 10 +275 (bet365)
$20 to Pay $520 | $20 to Pay $75
Noren is having his most consistent year on the PGA Tour. He has made 17 straight cuts and has posted eight straight top-30 finishes. Everything seems to be working at the moment, as he’s gaining strokes off the tee, on approach, around the green and on the green.
He’s still searching for that elusive first win on the PGA Tour, but he’s shown that he knows how to get the job done when he’s in the mix on a Sunday. He has 11 career victories, including 10 on the DP World Tour.
I love the way his game is trending and view the +2500 as a very fair number given the strength of the field. I’m rolling with $20 on the outright and $20 on the top 10.
Maverick McNealy
To Win +3500 (Caesars) | Top 20 +175 (BetRivers)
$15 to Pay $540 | $15 to Pay $41
McNealy is quietly having a very nice season. He has made 11 straight cuts and has posted five top-25 finishes during that stretch. If you do a deep dive into his statistics, you’ll see he’s been excellent off the tee, around the green and putting.
The only weakness has been his iron play, and he seems to have found something in that part of his game recently. In his last four events, he has gained at least 1.6 strokes on approach three times. If that continues, it’s only a matter of time before he finds himself in one of the final groups on a Sunday.
Let’s hope that happens this week. I’m betting $15 on the outright and $15 on the top 20.
Adam Scott
To Win +4000 (bet365) | Top 20 +187 (bet365)
$15 to Pay $615 | $15 to Pay $43
Scott has been a regular feature of this article this year, and I’m hoping that loyalty will be rewarded soon enough. He put together a strong fall on the DP World Tour and has finished in the top 30 in eight of 11 starts on the PGA Tour this year.
I’m a bit surprised to see him priced at such a big number, especially since he loves classical golf courses. He has the ability to gain strokes in all facets of his game and has racked up 31 wins worldwide in his career, including 14 of them on the PGA Tour.
All he needs is one week where all parts of his game are firing at the same time.
Perhaps it’s this week in Canada. Let’s go with $15 on the outright and $15 on the top 20.
