There was a 60-year gap between Canadian champions at the Canadian Open. But not only did Nick Taylor end that drought in 2023, but he did it in electric fashion, sinking a 72-foot putt in a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood.
Now that the pressure is off Canadians to break the winless streak, will we see a run of fellow Canadians win the event? Can one of them grab the win this week?
There are 26 Canadians in the field to give it a shot. Let's take a look at each of their odds of winning this week's tournament at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Odds listed below are via DraftKings Sportsbook
Since this is Canada's national open, the majority of Canadian golfers in the field are amateurs with no real shot to win. The golfers with a legitimate chance are: Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Hadwin, Taylor Pendrith, Adam Svensson, Nick Taylor, and Ben Silverman.
Conners is set as the betting favorite among Canadians at +2000, which means he has an implied probability of 4.76% of winning the event. He has just two wins on Tour, but he has been statistically the best Canadian golfer on Tour for a number of years.
He's been known as one of the best ball strikers in the world, but his short game often lets him down, losing strokes on and around the greens weekly. Just a few weeks ago at the PGA Championship, he gained +1.94 strokes on the field with his approach game, but losing strokes on and around the greens cost him and he finished just T26 on the week.
Conners has finished solo sixth and T20 at the Candian Open the last two years.
Nick Taylor, the 2023 Canadian Open winner, is the definition of a hot and cold golfer. He has won twice in the past 12 months but has just two other top 10 finishes in that stretch. You never know when he's going to show up with his best stuff, but when he does he has a great chance to win like he did at the WM Phoenix Open in February.
His last start resulted in a missed cut at the PGA Championship and before last year's win, he hadn't finished in the top 25 at a Canadian Open in his career.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
IAIN MACMILLAN
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