Canadian Open preview: Rory looks for 3-peat north of the border

The PGA TOUR plays the first of two straight national events on the schedule, with the Canadian Open taking place in Toronto one week before the season's third major at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles.

Rory McIlroy headlines the field as he looks for his third straight Canadian Open title, with his quest coming on a third different course in the form of Oakdale Golf & Country Club.

While news of the stunning merger between the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund on Tuesday dominated the headlines, the focus will be on the action once the balls are in the air Thursday.

When: June 8-11
Where: Oakdale Golf & Country Club, Toronto, Ontario

How to watch

Last year's result

With the debut of LIV Golf happening in London on the same weekend, the PGA TOUR got a dream Sunday at St George's in Toronto. McIlroy outdueled Justin Thomas and Tony Finau in an incredible final threesome to secure his second straight Canadian Open. Justin Rose also provided some headlines on the final day as he flirted with a 59 before finishing with a closing 60.

The scene in front of a massive, raucous crowd chanting "Rory, Rory" was one for the ages, and McIlroy took advantage of the moment to take a shot at LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman as he passed him in career PGA TOUR wins.

Recent winners

2022: Rory McIlroy
2021: Event canceled
2020: Event canceled
2019: Rory McIlroy
2018: Dustin Johnson
2017: Jhonattan Vegas
2016: Jhonattan Vegas
2015: Jason Day

Featured/marquee groups

Group: Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson
Thursday - 7:33 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Friday - 12:48 p.m.

Group: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Ludvig Aberg
Thursday - 7:44 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Friday - 12:59 p.m.

Group: Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Tommy Fleetwood
Thursday - 7:55 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Friday - 1:10 p.m.

Group: Sam Burns, Matt Kuchar, Sahith Theegala
Thursday - 12:48 p.m.
Friday - 7:33 a.m. (No. 10 tee)

Group: Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Svensson
Thursday - 12:59 p.m.
Friday - 7:44 a.m. (No. 10 tee)

Group: Cam Young, Shane Lowry, Brandt Snedeker
Thursday - 1:10 p.m.
Friday - 7:55 a.m. (No. 10 tee)

3 reasons to watch

Rory's quest for 3

Only Leo Diegel, Tommy Armour, Sam Snead, and Lee Trevino have won the Canadian Open at least three times, but none did it consecutively. McIlroy has that chance if he can pull it off this week at Oakdale. His potential three-peat would be a very unique one as it'd come on three different courses over a five-year span due to multiple event cancelations because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canadian curse

Every time the TOUR makes its stop north of the border, we hear the stat that no Canadian has won this event since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Mike Weir's playoff loss in 2004 remains the closest someone has come to breaking that streak, but it remains intact heading to Oakdale. Over 20 Canadians are in the field, with a number set to make a good charge at making history. Corey Conners, Mackenzie Hughes, and Adam Svensson have already won on TOUR this season.

Young stars to feature

A trio of collegiate stars will be playing in Toronto, headlined by the pro debut of back-to-back Ben Hogan Award winner Ludvig Aberg. The Swede starred for Texas Tech and immediately jumped to the top level of pro golf thanks to his standing on the PGA TOUR University rankings. The amateur star of this year's Masters, Sam Bennett, is also in the field, as is Stanford's Michael Thorbjornsen after qualifying for the U.S. Open on Monday.

Betting odds

Rory McIlroy +450
Tyrrell Hatton +1,200
Cam Young +1,400
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1,400
Sam Burns +1,400
Corey Conners +1,600
Justin Rose +1,800
Shane Lowry +2,000
Tommy Fleetwood +2,000
Sahith Theegala +2,800
Keith Mitchell +3,500
Adam Hadwin +4,000
Matt Kuchar +4,000
Adam Svensson +5,000
Adrian Meronk +5,000
Nicolai Hojgaard +5,000
Mackenzie Hughes +6,000
Maverick McNealy +6,000
Ludvig Aberg +6,600

Odds via theScore Bet