2017 RBC Canadian Open: Top five sleepers at Glen Abbey
It might be a bit of a cop-out to take a previous winner of this tournament and call him a “sleeper”, but when it’s been almost ten years, I think that status might be a little bit overrated. Chez Reavie won at Glen Abbey in 2008, but the course has undergone significant renovations over the last decade. Still, I’m looking for a bit of recent form, combined with positive vibes from successes past, to converge for Reavie this week at the RBC Canadian Open.
Reavie keeps the ball in play as well as anybody on the PGA TOUR
Nine years ago, Reavie opened in 13-under 65-64 before the cut at Glen Abbey, coasting to a three-shot victory over Billy Mayfair. While the course has changed, the scoring requirement hasn’t, and Reavie will have to rely on his balanced approach to the game to put up the numbers he needs to win.
Reavie keeps the ball in play as well as anybody on the PGA TOUR, ranked fourth in driving accuracy with 72.09% of fairways hit. Considering that precision, it’s almost disappointing that he sits just 35th in greens in regulation, at 67.84%.
What could set Reavie apart is what he does when he’s approaching the green. He leads the TOUR in proximity to the hole, and ranks inside the top 20 in both par-3 scoring (eighth) and par-4 scoring (20th). On longer tracks, his relative lack of driving power hampers him on par-5s, but this course rewards precision as much as power. Look for Reavie to contend once again at Canada’s national championship.