2022 RBC Canadian Open: What to expect at St. George’s this week

This week’s RBC Canadian Open will be the first time that the PGA Tour has gone north of the border since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, the event took place at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, where Rory McIlroy came away victorious after a 7-stroke victory over Shane Lowry.

This year, it will be hosted at the historic St. George’s Golf & Country Club for the first time since 2010, when Carl Pettersson was the eventual winner.

Because it’s been a few years since this event took place, let’s focus on a few things to take note of while watching throughout the week:

The RBC Canadian Open Crowd

Because this is Canada’s only event on Tour, the crowd shows up, and shows up in a big way. We have always known that Canada has devoted fans, but pay close attention to the electric energy and enthusiasm that the crowd brings this week.

The par-3 holes are typically surrounded by rink boards, giving the exciting hockey mentality that will be sure to bring the noise.

Speaking as someone that will be in attendance on Saturday, I cannot wait to feel the buzz and energy from the thousands in attendance.

The Canadian Golfers

Canadian golf is growing, and it’s growing quickly. This event will include a record 19 Canadians in the field, a rather impressive number.

With the leading trio comprised of Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, and Mackenzie Hughes, all three have a respectable chance of winning this event altogether.

Then there are the risers, the Canadian golfers that are building a permanent place on the PGA Tour. This group includes Roger Sloan, Nick Taylor, and Adam Svensson.

Oh, and let’s not forget about 2003 Masters Champion Mike Weir. This is an impressive group, and it is more than likely that at least one of these Canadians will be near or at the top of the leaderboard come Sunday with the home crowd fully behind them.

The Competition

This week will be the first time that the PGA Tour competes with LIV Golf for golfers, viewership, and overall success.

We know that LIV Golf’s inaugural event in London will include Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, and many more.

The LIV field will be competing against an RBC Canadian Open field that includes 5 of the top 10 players in the World, most notably Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy.

With two impressive fields, the question remains, which one will you be watching this week?

This RBC Canadian Open has had tremendous success in the past and is becoming a rather important event in the PGA Tour’s season, now with an increased purse of $8.7 million.

Each winner has expressed gratitude for the event and its’ crowd, so expect a surreal atmosphere as this week’s field looks to conquer Canada’s main event.