In recent years the RBC Canadian Open has moved from the ultra-private St. George’s Golf and Country Club to similarly private member clubs in Hamilton Golf and Country Club to Oakdale Golf and Country Club. This year, it returns to TPC Toronto Osprey Valley’s North Course for the second consecutive year.
What you need to know about Osprey Valley
One of the most celebrated golf resorts in Canada, with three 18-hole courses, Osprey Valley offers options—a heathland course like something from Scotland, a course with sandy expanses at the badly-named Hoot course, and the North, a parkland design that is used for the tournament.
All three courses were initially designed by Toronto-based architect Doug Carrick, with assistance from then associate designer Ian Andrew of Brantford, Ont. In 2005, Andrew left Carrick’s business and was later hired by Osprey Valley to rework the North Course. Andrew has significant experience working on RBC Canadian open venues, including St. George’s, Oakdale and a course designed with Mike Weir in Laval, Que., intended to hold the tournament.
How the North Course performed
Few patrons of PGA Tour events recognize there’s a lot that goes into picking a venue for a tournament. In the case of the RBC Canadian Open, there’s concerts, expansive retail and dining options, and even areas for kids to enjoy themselves. Parking and corporate hosting concerns are also significant factors. Those factors are key for Osprey Valley, which has extensive space for all the non-course related activities.
Despite some criticism from online pundits and early rain that softened the fairways and greens, the North Course performed well, playing at 1.25 shots below par per round on average. Australia’s Ryan Fox held off Sam Burns with a 18-under score, winning in a playoff on a course that measured 7,389 yards as a par-70.
Key holes
It isn’t surprising that the back nine of the North Course is the tougher part of the experience for players at the RBC Canadian Open. The front nine, which includes a generous opening six holes that all played under par last year, lull golfers into a sense of complacency before the more challenging back nine takes over.
14—Par 3, 144 yards
The Rink Hole for the tournament, the 14th is set up to emulate a hockey arena and is the focus of thousands of fans who rush to grab a spot each day. Birdies are the goal and the downhill one-shot hole played as the third-easiest hole last year. The experience of spectators, and the way the players embrace the Rink is a key to the changing vibe around the tournament in recent years.
17—Par 4, 530 yards
A beast of a par four, the 17th follows another par 4 that’s also longer than 500 yards (in fact, three of the final four par 4s on the course exceed 500 yards) and offers golfers the option to shorten the hole by taking a more aggressive line. The challenge doesn’t stop there, with the green bunkered to the right and left, and thick rough and trees left of the putting surface.
18—Par 5, 581 yards
The second easiest hole on the course became a challenge when the playoff between Fox and Burns was immediately decided in a single hole. The PGA Tour elected to cut a new hole on each playing, but with a gusting wind playing into the tee shot, Burns and Fox played safely, not taking on much risk with their approaches. On the third playoff hole, Fox was saved by a section in front of the green that stopped his ball from rolling into the water. The PGA Tour might toughen this hole—making for a more compelling, and challenging, finish.