With the PGA's reorganized schedule, the 2019 RBC Canadian Open has been moved to June and is now the last tournament before major play at Pebble Beach next weekend. This year, the RBC Canadian Open has been moved back to Hamilton Golf and Country Club after being played at Glen Abbey Golf Course five of the last six seasons. Four of the world's top six players will be in attendance with No. 2 Dustin Johnson installed as the 11-2 favorite in the latest 2019 RBC Canadian Open odds after winning this event last year. World No. 1 Brooks Koepka is the second favorite at 7-1 after winning the 2019 PGA Championship, his fourth major in two calendar years. Before making your 2019 RBC Canadian Open picks, be sure to see the PGA predictions from the proven golf projection model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's prediction model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has nailed five majors entering the weekend, including Brooks Koepka's historic victory at the 2019 PGA Championship. It also called Tiger Woods' deep run in last year's PGA Championship despite being a 25-1 long shot. The model has been spot-on in the 2018-19 season as well. It was high on champion Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship, projecting him as one of the top two contenders from the start. It also correctly predicted Koepka's (9-1) victory at the CJ Cup earlier this season. Additionally, it correctly called Bryson DeChambeau's (9-1) seven-shot victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Anyone who has followed the model is way up.
Now that the 2019 RBC Canadian Open field is locked, SportsLine simulated the event 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. One huge shocker the model is calling for: McIlroy, a four-time major champion and one of the top Vegas favorites, doesn't even crack the top 3.
McIlroy, who's making his first ever start at the Canadian Open, has finished inside the top 10 in nine of his last 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour. He also enters the 2019 RBC Canadian Open ranked inside the top five on tour in scoring average (69.605).
However, the 30-year-old is coming off his worst performance of the season. He missed the cut last week at the Memorial Tournament after shooting an opening round 75. Plus, McIlroy enters this week's event hitting less than 60 percent of fairways off the tee (58.61), which could cause major trouble at Hamilton. He's not a strong pick to win it all and there are far better values in this loaded 2019 RBC Canadian Open field.
Another surprise: Matt Kuchar, a 19-1 long shot, makes a strong run at the title. He's a player to keep on your radar if you're looking for a value pick this weekend.
Kuchar is the No. 13 player in the world right now and has already enjoyed an incredible season, winning twice and collecting seven top-10s in 15 events played so far. And the veteran has had a solid track record in this event, finishing second in 2013 and making the top 10 in four consecutive starts at the RBC Canadian Open from 2013-2016.
One of the best iron players on tour, Kuchar ranks seventh in strokes-gained while approaching the green and that could be the key with a number of difficult uphill approach shots into greens at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. With tight, tree-lined fairways, if Kuchar can find the short grass off the tee consistently, his ball striking will make him a serious threat to climb the 2019 RBC Canadian Open leaderboard quickly this weekend.
Also, the model says five golfers with odds of 24-1 or longer will make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these underdogs could hit it big.
So who wins the 2019 RBC Canadian Open? And which long shots stun the golfing world? Check out the odds below and visit SportsLine now to see the full RBC Canadian Open projected leaderboard from the model that nailed the winners of five golf majors, and find out.
Dustin Johnson 11-2
Brooks Koepka 7-1
Rory McIlroy 19-2
Justin Thomas 15-1
Matt Kuchar 19-1
Sergio Garcia 24-1
Webb Simpson 24-1
Scott Piercy 32-1
Brandt Snedeker 36-1
Bubba Watson 36-1
Henrik Stenson 41-1
Shane Lowry 46-1
Bud Cauley 55-1
Jason Dufner 55-1
Jim Furyk 55-1
