Last updated July 25th, 2018
This week the PGA Tour takes in the Canadian Open. Usually, any tournament that follows a Major can suffer from a weakened field but there are some top players taking part including World No.1 Dustin Johnson, who is looking to respond to a disappointing showing in the British Open.
We landed a good profit at +275 on Francesco Molinari as a Top 10 finisher on Sunday and while we would have improved on that significantly in the straight win market, it was a good result so let’s see if we can build on that this week with our Canadian Open preview & predictions.
Dustin Johnson started favorite for The Open and was many bettors’ pick for success but a missed cut ended a miserable two days out on the Carnoustie links. DJ now heads to Ontario and a course that may be much kinder and once again, he is out in front in the outright winner betting market for the Canadian Open at +650 with Bovada, whose odds we will quote throughout this preview. When we come to the Canadian Open predictions, we will advise best odds by comparing a range of US sports betting sites.
Johnson is a regular visitor to Glen Abbey and has two runner up spots to go with a tie for eighth last year so there is plenty going for the favorite this week.
US Open Champion Brooks Koepka is second favorite (+1100). Another golfer who would have been disappointed by his performance at Carnoustie last time out, Koepka was tied for 18th in his only previous visit to the Canadian Open in 2015.
Tony Finau and Tommy Fleetwood are locked at the same win price of +1600 with most sportsbooks. Unlike much of the field, both men enjoyed positive results at the Open Championship and have the form to convert into a maiden Canadian Open victory.
Moving further back, there will be lots of interest in Bubba Watson this week. Power from the tee could be a key stat and we know that Bubba has this in abundance while three Tour wins in 2018 underline an impressive comeback and we will return to the left hander in our round up.
Our defending champion this week is Jhonattan Vegas (+6600) and in fact, the Venezuelan has won the last two editions of the Canadian Open. His only other victory on the PGA Tour came with the Bob Hope Classic way back in 2011 so clearly he likes this event but form is poor with no finishes inside the top 35 in his last 11 outings.
Leading the outside punts are a clutch of golfers at 33/1 to 40/1 and these include Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar and last year’s runner up Charley Hoffman. Of those four, Hoffman is a player who we have followed for some time and after a decent performance at Carnoustie, we think he’s set for another single digit finish.
Also worth mentioning among those with distant odds are 2008 Champion Chez Reavie (+8000) while JB Holmes and Keegan Bradley (both +5000) are consistent in terms of Top 10s and could come through in a slightly weaker field.
Our Canadian Open Preview’s Predictions, Course Trends & Picks Verdict
We are back at the Glen Abbey Golf Course at Oakville Ontario which is a par 72 at just over 7,250 yards. Driving Distance has been a key stat in the past but recent winners have provided mixed qualities so it is hard to pinpoint one specific area to look for. Accuracy hasn’t proved essential and Jhonattan Vegas has won despite having very modest putting statistics.
Jhonattan Vegas comes here having won the last two editions of the Canadian Open while Jim Furyk also enjoyed back-to-back victories here in 2006 and 2007. Multiple winners are therefore fairly common so don’t rule out any of our previous champions, including Vegas who is eyeing up a historic three-peat.
It could be a week for the big booming drivers to excel and both Tony Finau and Bubba Watson are strong contenders. We wait for Finau to deliver on his potential but as a multiple winner on the PGA Tour this year, Watson’s mid-range price of 23/1 is the one to spark interest.
A missed cut at Carnoustie could actually give Bubba the extra rest needed this week so we will take him for the outright win prediction and add three more likely Top 10 picks into the mix for Glen Abbey:
- Bet on Bubba Watson to win at +2351 with Bookmaker. He is +2200 with 5Dimes and 20/1 with Bovada.
- Expect Charley Hoffman (+250), Keegan Bradley (+500) and Matt Kuchar (+250) to achieve Top 10 finishes. All those odds are with Bovada, the only US sportsbook offering this Top 10 market.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.