2022 RBC Canadian Open: Golf Odds and PGA Betting Picks

This week Joe Cistaro breaks down the course and golf betting tips for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open. Here’s a closer look at golf odds across online sportsbooks.

After a COVID-induced hiatus, the RBC Canadian Open is back in 2022 with a relatively strong field.  As an event that precedes the US Open, those golfers in the field will look to take advantage of an opportunity to gain FedEx points and status on tour.  Oh, I forgot to mention, the money…  Let’s start with this week’s golf odds.  

2022 RBC Canadian Open Odds

At the time of this writing –  June 8th – you can find these odds at BetMGM Sportsbook.  The below list features all golfers priced at 50/1 or better.

Here are the recent winners at The Canadian Open:

2019 – Rory McIlroy (-22)

2018 – Dustin Johnson (-23)

2017 – Jhonattan Vegas (-21)

2016 – Jhonattan Vegas (-12)

2015 – Jason Day (-17)

The previous winners list doesn’t provide a complete picture as all five of those opens were played at different courses.  Jhonny Vegas yearns for a return to Glen Abbey while Rory lapped the field at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.  Returning to St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto, the Canadian Open features a 156-man field.  The top 65 players and ties will make the weekend.  

Rory, Scottie, and Justin Thomas bring a trio of favorites that are priced – at some sports betting sites – below 10/1.  The field is extremely top heavy and with the recent surge of really good players winning events, nobody is going to be shocked to see one of the three take home the trophy.  

Notably, Patrick Reed withdrew from the event just before the announcement that Bryson DeChambeau and Reed would be joining the LIV Tour.  The golf-adjacent story will continue to develop as the first event runs parallel to the RBC Canadian Open this week.  

Corey Conners leads the way for the hometown heroes this week with Adam Hadwin not far behind on the betting board.  Several Canadians are in the field – the hometown crowd will surely be extremely fired up for their native golfers.  

2022 RBC Canadian Open Betting Preview

• Course: St. George’s Golf and Country Club
• Date: June 9-12
• Par: 70
• Yardage: 7,012
• Greens: Bentgrass

St. George’s Golf and Country Club is a short classical golf course developed in the 1920’s.  The scorecard is non-traditional, with three Par 5’s and five Par 3’s.  

The most notable change to the course recently was a green restoration in 2014 which shifted from poa annua to bentgrass.  Filtering out performance on bentgrass greens will be part of this week’s process.  

The course is very short by PGA Tour standards but the layout provides some character.  The Par 5’s are all very reachable.  Four of the Par 3’s span over 400 yards while seven of the Par 4’s fall between 450 and 500 yards.  Players will be tested with wedges and long irons throughout the 18 holes of play.  

No surprise, strokes gained on approach is the paramount stat to consider at this event, as opportunities gained throughout a round will be pivotal if the event becomes a festival of birdies.  To that end, players MUST take advantage of the Par 5’s.  Given that all three are reachable, birdie is a minimum requirement at the Par 5’s to put together a winning score.  

There are two very short Par 4’s, 370 and 377 yards where players should be looking to position themselves for a wedge in.  Players with plenty of length will be clubbing down often on this course as position on the traditional course will be important.  

The fairways are exceptionally tough to hit at this course and the penalty for missing them is great.  Fairway finders’ balanced with golfers who gain off the tee will be of paramount importance.  

Finally, the course features a lot of sand.  Sand saves will be crucial around the green to avoid making costly bogeys.  

Let’s look at the first run of our betting card.  Given the U.S. Open is next week and I am on a recent poor run, I will be looking to take advantage of longer odds with value.  For that reason, barring any large free bets, I will be avoiding the top of the board.  

2022 RBC Canadian Open Betting Picks

Unless mentioned otherwise, all strokes gained statistics will be referenced over the player’s previous 36 rounds on the PGA Tour.

Adam Hadwin +4500 (DraftKings)

We open with a canuck not named Corey Conners.  The few of you who read this article consistently know that I love me some Corey Conners.  My guess is Conners will be a very popular betting option as well as DFS play.  

Adam Hadwin brings far more palpable odds this week for an event that may or may not have just as much meaning.  Meaning aside, Hadwin still rates pretty well given the field.  He is Top 15 in the field in approach, sand saves, and SG: Par 3 200-225.  Coming off of a nice rebound at The Memorial (18th place), Hadwin seems poised to put on a show for his home crowd.  

We will open our discounted card with ¾ unit on Hadwin.  

Chris Kirk +5000 (DraftKings)

Sticking with DraftKings Sportsbook, Chris Kirk checks in as our second selection.  Kirk is in great form coming into this event with an extremely well-rounded game at a nice price.  

If I am avoiding the top of the board entirely, I can afford to take a few guys in this range.  Kirk’s recent form has been very strong despite an atypical poor week on approach at the Memorial.  He did, however, rally back after a poor Thursday to make the cut and play a couple of additional rounds on the weekend.  

Kirk rests inside the Top 25 of every statistical category mentioned in the breakdown.  The 5th-place finish at the PGA Championship was very impressive as he continues to make a habit out of last-minute surges to the top of the leaderboard.  At these odds, Kirk should draw consideration as a Top 10 or Top 20 bet as well.  

We will stick with ¾ of a unit on Kirk to win this weekend.  

C.T. Pan +8000 (DraftKings)

As you can see, DraftKings Sportsbook is the absolute best sportsbook to bet this range.  We add another with C.T. Pan. 

At a course where distance isn’t going to be very important, C.T. Pan at 80/1 feels like a bargain.  Ranked 5th in SG: Approach, if Pan can find fairways and good positions, he should be able to give himself ample looks at birdie throughout the week.  Pan has made seven consecutive cuts but hasn’t really threatened the top of the leaderboard in awhile.  

That said, Pan has a victory at the RBC Heritage – another course for shotmaking, position and approach.  While his putter isn’t his strong suit, he rests in the top third of the field.  For a win, Pan will need his approach game to do the talking.  Since I am taking as many shots in this range as possible, Pan fits the bill for only a half-unit. 

Ryan Armour +25000 (DraftKings)

DraftKings wins the day with their betting odds this week as my bomb is found on their site as well.  Ryan Armour is the lone bomb we are going to chuck at the board this week.  

Armour checks the fairways box in resounding fashion, leading the field in Fairways gained over his last 36 rounds.  He isn’t just a fairway finder, he typically gains off-the-tee as well.  Due to his penchant for finding the short grass, Armour is also top 10 in SG: Par 4 450-500 yards.  In this range, we are just looking for upside.  

In all likelihood, the value on Armour will be a finishing position bet at nice odds.  That said, I need to at least throw a fraction at him outright…  just in case.  We are going to put 0.15 units on him outright and likely add a finishing position bet to the card by Wednesday night.  

The RBC Canadian Open Betting Card

Net Units the Memorial:  -3.625 units

2022 Profit in Units:  +51.975 units

We are back next week for U.S. Open coverage.  Keep the bankroll in check this week as we prepare for Brookline.  Good luck!

Follow me on Twitter at @JoeCistaro  to follow along with any additions, matchups, or top finishers I add to my outright betting card.  Good luck with all of your wagers this week and thanks for reading.