RBC Canadian Open weather forecast for Thursday
It's a cloudy first day at TPC Toronto but temperatures are pleasant enough. They start in the early 70s and peak in the early 80s during the afternoon.
Wind speeds are around 11-14mph throughout the day although it could gust a little harder first thing.
The top eight on the first-round leaderboard last year when TPC Toronto hosted for the first time all teed off in the afternoon. Cristobal del Solar and Thorbjorn Olesen led the way with opening 61s.
I'll lean into that a little and pick two of my three from the p.m. wave this time.
First Round Leader Bet 1: Nick Taylor @ 45/146.00
Nick Taylor landed us an each-way return in this market at Memorial last week after ending day one in fifth place and he's worth backing again here.
This week Taylor gets to tee it up on home soil and the good news is he's the same price as he was at Muirfield Village and this is a much weaker field.
The Canadian memorably won this event at Oakdale in 2023, becoming the first Canuck to triumph since 1954. It lifted a curse that not even Mike Weir could break.
Here at TPC Toronto, Taylor was 13th last year after opening 66-65 to sit third at halfway. He was also second after 18 holes of the 2019 edition.
Taylor, who tees off at 12:48pm local, has finished in the top five after the opening lap in three of his last four starts so looks a perfect choice to continue that run here.
Back Nick Taylor each-way for FRL
First Round Leader Bet 2: Sudarshan Yellamaraju @ 66/167.00
Sudarshan Yellamaraju will be feeling at home this week and not just because he's one of the Canadian contingent.
TPC Toronto is his local course so hopefully it's the place where he can spring back to life after a dip.
Earlier in the season, Yellamaraju had a golden run when finishing fifth at The Players Championship and sixth in the Houston Open in back-to-back starts.
The boost that gave to his FedEx Cup ranking meant he didn't have to get involved in US Open qualifying earlier this week as his ticket to Shinnecock was already punched.
In truth, his form isn't that bad. Yellamaraju was 19th at last month's Truist, shot a Friday 68 when missing the cut at Colonial and dug in for 40th at Memorial.
On familiar turf, let's hope he can get out of the blocks quickly from his early 07:55 tee time.
Back Sudarshan Yellamaraju each-way for FRL
First Round Leader Bet 3: Ryan Fox @ 60/161.00
Ryan Fox will be thrilled to tee it up this week as the defending champion after his dramatic playoff win over Sam Burns here 12 months ago.
He said back then: "It's such an iconic tournament, so much history here. To get my name on that trophy is amazing. I remember watching it years ago when I was playing on the Aussie Tour and thinking it looked like a really awesome event."
Fox was also the 36-hole leader in his first Canadian Open in 2024 (finished seventh) and he's opened with a 66 in his two starts in the tournament.
While his results are steady this season, he's been doing much better in the FRL market.
Since setting the day one pace in December's Aussie Open, Fox has had first-round positions on the PGA Tour this term of fourth (Heritage), fifth (Genesis), sixth (Arnold Palmer) and eighth (last week's Memorial).
Add that up and he's been inside the top eight after round one in four of his last nine starts.
Fox tees off alongside one of our other picks, Nick Taylor, at 12:48.
Back Ryan Fox each-way for FRL