RCB Canadian Open tournament history
The RCB Canadian Open dates all the way back to 1904. It's the third oldest national open and prior to the establishment of the PGA Tour it was one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world - often referred to as the fifth major.
It's a nomadic event historically but this year we return to last year's venue - the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley - which was used for the first time 12 months ago.
Venue
The North Course, TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, Caledon, Ontario.
Course details
Par 70, 7, 389 yards
Scoring average in 2025 - 68.75
The TPC Toronto is Canada's first Tournament Players Club and this week's host course, the North Course, is one of three at the public facility.
The North Course was originally designed by Doug Carrick in 2001 but after joining the TPC network in 2018, the course was extensively renovated by Ian Andrew (who used to work for Carrick) in 2023, with an ethos of focusing on transforming the course from being a public course where a championship could be held to a championship course that the public could play.
The North Course is a parkland course with wide Bentgrass/Poa Annua fairways and greens.
The Canadian Open website here is excellent with lots of information about the course, detailing every hole.
Taylor Pendrith, who won the Byron Nelson CJ Cup in 2024, has lots of experience of the venue and the video below provides a great feel for the course.
The North Course is a par 70 with just two par fives - the opening hole and the finishing hole which were the two easiest on the property 12 months ago, averaging 4.4 and 4.5 respectively.
In addition to last year's renewal, the course was also used for the final event on the PGA Tour Americas Tour in September 2024 when Will Cannon took the title with a five-under-par total.
Weather forecast
TV coverage
Live on Sky Sports Golf all four days, starting at 12:00 on Thursday.
Last 10 winners with pre-event Betfair Exchange prices
2025 - Ryan Fox -18 (playoff) 70.069/1
2024 - Robert Macintyre -16 110.0109/1
2023 - Nick Taylor -17 (playoff) 95.094/1
2022 - Rory McIlroy -19 11.010/1
2020 & 2021 cancelled due to the pandemic
2019 - Rory McIlroy -22 13.012/1
2018 - Dustin Johnson -23 7.413/2
2017 - Jhonattan Vegas -21 (playoff) 180.0179/1
2016 - Jhonattan Vegas -12 150.0149/1
2015 - Jason Day -17 10.09/1
2014 - Tim Clark -17 65.064/1
2025 top five with stats
(Key: DD - Driving Distance; DA - Driving Accuracy; GIR - Greens in Regulation; SC - Scrambling; PA - Putting Average)
Ryan Fox -18 - DD: 21, DA: 40, GIR: 6, SC: 32, PA: 4
Sam Burns -18 - DD: 13, DA: 14, GIR: 16, SC: 26, PA: 8
Kevin Yu - 17 - DD: 10, DA: 10, GIR: 34, SC: 46, PA: 1
Matt McCarty -16 - DD: 53, DA: 10, GIR: 41, SC: 8, PA: 3
Cam Young -16 - DD: 8, DA: 27, GIR: 50, SC: 1, PA: 13
(Key: SG-T - Strokes Gained: Off the Tee; SG-A - Strokes Gained: Approach; SG-ATG - Strokes Gained: Around the Tee; SG-T2G - Strokes Gained: Tee to Green; SG-P - Strokes Gained: Putting)
Ryan Fox -18 - SG:T: 33, SG:A: 6, SG:ATG: 21, SG:T2G: 2, SG:P: 16
Sam Burns -18 - SG:T: 18, SG:A: 12, SG:ATG: 26, SG:T2G: 8, SG:P: 9
Kevin Yu - 17 - SG:T: 1, SG:A: 48, SG:ATG: 37, SG:T2G: 14, SG:P: 6
Matt McCarty -16 - SG:T: 27, SG:A: 39, SG:ATG: 28, SG:T2G: 37, SG:P: 1
Cam Young -16 - SG:T: 3, SG:A: 33, SG:ATG: 49, SG:T2G: 22, SG:P: 7
We obviously can't draw too many conclusions from the only edition of this event at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley but as is the norm with a low scoring event, the key to a lofty finish was a good week with the putter.
The winner, Sam Burns, was the only player inside the top five to rank outside the top 10 for Strokes Gained: Putting and four of the first five home ranked inside the top eight for Putting Average.
Previous event form looks a plus
Prior to Nick Taylor's victory three years ago, no Canadian had won this event since Pat Fletcher way back in 1954, and Taylor was the highest finisher from the home contingent 12 months ago when he finished tied for 13th, beaten by five, but the locals often contend and it's not uncommon to see one or two finish the week in the places.
Corey Connors finished sixth from off the pace four years ago, Adam Hadwin began the final round trailing by just a stroke seven years ago, but faded to finish sixth, and Mackenzie Hughes was 8th in 2018.
Mike Weir was matched at 1.041/25 in-running back in 2004, having led by three with a round to go, so taking the Canadians on had been a profitable exercise up until 2023 but Taylor's victory may change how the home contingency fare going forward.
Taylor Pendrith, who was only tied for 27th last year, knows the course very well and a couple of Canadians contended again two years ago. Connors finished sixth and Hughes seventh so a second home win in four years can't be discounted and neither can a successful defence by Ryan Fox.
Jim Furyk in 2006 and 2007, Jhonattan Vegas in 2016 and 2017, and Rory McIlroy in 2019 and 2022 (no event in 2020 or 2021 due to covid) have all won the event back-to-back, and last year's playoff protagonists had both attained high finishes in the event previously.
The winner, Fox, had led by four at the turn in round three 12 months earlier before fading to finish seventh when a selection at 130.0129/1 for the Find Me a 100 Winner column in his only previous start in the event and Sam Burns now has event form figures reading 4-MC-10-2.
Keep an eye on the US Open market
Although he went off at odds of around 400.0399/1, having been matched at a high of 560.0559/1, when he won last month's US PGA Championship, Arron Rai telegraphed his wellbeing in the event that won by last year's Canadian Open winner, a month before he won here, the Myrtle Beach Classic.
Rai led last month's Myrtle Beach Classic by a stroke at halfway before he eventually finished fifth, and heading into a major in tip-top form is never a bad thing.
Fox finished 19th at Oakmont a week after winning here but the man he beat in the playoff, Sam Burns, who hit a low of 1.141/7 in regulation play here, was again matched at odds-on the following week, hitting a low of 1.564/7 before eventually losing out to JJ Spaun by five strokes after a poor finish on Sunday.
Nobody knows whether there's anyone in the field this week that will contend at Shinnecock after contending strongly here but anyone that does play nicely in Canada will shorten up dramatically for the year's third major championship next week so keep a close eye on the US Open market on the Betfair Exchange throughout the week.
Course winner's position and Betfair Exchange price pre-round four
2025 - Ryan Fox - tied for the lead 5.39/2
In-play history at the North Course
We've only had two events around the North Course at TPC Toronto, but both course winners have started slowly.
The winner of the Fortinet Cup Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, Will Cannon, sat tied for 50th and eight off the lead after round one and he was still four adrift at halfway and three back after 54 holes.
Whether we can give that result too much credence is debatable given the event was played out in windy conditions but last year's playoff protagonists, Fox and Burns, both sat tied for 18th and five back after round one and tied seventh and four off the lead at halfway and we witnessed plenty of drama in round four...
It had been a condensed leaderboard through 54 holes last year, with the top 15 players separated by just four strokes, and a number of players made an early charge at the title on Sunday.
The halfway leader, Cameron Champ, birdied three of his first four holes before fading, Kevin Yu was matched at just 2.3411/8 after he'd birdied the first and eagled the second, and Cameron Young got off to flier, eagling the opening hole.
Young, who was still in search of his first PGA Tour victory at the time, was matched at as low as 3.259/4 but a bogey at the par five 18th, when he needed a birdie to tie the clubhouse lead, ended his challenge.
Having begun the day trailing by four and trading at 60.059/1 on the Betfair Exchange after a disappointing 68 on Saturday, and having teed off an hour and three-quarters before the final pairing, Burns posted the clubhouse lead on -18 following a sensational eight-under-par 62 and it looked for some time that it was going to be enough.
Fox, who was matched at as high as 42.041/1 in running had been just one-under par for the day after 13 holes, but he birdied 14 and 15 to get to within a stroke of Burns before making this birdie four at the last to draw alongside him.
We're headed to a playoff @RBCCanadianOpen! 🇨🇦
-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 8, 2025
Sam Burns takes on Ryan Fox, live now on CBS. pic.twitter.com/XjybSnTkNE
Burns was matched at as low as 1.141/7 in-running and he was the odds-on favourite to win the playoff but after three somewhat boring extra holes, when both men recorded par fives, the tournament was finally decided at the fourth attempt.