This week’s PGA Tour event is the Canadian Open, as the players travel up into North America. A long-established National Open, it was founded 120 years ago in 1904, and last year’s victory for Nick Taylor was the first home winner since Pat Fletcher in 1954.
Join us as we scour the odds boards at top sportsbooks to find the best bets for the event.
Picks Summary
- Paul Barjon to Finish Top 20 (+1000)
- Paul Barjon to Be First Round Leader (+18000)
- Ben Silverman to Finish Top 20 (+400)
- Ben Silverman to Be the First-Round Leader (+9000)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
2024 RBC Canadian Open
May 30 – June 2, 2024 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club
The Canadian Open at Hamilton Country Club
The Hamilton Country Club has hosted six Canadian Opens on the rota, four of which have been in the new Millennium.
A short intricate track in keeping with the esteemed designer Harry Colt who is well-known for his Great Britain courses such as Wentworth, Sunningdale, Muirfield, Royal Portrush and Royal Liverpool, which held last year’s Open Championship, won by Brian Harman.
Poa annua greens will be a change of putting surface for the pros this week on the track bordering the Niagara escarpment. The Hamilton Country Club is a spectacular parkland track despite 1000 mature trees being removed just over a decade ago to restore the original Harry Colt topography.
Expect low scoring with a glorious weather forecast, and with the renovations and tree removals, the course plays easier than ever in the modern era.
Can Paul Barjon His Way Into the Places?
Yes, we believe that French Canadian Paul Barjon can have a solid tournament at this week’s RBC Canadian Open and land at least a top-20 finish for readers.
Born in Dumbea, New Caledonia, the thirty-one-year-old could well be building a strong affinity with his visits to the Hamilton Country Club.
The 2019 renewal here saw a standout effort from Barjon when finishing 20th while playing the Canadian PGA Tour. That season on the Canadian Tour, Barjon’s affinity with the country was exemplified with some brilliant results as he won twice and led the order of merit from Taylor Pendrith in 2nd and Jake Knapp in 3rd.
Good Outlook for Barjon
We have seen what those two players have gone on to achieve, particularly in 2024 with their maiden PGA Tour wins. Can Barjon make it a third for the 2019 graduates? He sure could, especially given that there has been a glimmer of light that his form is picking up at Myrtle Beach, after finishing 4th in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans when partnering Sam Stevens.
For betting purposes though, we are going to take the safer option of Paul Barjon completing another top 20 finish here at the Hamilton Country Club.
Throughout his career, Barjon has been known as one of the fastest starters to events, taking multiple first-round leads, so with a settled weather forecast we are going to add him into that market also.
Golf Pick: Paul Barjon to Finish Top 20 (+1000) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Paul Barjon to Be First Round Leader (+18000) at Bet365
Why Silverman Gets Another Chance
Regular readers and followers of our golf column will know that last week, we played the side markets with Kevin Tway and Ben Silverman, two journeyman PGA Tour professionals in good solid form.
Both played very creditably, and we were unlucky that Tway missed out, so with Silverman returning home for his Open, there is no need to discard him.
The last Canadian Open here at the Hamilton Country Club saw the thirty-six-year-old finish an impressive 20th, which in the context that Silverman was a Korn Ferry tour player at the time, illustrates how much he is suited to the track.
Silverman’s strengths are his strong tee-to-green game and silky putting touch, and we know his lack of distance off the tee will not be a disadvantage this week.
Last week, we took Silverman in the top 20 market given he has accumulated four of those already in 2024 on the PGA Tour, so that bet has a banker look again this week.
We previously discussed his propensity to shoot low numbers, particularly in the opening rounds of tournaments, and like Barjon, we are prepared to trust him once again in the first-round leader market to small stakes.
Golf Pick: Ben Silverman to Finish Top 20 (+400) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Ben Silverman to Be the First-Round Leader (+9000) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.