DeLaet Canada’s best bet at Open

MONTREAL — In temperatures that seemed a reasonable facsimile of those on the surface of Venus, the only ice you’d find at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Tuesday was that which bobbed in tumblers in the dining room of the tony clubhouse.

But still, it seemed to be not a stretch to ask Graham DeLaet, the top-ranked Canadian heading into this week’s RBC Canadian Open and a native of the prairies, a question themed to hockey.

A goal-scorer will tell you there’s a very fine line between putting the puck in the net and not being able to put one in the ocean. So is there a comparable in golf?

“Sometimes it’s just seeing the lines and that comes with a lot of confidence, being able to really trust it, both with ball-striking and around the greens,” DeLaet said.

“It’s like the chicken or the egg: you can’t play well without confidence, but you can’t really gain confidence without playing well.”

The 32-year-old from Weyburn, Sask., leads a group of 15 Canadians into this week’s national championship, a field of 156 beginning four rounds of play Thursday following Tuesday’s practice rounds and Wednesday’s pro-am.

DeLaet has good company. Other noteworthy Canucks carrying the Maple Leaf on their bags include David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who tied for 32nd in last week’s British Open, and crowd favourite Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., the 2003 Masters champion who is playing in his 24th Canadian Open.

DeLaet is ranked 38th globally as he arrives for his “home” tournament, the Open returning to Royal Montreal for the first time since 2001. This will be his sixth Canadian Open, his best showing to date a tie for 46th in 2009.

It was just up the road on Ile Bizard in 2008, at St. Raphael, that DeLaet hoisted his first important trophy, winning PGA Tour Canada’s Montreal Open in a playoff.

“I grew some confidence and it was the next year I was able to get my PGA Tour card. It was a big step in my career, for sure, to win here (at St. Raphael).”

DeLaet has twice tied for second on the PGA Tour, coming on back-to-back January-February weekends this season.

But he’s endured his struggles of late, missing the cut in four of his most recent eight tournaments that included early exits from the U.S. Open and British Open.

DeLaet doesn’t need to be reminded — though he is, often — this is the 60th anniversary of Pat Fletcher’s Canadian Open win at Point Grey in Vancouver.

That was the last time a Canadian won this championship, and DeLaet and every other pro representing this country knows how much it would mean to win on the grass of home.

“The fans across Canada, I know that no matter how we play, they’re still going to cheer us on,” DeLaet said. “I don’t think we’re going to let anyone down by not winning or not playing our best golf.

“All we can do is really try our best and I guarantee every single Canadian in the field is going to give it all they have this week.”