(CANADIAN) OPEN FOR BUSINESS
McIlroy’s decision to attend PGA event due in part to the tournament’s new date
When the new date for the RBC Canadian Open was announced last spring at Glen Abbey, there was an understandable sense of giddiness about the place.
The swells in the room — various Golf Canada executives and counterparts at RBC — had finally cracked the riddle they had been working on for years: getting the country’s men’s national open away from the awful date immediately following the British Open on the other side of the Atlantic, which had become a de facto off-week for most of the world’s top golfers and particularly those not receiving a sponsorship stipend from RBC.
Even if it had taken the PGA Tour blowing up its schedule for it to happen, this country’s men’s open and its fresh early June slot now stood a fighting chance of once again becoming a top-tier tour event.
I will cop to a sense of relief myself in that it meant that I wouldn’t have to write another column about the lousy July date, which along with stories about how no Canadian had won the tournament since Pat Fletcher could now pretty much be reeled off from memory. (That win was in 1954 and I didn’t even have to ask Alexa.)
But even amid all the smiling faces at the Abbey, one question remained: had Golf Canada and RBC just swapped a poor July date for a poor June one? The new spot, coming the week before the U.S. Open, would still have challenges as many pros like to do their preparation for a major away from actual tournament play.
We are still 21/2 months away from having a complete answer to that question, but the RBC Canadian Open received a fairly huge piece of news Thursday when Rory McIlroy, one of the few non-Tiger superstars in the sport, committed to the event for the first time in his career.
The importance was not lost on the tournament organizers, who announced the inclusion of the 29-year-old from Northern Ireland on the heels of his win at the Players Championship in Florida.
“He’s a global ambassador for golf like a very select few players are,” said Bryan Crawford, tournament director of the RBC Canadian Open.
McIlroy is a four-time major winner and 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, but beyond those totals he is simply a recognizable name and face, the former curly haired teen phenom who hasn’t quite had the career that was envisaged by many, but who is still a Ryder Cup stalwart and fan favourite.
He’s a one-namer along with Phil, Jordan, Sergio and maybe a few others on the tier below Tiger in terms of casual fan awareness. Well below Tiger, but still.
On its own, the addition of McIlroy to the field means the new date will be a win for the Canadian Open for this year at least.
Crawford acknowledged that the calendar change, which also puts the tournament right after what is normally a top field at the Memorial in Ohio, has a lot to do with McIlroy’s decision.
“There’s no question it’s due in large part to the change of date,” he said.
Crawford added that he expects more golfers who have not traditionally made the trip to Canada to be part of the field at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in June.
Defending champion Dustin Johnson, naturally, will be there as will various RBC-sponsored pros and the usual whack of Canadians.
But while the strength of previous fields has often been determined by how well the RBC pros happen to be playing, Crawford said he hopes to see other top-10 and top-25 tour players in the field this time. The tournament will also be a qualifier for the British Open, with the top three finishers in Hamilton not already exempt for that major championship earning a spot into the British.
“We expect the field to be as deep as it has (ever) been,” Crawford said.
In recent years, the tournament has had Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino in Oakville, Ont., as part of its early week festivities. Each would reliably talk about its glory days, about the importance of a national open, but there was no escaping the fact that it was not what it once was. Tournament organizers had gone to considerable lengths to gussy the old girl up — Red and White Day! Hockey boards around one hole! Free concerts! — but that problem of the field was a sticking point.
McIlroy, at least, appears to have bought into the idea of contesting a tournament right in the meat of the PGA Tour schedule, coming amid a five-week run that includes two majors. If other one-name pros follow suit, the tournament will get that much more interesting for casual golf fans.
Crawford diplomatically talked around the Tiger Woods question — he never commits early anyway — and Woods is very unlikely to play because he likes to tune up for majors at home, so there is little chance of seeing a repeat of 2000, when Woods hit The Shot on the 18th at Glen Abbey. Golf Canada people still talk about the walk-up ticket sales like it was witnessing the seas part.
But baby steps.
On the road to getting back to its former prominence in the golf calendar, the RBC Canadian Open landing McIlroy is a sizable first stride. sstinson@postmedia.com
(Rory McIlroy is) a global ambassador for golf like a very select few players are. BRYAN CRAWFORD, RBC Canadian Open tournament director