By Walker Polivka
The PGA Tour continues this week as it visits St. George’s Golf and Country Club for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open. Read on below to see our prediction for who will win the tournament, as well as our top 10, dark horse, and player to fade predictions.
Player to Fade: Brad Adamonis- A career journeyman, Adamonis is playing in his first PGA Tour event since the 2021 Valspar Championship. Adamonis, who hasn’t played full-time on the PGA Tour since 2009, last made the cut in a PGA Tour event in 2013 and last completed a tournament on tour in 2010. A player with no other purpose this week other than to fill up a spot in a historically weak RBC Canadian Open field, we predict that Adamonis is a lock to miss the cut.
Dark Horse: Brendon Todd- Currently ranked 64th in the FedEx Cup Standings, Todd has quietly put together a solid campaign, with 2 top 10’s and 6 top 25’s in 19 starts. Fresh off of a 3rd place finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Todd comes into the week ranked 5th in Driving Accuracy Percentage, which is going to be vital this week with the thick, gnarly rough at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Todd had strong runs at Harbour Town Golf Links and Colonial Country Club this season, finishing T-26 and 3rd, respectively, both of which are courses made for great ball strikers. With Todd’s recent success, a solid top 25 showing is well within reach.
Top 10: Matt Fitzpatrick- One of the more underrated studs on the PGA Tour, Fitzpatrick has had a great season, with 3 top 5’s, 6 top 10’s, and just 3 missed cuts in 13 starts. There are few holes in Fitzpatrick’s game at the moment, as he is currently ranked 1st in Strokes Gained: Total and inside the top 15 in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green, Around-The-Green, and Off-The-Tee. Fitzpatrick can stand toe-to-toe with the games best, as he finished in the top 15 in both majors so far in 2022. In a weaker than normal RBC Canadian Open field, a top 10 for Fitzpatrick almost seems like a guarantee.
Winner: Corey Conners- The pride of Listowel, Ontario, Canada, Conners has put together a consistent season on tour, with 2 top 10’s, 9 top 25’s, and just 4 missed cuts in 17 starts. Like Todd above, Conners is another one of the great ball strikers on tour, ranking 4th in Greens In Regulation Percentage, 3rd in Rough Proximity, and 1st in Distance From Edge Of Fairway. St. George’s is well-prepared to collect wayward tee shots with some of the nastiest rough out there right now, but Conners draws an edge on the field due to his ball striking skills. No Canadian has won the RBC Canadian Open since the late Pat Fletcher back in 1954, but we predict that will change on Sunday when Corey Conners wins the RBC Canadian Open!