Furyk impossible to ignore in Canadian Open

Two-time Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk is impossible to ignore as the fourth oldest tournament in professional golf - only the Open Championship, US Open and Western Open have been around longer - takes place for the 103rd time.

Established in 1904, the Canadian Open had special status in the era before the professional tour system being dominant but now it is little more than a run-of-the-mill PGA Tour event, particularly as since 2007 it has been sandwiched between the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.

The Hamilton Golf and Country Club is the venue for this year`s Canadian Open, surprisingly for only the fifth time. James Douglas Edgar won on the Ancaster course back in 1919, Tommy Armour triumphed there in 1930, Bob Tway got the job done in 2003 and, most recently, Furyk prevailed in 2006.

Furyk did not look back after shooting a seven-under-par 63 in the first round, rounding out the event with efforts of 71, 67 and 65 to finish 14 under the card, one stroke ahead of Bart Bryant, with Sean O`Hair another shot back in third.

The 2003 US Open champion went back to back in the Canadian Open by winning the 2007 edition at the Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham but it is how his game suits the Hamilton Golf and Country Club layout that makes him such a good bet.

Furyk is well known for his unconventional swing and uncanny knack to hit fairways. Currently, he ranks fifth on the PGA Tour in fairways hit and his four top-10 finishes this year include a couple on short tracks Harbour Town and Colonial. The Pennsylvania native comes to fore on tracks that place greater emphasis on accuracy than length and that explains why he won at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2006.

Bookmakers have chalked up Furyk at around the 20-1 mark to join Leo Diegel (four), Armour (three), Sam Snead (three) and Lee Trevino (three) as Canadian Open champions on at least three occasions and those odds are attractive given his impressive tournament, course and recent form figures.

Expect a strong showing from 2011 Canadian Open champion O`Hair. The national championship of the world`s second largest country is a firm favourite of the Texan, who unlike most of the market leaders is fresh after missing the Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes last week.

O`Hair was joint seventh in the Greenbrier Classic on his penultimate start, with The Old White TPC course similar in many respects to the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Third behind Furyk in 2006 and winner of last year`s event held at Vancouver`s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, the 2005 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year commands respects at around 40-1.

Other golfers for the Canadian Open shortlist include world number nine Matt Kuchar, the PGA Tour`s top-ranked ball striker, Hunter Mahan, and, if you are in the mood for a bet on a three-figure price, 178th-ranked Daniel Summerhays.

Kuchar and Mahan are the Canadian Open first and second favourites at around 12-1 and 16-1 respectively, whereas Summerhays is available at 125-1 in some places, hugely disrespectful odds about a golfer who has four top 10s against his name this year and strikes the ball well.

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25/07/2012     © Frixo 2024