Power Rankings: RBC Canadian Open

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Jul. 19, 2010
By Rob Bolton, PGATOUR.COM Fantasy Columnist

Don't be shocked if you hear the touring pros laud St. George's Golf and Country Club this week. The Canadian Open began in 1904, but it hasn't been contested on this year's host course since Bob Charles recorded a two-stroke victory over Jack Nicklaus in 1968.

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Designed by Stanley Thompson, it opened in 1929 as Royal York Golf Club and has hosted four Canadians Opens, the last three under its new name. St. George's is consistently ranked as the top course in Ontario and one of the best in the world.

In 2002, architect Ian Andrew provided an update to the bunkers, many of which have the unique characteristic of sitting above the greens. As a result, most blasts from the sand will land on downhill lies, putting premiums on hitting greens in regulation and sand saves following wayward approaches.

St. George's plays as a par 34-36--70. There are five par 3s, so the birdies or better scoring statistic plays a major role in my rankings this week. Another oddity is that two of the three par 5s play as the top two handicap holes for amateurs, so course management throughout each round is an abosolute must.

Seasonable weather conditions are expected, which means inclement weather is a possibility. Showers and thunderstorms could impact play on Friday and Saturday, but it should be dry otherwise. The long-range wind forecast calls for moderate gusts on Saturday, with residual energy on Sunday.

Power Rankings: RBC Canadian Open

Rank	Player		Comment
		Sean O'HAIR	Six top 25s in his last seven starts and nothing worse than T12 over the last four. That includes a T7 at the British Open for a share of low-American honors. He was also T6 in fairways and T13 in greens at the Memorial, and T3 in greens at the AT&T National.
		Paul CASEY	Slotted eighth in the Offical World Golf Ranking, he's the highest-ranked player in the field. He's coming off a great showing at St. Andrews and sits ninth on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation and 35th in birdies or better on par 3s.
		Matt JONES	Finished fifth at the John Deere, where he was T15 in greens, 12th in putting and fifth in birdies. Currently seventh in the all-around ranking, 22nd in sand saves and 41st in birdies or better on par 3s. Eight top 25s in 19 starts in 2010.
		Charlie WI	String of three top 25s entering this week. Led the field in putting at the AT&T National, where he placed fourth. Ninth on TOUR in scrambling, 17th in birdies or better on par 3s and 40th in sand saves.
		Tim CLARK	He's third in fairways hit, 46th in greens, 11th in sand saves and fifth in birdies or better on par 3s. Course is plenty short, and will play difficult, which fits the South African's profile for success. Also might be a little more rested after missing the cut at St. Andrews.
		Luke DONALD	One of the hottest golfers in the world over the last couple of months. Coming off a T11 at the British Open. Leads the PGA TOUR in sand saves and sits third in scrambling. He's also first in putting inside five feet and 15th in par-3 scoring average.
		Matt KUCHAR	Remains one of the best this season without a victory. Leads the PGA TOUR in the all-around ranking and scrambling. Also 20th in greens in regulation and 25th in sand saves. Finished T27 at the British, and has over $2.3 million in earnings this year.
		Brendon DE JONGE	En route to a T7 at the John Deere, he finished inside the top 25 in fairways hit, greens in regulation, putting and birdies. Currently 15th on TOUR in GIR and 39th in sand saves. His 2011 card is locked up, so he can continue to be aggressive.
		Ricky BARNES	Faded to a T44 at the British after a Sunday 77, but he remains solid overall, ranking 44th in greens, 20th in sand saves and 29th in scrambling. He has six top 10s in 2010. Eight of the last 13 winners on the PGA TOUR were first-timers.
		Mark HENSBY	Four top 25s in 15 aggregate starts on the PGA TOUR and Nationwide Tour. Finished T15 in Reno and if he was eligible to be ranked (insufficient number of rounds played), he'd sit second in birdies or better on par 3s, sixth in sand saves and 29th in scrambling.