Golf punter Wade Pretorius previews two tournaments this week, the controversial LIV Golf event in London and a solid field at the RBC Canadian Open.
In Canada,
Rory McIlroy can rewrite the history books with a victory at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, which gets underway on Thursday, June 9. McIlroy is the defending champion of this event and he'll become just the seventh player to successfully defend his title with a win at St. George's Golf and Country Club. McIlroy is part of a loaded RBC Canadian Open 2022 field, which also includes fellow major champions like Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry and Patrick Reed.
In London,
Dustin Johnson quickly became the face of this venture, with rumors of a huge payday taking him to the Saudi Arabia-funded tour. He’s the betting favorite this week, followed by Louis Oosthuizen, Talor Gooch, Sergio Garcia and Kevin Na.
Overall, 16 of the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 100 are in the field. Hudson Swafford is the only player who has won this season on the PGA TOUR at the American Express in January.
Most of the other familiar names will come in the form of former European Ryder Cup players. Garcia headlines the group, and he’s joined by Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Bernd Wiesberger.
Johnson and Garcia are two of four Masters champions in the field, along with Charles Schwartzel and the newly included Phil Mickelson.
Two-time major champion Martin Kaymer and former US Open winner Graeme McDowell are among the veterans in the field.