4 top-10 golfers headline sturdy Canadian Open area

CALEDON, Ont. – Ryan Paul is using to The Rink Tuesday morning at TPC Toronto when he comes upon a damaged golf cart making an attempt to haul rubbish from one level of the course to a different. He jumps on a walkie-talkie, and by the point he’s driving again to the clubhouse once more, all the pieces is cleaned up. 

“Quick drive, problem solved,” the affable Paul says with a smile. 

You realize it’s RBC Canadian Open week when Paul – who’s in his second 12 months as the lads’s event director after working the CPKC Women’s Open 5 instances – begins wielding two walkie-talkies. The first machine is devoted to Golf Canada and PGA Tour personnel, whereas the opposite one is particular to the event.  

They’re buzzing already, two days earlier than the event formally begins, as a result of Paul is aware of it feels completely different this time round. 

There’s one occasion underneath everybody’s belt at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s North course – which underwent a hearty renovation in 2023 because it ready for the PGA Tour to make its debut final 12 months – and suggestions was instantly obtained. 

Paul can’t assist however smile at what’s to come back when balls are within the air on Thursday. By any metric of the mathematical rankings, the 2026 version of the RBC Canadian Open is meant to boast the strongest area in latest historical past. 

There are 4 golfers within the prime 10 on this planet – Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, and Collin Morikawa – set to tee it up, tied for essentially the most ever. And there are 15 of the highest 50, which is essentially the most ever within the FedExCup period (an virtually two-decade-long stretch). Rory McIlroy will not be right here in 2026 after teeing it up 5 instances and successful twice. He missed the reduce final 12 months at TPC Toronto, and the most typical query over the past month was, “Where is Rory?” 

Alas, McIlroy had lengthy spoken about altering his taking part in schedule in 2026, and the Canadian Open was a sufferer of his cuts. Still, Paul says they celebrated an ideal area on media day and it received even higher over the previous couple of weeks – and even as much as Friday’s deadline. 

“Justin Rose comes in immediately after (media day). Then Aaron Rai (who won the PGA Championship in Ma), and Billy Horschel the week after. Then two hours before the deadline (on Friday), we had Viktor Hovland say he was in. He hasn’t played in a month and has never played in Canada,” Paul says. 

“I’m proud of the field and especially when you have strength in numbers. It’ll make for a better Sunday.” 

For a event that isn’t dubbed a signature occasion on the Tour’s schedule – and is sandwiched between a signature occasion, a significant, after which one other signature occasion after that – getting this sort of firepower is a powerful feat that Paul says takes 11.5 months to get proper. He attends upwards of 5 different PGA Tour occasions via the 12 months together with the WM Phoenix Open, The Players Championship, the RBC Heritage, and the Tour Championship (the place there are the annual Tournament Director conferences) and says with amusing the recruiting for 2027 will begin Monday after this week’s event is concluded. 

TPC Toronto hosted in 2025, and Paul says they went proper into accumulating suggestions from the PGA Tour, from followers and the gamers and commenced to broadcast out stated modifications. The caddies this 12 months, for instance, are in an indoor facility versus a tent-like construction. And TPC Toronto opened a brand new restaurant within the clubhouse of its Heathlands course final 12 months which will likely be open only for gamers to e-book via event week – giving them one other unique eating expertise. 

“We know the venue is outside of the (Toronto’s) city core so we’re just trying to give (the players) more amenities. In addition to making phone calls and asking about coming, we’re showing that we’re listening to their comments,” Paul says. 

Paul would, after all, know what he’s doing. The Canadian Open is in his blood. 

Paul’s father, Bill, was the event director of the occasion for upwards of 30 years. Ryan Paul, who’s now 38, particularly remembers checking in for the primary day of faculty in September (when the occasion was hosted at that time of the 12 months) after which by Thursday and Friday of the primary week, he headed to Glen Abbey to observe the very best gamers on this planet. He remembers getting dropped off with the event operations workers to see what was occurring as a teen and, when he received older, he remembers promoting sharpies to autograph-hungry followers for $20 as they tried to safe a signature from Tiger Woods — who Paul met briefly on the driving vary in 2000 earlier than Woods would go on to win his lone Canadian Open. 

Now the Canadian Open has grown right into a critical out of doors sport-viewing expertise. There are at all times loads of questions on why the event doesn’t transfer across the nation, however the reality is, whereas there are such a lot of nice golf programs in Canada, virtually none of them have completely all the pieces wanted to host a contemporary PGA Tour occasion. There have been 130,000 folks on website final 12 months, and naturally, that may be a metric Paul desires to see develop, however he’s cognizant that Mother Nature can have the ultimate say on that. 

The Rink is an ideal instance of the hearty development undertaken by event organizers. What began as virtually a throwaway thought 10 years in the past has became essentially the most populus spot on the property annually. Corey Conners really advised, Paul says, to attempt to make the outlet one of many simpler ones on the property shifting ahead – and it simply so occurs that the 14th gap at TPC Toronto will not be solely the final par 3 on the course, but additionally simply 144 yards at its longest, almost 100 yards shorter than The Rink at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2024. The build-out takes up 70 per cent of the world across the gap, with an choice to make it probably totally wrapped with grandstands in some unspecified time in the future. 

But what good are stands and live shows and merchandise and meals choices with out actually, actually good golfers to observe? 

The largest query there, shifting ahead, is what the PGA Tour’s schedule will seem like come 2028? Brian Rolapp, the CEO of the Tour, is about to make an enormous announcement on the Travelers Championship in three weeks – the place Paul will likely be – however he says he doesn’t know what’s to come back there. There’s been loads of discussions round Track 1 and Track 2 tournaments (majors and signature occasions within the former) and even a report from Eamon Lynch of Golfweek that the highest gamers within the recreation will likely be “strongly encouraged not to drop down” and play Track 2 occasions. 

RBC is considered one of simply two sponsors on the PGA Tour – Genesis being the opposite – that lend their firm identify to 2 occasions, and the financial institution already pays the premium for the RBC Heritage, a signature occasion on the calendar. 

It’s the large unknown, Paul admits.  

In the fast, nevertheless, the Canadian Open will as soon as once more be performed the week earlier than the U.S. Open. This 12 months’s U.S Open is simply in New York, a brief zip from Toronto. But the 2027 version will likely be in California, which suggests event officers in Canada will talk about chartering a aircraft Sunday evening. 

While 2027 and 2028 have an ever-growing record of questions already within the queue, for now, issues look to be pretty much as good as they are often. 

After this week, there are simply 4 full-field occasions – not together with majors and opposite-field tournaments – on the schedule and on the finish of the day, guys want FedExCup factors. Whether they’re making an attempt to complete within the prime 50 and get into the large occasions subsequent 12 months, or the highest 100 and re-earn a PGA Tour card, interval.  

“The support of TPC Toronto, the growth of the RBC Canadian Open is big, but the changes from the PGA Tour have helped – there are smaller field sizes, there are fewer cards up for grabs, and as players go through their season, their mindset changes,” Paul says.  

By this level within the morning, the solar has hit its peak. Paul has eliminated his blue quarter-zip sweater as he arrives on the driving vary at TPC Toronto, filling up with among the Tour’s greatest, making ready for the week. 

But considered one of Paul’s walkie-talkies begins to buzz — and he’s off simply as quick as he arrives.