RBC Canadian Open preview: Hatton and Mitchell to turn it on Ontario

Despite the lure of a new lucrative breakaway tour many familiar faces will take to St George’s Golf and Country Club in Ontario on Thursday. At the top of the list is Scottie Scheffler who comes in at 9/1, but don’t expect it to be easy for the World No.1 in Canada.

Whilst despite names such as Scheffler and defending champion Rory McIlroy who comes in at 10/1, the 2022 RBC Canadian Open could be an opportunity for the likes of Tyrrell Hatton and Keith Mitchell to get in and amongst the top players.

Hatton to putt his way to the top

At 30/1 Tyrrell Hatton heads to St George’s as one of the contenders to win this year’s RBC Canadian Open. Hatton has been in consistent cut-making form so far in 2022, finishing tied for 13th in his last outing at the PGA Championship.

With St Geoge’s being littered with bunkers, shots dropped with wayward tee shots will need to be made up for on the greens. Hatton is one of the best putters on the tour averaging .991 Strokes gained which ranks him as the second best putter on the PGA Tour. He does rank lowly 109th on the tour for driving, but this might be a track where the driver isn’t needed as much as normal with five par-3s and so the fact he ranks a respectable 48th in terms of his approach shots might prove very handy. If Hatton can limit his wayward shots and largely avoid the bunkers round St George’s, his consistent approach play and elite putting skills stand him in good stead to challenge for top spot.

Check out all the latest betting offers at William Hill

Mitchell could cause an upset

30-year-old American Keith Mitchell is set to compete in his first RBC Canadian Open since 2018 when he finished an uninspiring tied 65th.

He does come into this on the back of an encouraging performance at Muirfield Village, though, and would have finished much closer had he not shot 76 on Saturday. The course at St George’s could play to his strengths with Mitchell scarily accurate off the tee averaging .712 shots gained which sees him ranked as the sixth best player on the PGA Tour. With countless bunkers to negotiate on the St George’s course, avoiding them from the tee will be essential to Mitchell’s success and could be what sets him apart from the rest of the field.

Holes such as the 6th, a 146 yard par-3 with the green surrounded by bunkers could be where Mitchell looks to capitalise on his accuracy off the tee. One issue which Mitchell could face on the longer holes is his approach play. The American averages -.055 shots gained with his approach shots and with many greens sitting between bunkers this could prove a challenge for Mitchell. However, if he can play to his strengths and show his elite accuracy from the tee, his putting, at an average of .225 shots gained, may just be good enough to see him challenging the leaders in Ontario this week and at odds of 45/1 it wouldn’t be a surprise if he makes it in to an each-way place.