OAKVILLE, Ont.—Hot. Very hot. Oven-like some might say. That’s been the theme this week at Glen Abbey Golf Club for the playing of the RBC Canadian Open.
With temperatures soaring to near records — 33 C with a humidex of 38 C today — and heat warnings by Environment Canada, there was only a warm breeze to offer respite to spectators.
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Actually, to call it a breeze was generous. It was more like an oven door opening near your face. However, for the PGA Tour’s best, many of whom were raised in the southern United States where temperatures like these are commonplace, the air was nothing but balmy.
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Another veteran golfer, Stewart Cink, came off the 18th green Friday looking a little flush, but when asked about the temperature, he chuckled at the Canadian idea of heat. He said during the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills he changed his shirt mid-round, something he’s never done before or since.
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Cink’s caddy also chimed in about his experiences in hot conditions, saying that while he was working in Malaysia temperatures were 50 C with humidex. He likened Friday’s near record-breaking temperatures in Oakville to a “fall day.”
As a result of the region’s extended heat wave — or what Canadians apparently deem a heat wave — the course is seriously baked, as the sun and wind suck the last remnants of moisture from the parched ground.
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It appears that Golf Canada, which operates the tournament, has adopted a merciless scorched Earth policy in setting up the course, with players are being exposed to conditions that seem counterintuitive to the idea of comfortable Canadian Golf. The grounds crew has gone as far as to hand-water holes between groups to make sure the grass doesn’t die in the heat. Balls have rolled to unexpected fairways, and the rough is brown.
Past U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy said this week was a bit like playing in Australia, with hot winds, dry conditions, and big bounces. Jim Furyk noted it was hot, but nothing unbearable, and reflected about his time playing events in the Deep South during his Web.com days. Furyk mentioned playing in Virginia one week when the temperature reached nearly 50 C.
Sunday’s forecast is supposed to be a little more comfortable, with a high of 26 in the daytime. However, if Canadian Jared du Toit, currently one shot off the pace and in second place, can keep it going, don’t be surprised if the temperature creeps up in the heat of the moment.
With files from Jesse Jeffery
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