One of the most popular golfers on the planet is coming to Hamilton.
Rory McIlroy has confirmed that he will play in this June’s RBC Canadian Open at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
In the grand scheme of things, this is huge.
McIlroy is fourth in the world golf rankings and is coming off an impressive victory at The Players Championship in Florida last weekend.
The 29-year-old will play in the RBC Canadian Open for the first time in his career and joins a field for the June 3-9 tournament in Ancaster that already includes world No. 1, and defending champion, Dustin Johnson.
So why has McIlroy finally decided to play in the Great White North?
PGA pros who played at the Hamilton Golf & CC in 2003, ’06 and ’12 have said nothing but good things about the old style course, and word is that chatter has funneled its way to the four-time major champion.
McIlroy has also recently talked about playing the week before every major championship this season, and that is Hamilton’s ace in the hole.
In recent years, the RBC Canadian Open was scheduled on the weekend following the Open Championship in the United Kingdom. Asking the PGA’s best players to travel across the Atlantic to play in a tournament after they’ve just competed in what is usually the most grueling event on the calendar is a tall order.
McIlroy is a great get, and moving Canada’s national golf championship to a week before the U.S. Open is an indication that the new spot on the PGA calendar is already working wonders.
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