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Apart from last year, when it flipped with the Memorial Tournament on the schedule, the RBC Canadian Open has served as an important tune-up directly before the U.S. Open.

Rory McIlroy, who opted to miss the Memorial last week before traveling to the Toronto area, certainly likes it this way.

McIlroy and a handful of the sport’s elite join 24 Canadian golfers vying to win their national championship when the RBC Canadian Open tees off Thursday at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario.

“Before playing in this event, 2016, 2017, 2018, I missed three cuts in a row at the U.S. Open, and since playing the Canadian Open the week before, I’ve had six top 10s in a row,” the Northern Irishman said. “So there’s something to that.

“But then, obviously, playing in front of the Canadian fans and everything that goes along with that and the enthusiasm, you guys only get to see this sort of golf once a year, so I think once it does come along, it’s really appreciated.”

McIlroy was on fire early in the season, his three wins capped by a long-awaited breakthrough at the Masters to end his major championship drought and complete the career Grand Slam. The Canadian Open will be his first time competing since tying for 47th at the PGA Championship, his lowest finish of the season.

The two-time Canadian champ (2019, 2022) hopes to round into form for next week’s U.S. Open, as he’s now used to doing.

“I’d love to get myself in the mix at the weekend and have an opportunity to do that … it would be the perfect way to sort of end the week and with one eye going towards the U.S. Open,” said McIlroy, the World No. 2 player.

McIlroy is one of just eight players ranked top-30 in the world playing this week, a group that also includes Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, Irishman Shane Lowry and defending champion Robert MacIntyre.

MacIntyre beat Ben Griffin by one stroke last year for his first PGA Tour victory, then won his own national open, the Scottish Open, a month later. He and McIlroy have similar stances on the importance of national opens in their sport.

“Being from Europe, we’ve got a lot of national opens — Scottish Open, French Open, Spanish Open, one event in Belgium, last week in Austria,” MacIntyre said. “… There’s a lot of Canadian players here this week obviously wanting to win the Canadian Open. Everyone’s wanting to win this week, but it just adds an extra incentive for the Canadian guys because it’s the Canadian Open, and I think the crowd also builds on that.”

Corey Conners (No. 21) remains the top Canadian in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he’s finished sixth in this tournament twice in the past three years.

After Nick Taylor broke a 69-year drought for Canadians in their national championship in 2023, Conners has wanted to be next in line.

“Growing up as a young kid in Listowel, Ontario, playing golf there every day, coming to watch the RBC Canadian Open, it was a childhood dream to play in this event one day,” Conners said. “… I feel fortunate to be in the position that I’m in.”

Mike Weir, the only male Canadian major champion, will play in his record-tying 32nd Canadian Open. One all-Canadian threesome on Thursday and Friday features Taylor, Mackenzie Hughes and Taylor Pendrith.

TPC Toronto makes its tournament and PGA Tour debut. Players will navigate a par-70, 7,389-yard course that was given a renovation ahead of their arrival.

–Field Level Media