Dave Tindall picks out his best final-round bets for the action at TPC Toronto, where there are any number of potential winners.
Golf betting tips: RBC Canadian Open round four
1pt e.w. Sudarshan Yellamaraju at 20/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
1pt e.w. Shane Lowry at 40/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
Somewhat strangely, only twice in the last 18 editions of the Canadian Open has a player with a clear, outright lead after 54 holes gone on to win. That figure is skewed by joint-leaders not adding to the stat but it doesn’t bode too well for new pacesetter Jackson Suber, who moved to the top of the leaderboard with a four-under 66 on Saturday.
Being out in front at the end of a round hasn’t exactly been the best place to be so far. At halfway, there was potential for a collective ‘kicking ourselves’ feeling over a failure to back Ben James at a big price on his pro debut. But after leading at the midpoint, the 23-year-old, who gained his status due to topping the PGA Tour University Ranking, went from solo first to tied 59th after an eight-over 78.
Suber (13-under) now leads Bud Cauley by a shot while a further stroke back there’s a four-way tie with Tommy Fleetwood, Wyndham Clark, Jesper Svensson and Brice Garnett on 11-under. Fleetwood’s 5-5 finish was another frustrating blow for those convinced he wins again soon but pre-tournament Clark backers at 20/1-plus, which include Ben Coley, were delighted to see their man jump 35 spots to tied third with a best-of-the-day 63.
Having shot a closing 60 to win the Byron Nelson two starts ago and following that with a third at Memorial, Clark is the form player in this field. Surely, he was delighted with his game after that Saturday surge, right? Well, not quite. "It was a solid day. It wasn't my sharpest from the fairways with my iron game, but I drove it pretty good and made the putts I needed to make," said Clark. "Then I kind of got into a rhythm the last six, seven holes. Swing-wise, I'm going to go work on it right now, 20 minutes, do some technique, try to get a good feeling for it."
Clark is only ranked 55th for Approach and 44th Off The Tee so that adds to the feeling that maybe there’s some smoke and mirrors going on. I'll pass him by. Suber has had a long week after being involved in US Open qualifying on Monday so he’s not for me at 3/1. Neither is Cauley at 9/2 given that he hasn’t won before.
Nick Taylor famously won this from three back in 2023 and, in doing so, ended a 69-year drought for home players. Interestingly, Canadian compatriot SUDARSHAN YELLAMARAJU finds himself in that exact same position after moving to within three of the lead with a five-under 65 on Saturday. That followed rounds of 69-66 so his charge is gathering pace.
The extra angle here is that this is Yellamaraju’s home course. "You know, it would be pretty cool if I can, you know, do something tomorrow where this is kind of pretty much where it all started," he said later. He ranks 2nd for Approach so far so I’ll roll the dice at 20s. Yes, he’s another chasing a first win but, at the price, Yellamaraju is worth a play.
The only American to land the Canadian Open since 2013 is Dustin Johnson in 2018. And, let’s be honest, he was not your average US winner. World number one at the time and sponsored by tournament host RBC, DJ was also about to marry the daughter of Canadian ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. In short, there were plenty of fans pulling for him.
Maybe overseas players just feel a tad more comfortable in Canada - or is it that US players don’t get that same feeling of home advantage. Either way, I’m going to follow that trend and go for a second non-American.
After blowing victory in a number of big events including twice early this year, perhaps SHANE LOWRY will get his next win when coming from off the pace. He’ll have to do that here but while tied 12th with 18 holes to play looks a long way back, the Irishman is only four off the pace. Can he get in early and post a score?
A grotty weather forecast could also aid him in his quest and he ranks 2nd for SG: Tee To Green so far. If a few putts start to drop - he’s gained strokes on the greens in his last four events so why not - Lowry could make the run we’re looking for. With four each-way places to chase, let’s have a dabble at the general 40s.
Posted at 07:00 BST on 14/06/26
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