Matt Cooper previews the final round of the Canadian Open and he has a couple of each-way fancies who could challenge the potentially vulnerable leaders.
Golf betting tips: Canadian Open final round
1.5pts e.w. Mackenzie Hughes in Canadian Open at 12/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4)
0.5pt e.w. Victor Perez in Canadian Open at 40/1 (bet365, AKBets 1/5 1,2,3,4)
When discussing his career revival last year, Matteo Manassero told me that being in the hunt for any tournament is far from being the most difficult element of this often-infuriating game.
“The hardest pressure is when you’re not making cuts, when you’re stuck playing badly or when your game is just not there,” he said. “That’s real pressure because you struggle to believe that you can ever get through it."
In contrast, the Italian added: "The pressure in final rounds is not the hardest because you’ve played three days of good golf to get there. You’ve proved that you’re good enough and you have reason to trust your game and be confident. It’s a privilege to be in contention. Someone might play better than you and they may win, but it’s still a great experience."
Heading into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open in a tie for the 54-hole lead on 14-under 196 with Ryan Fox, Manassero has good reason to feel good about his game and should be set to enjoy the experience.
But the scene is set for a cavalry charge for the line on the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. The Italian and the Kiwi lead Lee Hodges, Kevin Yu and Matt McCarty by one, and Mackenzie Hughes, Jake Knapp and Andrew Putnam by two. Another seven players are just three off the pace while nine players are four back, among them Shane Lowry and 2023 champion Nick Taylor.
Were Manassero to prevail it would be another step on what has been a remarkable road to recovery. It started when he reconnected with an old Italian team-mate, Alessandra Averna, who is now a performance coach. “She cleared my mind of the dirt,” he told me. “I needed to be patient. I had to start again from the bottom.” His humble approach has bore fruit: two wins on the Challenge Tour in 2023, victory on the DP World Tour last season, triumph today would be enormously popular.
So, too, would a second win of the season for Fox who itted that his win last month in the Myrtle Beach Classic presented a different proposition to this Sunday. “I always felt like I was on the outside looking in,” he said. “Chipped in for the win and it was all a bit of a whirlwind.”
But he’s felt a positive impact from that result not least when sitting top 10 through the first 36 holes of the PGA Championship and then landing a top 20 in the Memorial Tournament. “I feel more comfortable in my own shoes,” he said yesterday. “I feel like I belong out here. There’s a bit more freedom there. I’ll take that into tomorrow, take that confidence knowing that I’ve done it, and see what happens.”
He added a caution: “There’s a lot of good players behind me and a low score out there. It’s going to take a pretty low one to get the job done.” Indeed, six of the current top eight broke 65 in the third round and there’s no reason to expect anything different. Conditions and the weather are set fair – only pin positions will limit the scoring.
With that in mind, while the heart hopes for one of the current leaders to win, the head says they are vulnerable and that the prices are about right. Of the top eight only MACKENZIE HUGHES was a touch bigger in price than I expected at 12/1.
CLICK HERE to back Hughes with Sky Bet
This is his ninth home Open, he looks set for a third top 10 finish and he started the final round of last year’s edition in contention. He also itted yesterday that the occasion has got to him in the past. “The hardest thing is to not want it too much,” he said.
“I’ve thought about this for years. Last year I got off to a great start. It was easy to look forward and imagine what it would be like to win a tournament 10 minutes from my house, to win the Canadian Open. It affected me. Tomorrow I’m going to need to do a good job of staying present and being where my feet are. If I do that, I’ll have a good chance.”
He also has recent experience of contending – he was in the hunt all week at the Myrtle Beach Classic before missing out to Fox. He can use the learning curves of last year and last month to fuel a victory bid.
We’ll add VICTOR PEREZ at 40/1. The Frenchman is among those three back on 11-under. He closed last year’s Canadian Open with a pair of 64s for third place and he very nearly pinched a spot on the Olympic podium with a final round 63 at Le Golf National last August.
He’s not shown much since but he’s been good from the tee and excellent with his approaches in the last two rounds. If he maintains that and finds a warm putter he can chase the pacesetters home.
Posted at 1026 BST on 08/06/25
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