Golf Glance: Nelly Korda chasing third major; PGA Tour hits Canada

Field Level Media’s Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours.

PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Charles Schwab Challenge (Davis Riley)
THIS WEEK: RBC Canadian Open, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, May 30-June 2
Course: Hamilton Golf & Country Club (Par 70, 7,084 Yards)
Purse: $9.4M (Winner: $1.69M)
Defending Champion: Nick Taylor
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2:30-5:30 (GC), 5:30-7:30 (CBS); Sunday, 1:30-2:30 (GC), 2:30-6:30 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday, 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
X: @RBCCanadianOpen
NOTES: An event record 28 Canadians are in the field, including seven previous winners on the PGA Tour. Taylor made a 72-foot, 6-inch eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole last year to become the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954. The last time Canadians won in consecutive years was Albert Murray and Karl Keffer in 1913 and 1914. … Hamilton will play host to the event for the seventh time, and the first since Rory McIlroy won in 2019. … This is the final event for players to qualify for the next two signature events, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship, via the Aon Swing 5, which will also include points earned at the Myrtle Beach Classic and Charles Schwab Challenge. However, a player in the Aon Next 10 after this week could still be knocked out of the Travelers following the U.S. Open, which could impact the Aon Swing 5.
BEST BETS: Rory McIlroy (+360 at DraftKings) carded a final-round 61 at Hamilton five years ago to capture the first of his two Canadian Open titles. He also won in 2022 and tied for ninth last year … Tommy Fleetwood (+1600) lost to Taylor in last year’s playoff. … Sahith Theegala (+1800) four top-10s among 11 consecutive made cuts. … Corey Conners (+2000) desperately wants to win his country’s biggest event. He finished sixth two years ago and T20 last year. … Shane Lowry (+2200) finished T2 to McIlroy in 2019 and paired with his Ryder Cup teammate to win the Zurich Classic last month. … Sam Burns (+2500) has struggled of late but did post four consecutive top-10s earlier this year. … Taylor (+6000) doesn’t have a top 10 since his win at the WM Phoenix Open in February. However, the defending champ is a four-time winner on tour.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: the Memorial Tournament, Dublin, Ohio, June 6-9

LPGA Tour
LAST TOURNAMENT: Mizuho Americas Open (Nelly Korda)
THIS WEEK: 79th U.S. Women’s Open, Lancaster, Pa., May 30-June 2
Course: Lancaster Country Club (Par 70, 6,546 yards)
Purse: $12M
Defending Champion: Allisen Corpuz
Race to the CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 12-2 p.m. ET (Peacock), 2-8 p.m. (USA, Peacock); Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Peacock), 3-6 p.m. (NBC, Peacock) Sunday, 2-3 p.m. (Peacock), 3-4 p.m. (USA, Peacock), 4-7 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)
X: @uswomensopen
NOTES: The $12 million purse is the largest in the history of women’s golf. … Lancaster Country Club played host to the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open won by In Gee Chun. … World No. 1 Nelly Korda has won six of her past seven starts, but her best U.S. Women’s Open finish was a tie for eighth in 2022. She did win the first major of the year at the Chevron Championship. … The 156-player field will be cut to the top 60 and ties after 36 holes. Forty players will be making their U.S. Women’s Open debuts. … Marianna native Rachel Rohanna is the lone player in the field with a Pennsylvania connection.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, Galloway, N.J., June 7-9

PGA Tour Champions
LAST TOURNAMENT: KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (Richard Bland)
THIS WEEK: Principal Charity Classic, Des Moines, Iowa, May 31-June 2
Course: Wakonda Club (Par 72, 6,835 Yards)
Purse: $2M (Winner: $300,000)
Defending Champion: Stephen Ames
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Friday, 9-11 p.m. ET (Golf Channel — Tape Delay); Saturday, 7-9 p.m. (GC — TD); Sunday, 2:30-5:30 p.m. (GC)
X: @ChampionsTour
NOTES: The 54-hole event features a 78-player field that includes six World Golf Hall of Fame members: Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Jose Maria Olazabal and Vijay Singh. … The Wakonda Club has undergone a renovation since last year’s tournament, with five new greens along with every bunker being rebuilt. … Ames also won the event in 2021. … Four-time PGA Tour winner Chad Campbell will make his Champions debut on his 50th birthday Friday.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: American Family Insurance Championship, Madison, Wis., June 7-9

LIV Golf League
LAST TOURNAMENT: Singapore (Individual: Brooks Koepka; Team: Ripper GC)
THIS WEEK: OFF
2024 Leaders: Players, Joaquin Niemann; Team, Crushers GC
NEXT TOURNAMENT: Houston, June 7-9

–Field Level Media