Dustin Johnson enters this weekend’s RBC Canadian Open as the betting favorite, according to OddShark. After missing the cut at The Open last week, Johnson is comfortable going into this weekend's tournament.
“It’s always good to come back here. I really like this golf course,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. “I’ve had some success here. And I enjoy coming to play in the Canadian Open, especially being an overseas ambassador. Having a few ties to Canada, I get a lot of fans out here and they’ve been great the last few years and I’m always excited to come back here and play.”
This weekend’s tournament, which will be held the Glenn Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario for the fourth straight year. It will also be the last time the course holds the event. And closing out the course with a win would be extremely meaningful to Johnson.
“Everywhere is special to me,” Johnson said. “It’ll definitely mean a lot (to win). This golf course I like. It’s going to be the last time it’s going to be played here so it would be special to win.”
Good time at @RBC Canadian Open pro am with my bud @markmcmorris #TeamRBC pic.twitter.com/AbnJSw37v6
— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 25, 2018
Johnson already came close to winning the tournament twice. He tied for second place in the 2013 and 2016 Canadian Opens, both of those events were held at the Glenn Abbey Golf Course. He also finished tied for eighth in last year’s open.
Looking at his past results at the course and his play this season, Johnson feels good about his chances at winning the open.
“I’ve definitely played well here ... it sets up well for me,” Johnson said. “I feel like the game’s in pretty good form right now. I’m pretty excited about this week.”
The Canadian Open is also important for Johnson because of the impending FedEx Cup Playoffs. Johnson goes into the weekend at the top of the standings, looking to hold his place among the top golfers as the field narrows down.
“That’s something I haven’t done is win a FedEx Cup Championship,” Johnson said. “Being no. 1 is good but you just want to be in that top 5 position going into Atlanta for the Tour Championship. I’ll need to continue to play well the rest of the year. There’s a lot of big events coming up. This one, Akron next week and the PGA coming up the week after that. So, we’ve got a pretty good stretch here.”
When world No. 1 meets the Great One 🏒 ⛳️#TheRink #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/aASZH7RWjx
— RBC Canadian Open (@RBCCanadianOpen) July 25, 2018
Johnson, who's married to Paulina Gretzky, Wayne Gretzky's daughter, is expecting some support from behind the ropes this weekend.
“I think Walter [Gretzky’s] going to come out, Wayne [Gretzky’s] not going to make it this year. He’ll be watching,” Johnson said. “But yeah we’ll have a few buddies out and some friends and family.”