TORONTO | For the first time in three years, Mary DePaoli sat in front of a group of journalists to talk about the RBC Canadian Open. But even when pumping the tournament’s tires, hyping the concert series (Maroon 5, ladies and gentlemen!), and highlighting the players coming to St. George’s Golf and Country Club next month, DePaoli, the executive vice president of marketing and sponsorship for RBC, had the opportunity to get a dig in.
“I am very confident when I say this: Any global golf fan who tunes in to the weekend of June 9 through 12 to watch great golf, is going to be watching the RBC Canadian Open,” she told reporters.
Whatever could she be referring to? DePaoli is too clever and adept at media to reference the upstart LIV Golf tour, but that’s clearly what she was commenting about. LIV, the much-maligned tour financed by Saudi wealth, has been accused of being nothing more than “sportswashing” for the human-rights abuses of its financiers. In other words, the overriding criticism of LIV, which is yet to play an event, is that it will bring positive attention to a regime better known for mass executions than it is for creating great sports leagues. LIV is scheduled to hold an event in the London area across the Atlantic (as opposed to the one in southern Ontario) the same week as the RBC Canadian Open.
Of course, it would have been great to see Phil Mickelson in the field, but he almost never comes to Canada for the tournament. The last time he showed up at the Canadian Open, he was using it as a tuneup for the Ryder Cup … in 2004.
DePaoli’s comment was meant to be straightforward and matter of fact. Neither she nor Golf Canada has much to worry about when it comes to the nascent tour, with its apparent crop of players who are barely relevant. Martin Kaymer? He hasn’t won in eight years. Petulant Sergio García? He has played in only a couple of Canadian Opens in recent years, and is better known for throwing a fit and taking it out on his bag than making the cut. Neither would have been in Canada next month anyway. LIV eventually might prove to be a rival for the PGA Tour, which is refusing to provide releases for any of its golfers to play in the upstart tour, but that won’t be an issue this year unless you think Robert Garrigus would have been a draw at St. George’s.
And, in the greater sense, DePaoli, Golf Canada, and the PGA Tour have bigger concerns when it comes to the RBC Canadian Open. Though they’ve already locked in Rory McIlroy, who will be defending a tournament title that he won three years ago, as well as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and RBC’s list of sponsored golfers, such as Dustin Johnson, will be in the field, there’s a bigger concern that some of the best golfers will stay away not because of an event in England, but because of the seemingly never-ending specter of COVID.
There are several golf stars who are known to be unvaccinated. That means they won’t be able to head across the border to play at St. George’s, a terrific parkland course that ranks among the top 100 in the world by Golf Digest and is a great tuneup for the U.S. Open the next week. Late last year, the PGA Tour said 83 percent of its players and caddies were vaccinated.
There also seems to be some misguided perception that players could get stuck in Canada and be forced to miss the U.S. Open. Other professional sports leagues – namely, the NBA and Major League Baseball – have bused their players across the border to the U.S. for flights, instead of testing them in Canada. It is an issue being discussed at Golf Canada, but no decision has been made about whether that’s a better option for players heading to Boston following the RBC Canadian Open. Either way, they’ll have to be vaccinated to get into Canada.
In some ways it is a shame these issues are looming over the RBC Canadian Open, which was forced to scuttle the tournament for the past two years because of COVID-related issues. When McIlroy held the tournament trophy aloft after his victory in 2019, the RBC Canadian Open was in the midst of a resurgence, with a good date ahead of the U.S. Open and strong fields. Its concert series drew non-golf fans to what was likely their first tournament, and attendance at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in 2019 was strong.
This past week, St. George’s threw open its doors and allowed reporters to hack their way around its hallowed grounds. The course was in fine shape, and will be ready for the RBC Canadian Open. With some warm weather, designer Stanley Thompson’s 1929 masterpiece should show well.
And when it comes right down to it, those involved in the tournament have more to worry about from the weather than the LIV Golf Invitational Series. After all, great weather would elevate the RBC Canadian Open more than a few fading stars ever could.
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