Why 2-time winner Rory McIlroy keeps coming back to the RBC Canadian Open

Myles Dichter · for CBC Sports

· Posted: Jun 05, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

For years, the quality hostility surrounding Rory McIlroy emerged 4 times per season.

As his large drought stretched connected and on, and his quest for the vocation Grand Slam grew little and little apt with each Masters loss, McIlroy's intelligence battles ever came into absorption — whether it was a caller approach, a gutting illness oregon an untimely injury.

Then, successful April, helium yet did it. McIlroy won the Masters, becoming conscionable the sixth subordinate ever to execute the vocation Grand Slam. You could spot what it meant passim his roller-coaster last round, and particularly arsenic helium collapsed connected the 18th greenish aft the winning putt dropped.

In the minutes, hours and weeks that followed, it was axenic jubilation.

But erstwhile the 2nd large of the play rolled astir — the PGA Championship successful May — McIlroy struggled, hardly made the chopped and refused to speech to media connected immoderate of the 4 days amid quality that his operator had been deemed non-conforming.

Soon after, helium skipped The Memorial — a signature lawsuit hosted by Jack Nicklaus that helium hadn't missed since 2017.

And truthful erstwhile helium stepped to the podium for his pre-tournament property league connected Wednesday astatine TPC Toronto astatine Osprey Valley, up of the RBC Canadian Open, determination were plentifulness of questions.

Namely — wherefore was helium here?

WATCH | Recapping McIlroy's Masters triumph with Myles Dichter of Basement Golf:

"It means a lot. I haven't, I guess, hidden my aspirations for nationalist opens and wherever I would similar them to be, what their lasting is successful the nonrecreational crippled of golf. So this has meant a lot," McIlroy said.

Since 2019, McIlroy has made a wont of playing the Canadian Open, adjacent arsenic it's bounced astir a spot connected the schedule.

In Canada, his results — win, win, T9, T4 — talk for themselves, but there's besides the added bonus of U.S. Open prep. The 3rd large of the play begins adjacent Thursday astatine Oakmont Country Club successful Philadelphia.

"Before playing successful this event, 2016, 2017, 2018, I missed 3 cuts successful a enactment astatine the U.S. Open, and since playing the Canadian Open the week before, I've had six apical 10s successful a row. So there's thing to that," helium said.

"But past evidently playing successful beforehand of the Canadian fans and everything that goes on with that and the enthusiasm, you guys lone get to spot this benignant of play erstwhile a year, truthful I deliberation erstwhile it does travel along, it's truly appreciated."

National opens a 'massive portion of the game'

Defending champion Robert MacIntyre utilized the Canadian Open arsenic a springboard past year, going connected to triumph his ain nationalist unfastened successful Scotland a fewer weeks later.

MacIntyre called nationalist opens "huge" erstwhile helium met with media connected Tuesday.

"There's a batch of Canadian players present this week evidently wanting to triumph the Canadian Open. Everyone's wanting to triumph this week, but it conscionable adds an other inducement for the Canadian guys due to the fact that it's the Canadian Open, and I deliberation the assemblage besides builds connected that," MacIntyre said.

"National opens are a monolithic portion of the game. I conscionable privation that we'd done much to beforehand a batch much nationalist opens."

Also successful the tract are a slew of McIlroy's chap European Ryder Cuppers successful MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg. They are each decent bets to instrumentality to the squad for the September contention successful New York.

"I deliberation a batch of the European guys similar to play the week earlier a major," McIlroy said. "But I deliberation for the astir part, [the Canadian Open has] go a very, precise bully tournament, and I deliberation due to the fact that of that, and you spot guys playing each and each year, I deliberation the tract past starts to go stronger due to the fact that you spot your peers bash something, and we're each benignant of similar sheep retired here."

WATCH | Caledon, Ont., acceptable to big its archetypal Canadian Open:

For McIlroy himself, the Canadian Open this twelvemonth is acting arsenic a "reset" connected a play that saw aboriginal wins astatine famed courses similar Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass earlier his Masters triumph.

Now, he's looking guardant to a 2nd fractional that volition see adjacent week's U.S. Open and July's Open Championship astatine Royal Portrush, which volition beryllium contested successful his location state of Northern Ireland.

Where helium wanted to play was the Canadian Open, adjacent arsenic speculation piled up implicit his absences astatine PGA Championship post-round media and the Memorial entirely.

Now, those questions person been enactment to rest. McIlroy is backmost astatine a tourney with which he's go synonymous, and the two-time victor is looking to marque it three.

"Anytime you commencement to rack up aggregate wins successful places, particularly with a trophy similar the Canadian Open and the names that are connected that trophy, there's not galore that are connected it 3 times, truthful yeah, it would beryllium precise cool," McIlroy said.

"I'd emotion to get myself successful the premix astatine the play and person an accidental to bash that. It would beryllium the cleanable mode to extremity the week and with 1 oculus going towards the U.S. Open."