Bell Canadian Open heads west
IN: News | US PGA | Bell Canadian Open (2005) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 08 Sep 2005
After having such a permanent home for so many years at Glen Abbey near Toronto, the Bell Canadian Open plays at a different venue for the fifth successive year this week when the event gets underway at the Shaughnessey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver. It will be the first time the event has been played on the west coast since 1966 when Don Massengale claimed the title.
The Shaughnessey Golf Club is an Arthur Macan designed layout built in 1960 and sits atop cliffs looking out over the adjacent Straits of Georgia and Fraser River. Macan was Irish born and raised but moved to British Columbia at the age of 30 and became one of the most prolific designers of golf courses in that region. This was one of his last projects before he passed away in 1964.
The field in 2005 will include the defending champion Vijay Singh, who returns after a week to rest a bad back. Singh played in a Skins match here earlier in the year and so will have that advantage on many of those in the field in addition to his superior golf game.
Singh has a great record in recent months. Six top tens in his last seven starts is a compelling argument for his hot favouritism although we might have said that about Tiger Woods last week in Boston.
Chris DiMarco and Mike Weir were also here for that Skins match and they will be amongst the more favoured players although in Weir's case perhaps more for his nationality than his play of late. Weir has had a shocking run of form over the past few months after injuring himself in a hotel bathroom in April and even the most fervent of local fans will struggle to get him home this week.
DiMarco bounced back to form with a runner up placing at the NEC two weeks ago after a series of events which paled in comparison to his good form earlier in the season.
Scott Verplank has been in average form of late. His runner up placing in Milwaukee was only four starts ago and there has been the occasional good round since. He could be expected to go well.
Robert Allenby had a good chance heading into last week's final round in Boston but was not able to take advantage. What it did highlight is that he is playing better again after two missed cuts. I could see him featuring again on Sunday this week.
Stuart Appleby's recent form has been almost identical to Allenby and if he can find a way to avoid the sort of penalties he has been incurring of late he might also feature late in the tournament.
Justin Rose played well in this event last year across the country and his form in recent weeks, despite a poor last round in Boston, has been very good. I don't think it will be long before Rose claims his first win on the USPGA Tour and if it was this week then his current form supports it.
Jerry Kelly was 4th at his last start at the Buick and although he struggles to win tournaments he is a prolific placegetter. He might just be again this week.
Fred Funk played here earlier in the year in that skins match with Singh & Co and although he is not at the level that he was when winning the Players Championship, he is not all that far short of it.
Joe Ogilvie is a player who is due to win an event on the PGA Tour and if he was playing at the level he was in the early part of 2005 then an event like this might well have suited him. He has not played badly in recent starts though a missed cut in Hartford will see him here without a lot of pre tournament hopes.
Previous winner (2002) John Rollins has done well of late and led into the final day last week only to fade. There have been a lot of good rounds from him of late and if he can string four together then a repeat of his only PGA Tour win is not beyond hope for him or his fans.
It might be a bit much to expect Jesper Parnevik to be winning quite yet, but there has been a huge improvement from him of late and he may just be in contention come Sunday.
Ryan Palmer only just missed the cut last week and a player who can finish 3rd at Firestone behind Woods is clearly good enough to figure here.
The other Australasians in the event are Aaron Baddeley, Brendan Jones, Stephen Leaney, Paul Gow, Steve Allan, Bradley Hughes, Michael Long, Rod Pampling, Scott Hend and Steve Collins.
The tournament is worth US$5 million.
Photo - Anthony Powter
