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Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy could make Canadian Open history this weekend. If he wins, McIlroy would become the first player to make it three wins in a row in the history of this tournament.
McIlroy, who had won this event in 2019 and 2022 (the 2020 and 2021 editions were suspended due to COVID-19), would gain another distinction if he takes the title. He will be the fifth player in 112 editions of the Canadian Open to win it three times or more. Those who have previously won this event three times or more include Lee Trevino, Sam Snead, Tommy Armour, and Leo Diegel (the latter won four times).
Snead came close to winning three in a row, taking the title in 1938, 1940, and 1941. In 1939, Snead did not come to defend his title, which was eventually won by Harold 'Jug' McSpaden.
Another person who came close to winning the Canadian Open three times in a row was Leo Diegel, and he did so not once, but twice. He won in 1924 and 1925, but in 1923 and 1926, he was nowhere close to winning.
He repeated the double in 1928 and 1929, and came close in 1930, but was finally defeated in a play-off by Tommy Armour.
If Rory McIlroy can claim victory at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto, he would also be the first player to win three consecutive titles in any PGA Tour tournament since Steve Stricker. The latter won three successive editions of the John Deere Classic, from 2009 to 2011.
It would also be the first time since Tiger Woods (WGC Championship from 2005 to 2007) that a player has won three straight editions of a tournament on three different courses. The 2022 edition of the tournament took place at St. George's Golf and Country Club and the 2019 one at Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Rory McIlroy at the 2023 Canadian Open
Rory McIlroy came into the 2023 Canadian Open as the defending champion and most renowned player in the field. Throughout the tournament, he has been raising the quality of his game, finding himself among the leaders before the start of the fourth round.
The first round was good but not outstanding for McIlroy, who finished with -1. Even for that score, he had to work hard, making a birdie on the 9th hole (his last) after a long 196-yard drive that left the ball just 8 feet from the hole. He closed the round with five birdies and four bogeys.
McIlroy improved markedly for the second round, in which he managed to score -5, for an overall -6. He started the round with seven straight pars that forced him to showcase the power of his drive, with five shots over 300 yards.
He completed a bogey-free day with five birdies and set a maximum distance on the drive of 362 yards to meet par on the 13th hole.
The third round capitalized on McIlroy's recovery. It was another bogey-free day with six birdies, closing with -6 to total -12 and place T2.
Another of Rory McIlroy's skills that the tournament has put to the test is his driving accuracy. After 214 strokes during the first three rounds, only three of them have ended in one of the obstacles of the course.
