Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 9

Geoffery-Clark Backs 5 RBC Canadian Open Longshots, Led by Brooks Koepka at +3233

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 9

Geoffery-Clark Backs 5 RBC Canadian Open Longshots, Led by Brooks Koepka at +3233

Q: Can decorated amateur Ben James, golf's newest pro, conquer a PGA Tour field full of stars in his highly anticipated debut?

Ben James has the talent to make noise, but beating this Canadian Open field in his first start as a professional would still be an upset. The case for him is strong. James arrives as the No. 1 player in the 2026 PGA TOUR University ranking, which earned him full PGA Tour status through 2027. His amateur résumé is elite: seven college wins, 35 top-10s in 46 starts, four straight First Team All-America honors, and unbeaten appearances in the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup. Virginia coach Bowen Sargent has called him the best ball-striker he has ever seen, and that matters at TPC Toronto, a course many expect to yield low scores and reward aggressive iron play and birdie-making. He also appears well prepared for the transition. James has worked with noted sports psychologist Bob Rotella, and this is not a total leap into the unknown. The Canadian Open is his 10th PGA Tour start overall, even if it is his first as a pro, and he has already qualified for next week’s U.S. Open. Still, the evidence says expectations should be measured. In his previous nine PGA Tour starts as an amateur, he made only two cuts, with a best finish of tied 33rd at the 2025 Valero Texas Open. This week’s field includes proven winners and top-ranked players such as Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Brooks Koepka and Wyndham Clark. James looks capable of making the cut and posting a credible finish. Winning or seriously contending right away is possible, but not the most likely outcome.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 9

Five longshot picks make up Geoffery-Clark’s 2026 RBC Canadian Open card: Brooks Koepka, Alex Fitzpatrick, Eric Cole, Harry Hall and Aldrich Potgieter, with Koepka the shortest outright at +3233.
TPC Toronto’s easy setup drives the strategy. Clark says last year’s birdie-fest makes favorites below +3000 poor value and shifts his focus to players with scoring upside or top-20 appeal.
Alex Fitzpatrick is his featured outright and one-and-done play after 3 top-10 finishes in his last 5 starts, while Cole enters with 5 strong results in his last 6 events.
Koepka ranks sixth on TOUR in strokes gained tee-to-green, Hall brings a proven putting edge at TPC Toronto, and Potgieter—22 and the TOUR’s longest hitter—rounds out the card at +9900.
The picks come despite Clark’s rough golf season—about -36 units after the Memorial—as a stronger Canadian Open field serves as a U.S. Open tune-up next week.