Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, lines up a putt on the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., Thursday, April 6, 2023. McIlroy was one of several golfers named to the field of the men's national championship this afternoon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Matt Slocum
TORONTO – Rory McIlroy will be going for a three-peat at the RBC Canadian Open.
McIlroy was one of several golfers named to the field of the men’s national championship this afternoon.
He won the tournament in 2019 and again last year after COVID-19 twice forced the cancellation of the event.
McIlroy will be joined at Oakdale Golf and Country Club this June by some of the biggest names in men’s golf.
Tommy Fleetwood and RBC Heritage winner Matt Fitzpatrick were also named to the field.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., and Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., are some of the Canadians who were announced.
The Canadian Open was first held in 1904 and is one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world. A Canadian hasn’t won it since Pat Fletcher accomplished the feat in 1954.
It has also become a cultural event, with a concert series dubbed RBCxMusic held on the second and third nights of the tournament.
Six-time Grammy Award winners the Black Eyed Peas were announced Monday as one of the musical acts as part of the concert series.
Canadian rock superstar Alanis Morissette had previously been announced as the headliner for the Saturday night of tournament week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2023.