I have discussed moving day at other golf tournaments and from my many musings you know I believe moving day is important. At the Canadian Open, the third longest running national golf event in the world, things are no different. Glen Abbey is a great golf course and offers many risk/reward moments that can are important on moving day. Having played Glen Abbey three years ago, I have a sense of what the pros will see and understand that players of their caliber have the opportunity to go low.

Glen Abbey Golf Course

Some of the shots at this historic course designed by Jack Nicklaus have fantastic to see. I was amazed by its beauty. But do not let the awesome view suck you into a false sense of security. Glen Abbey has some bite as well.

Glen Abby Golf Course

This uphill par 3 does not look like much, but here is not a flat spot on this hole, well except the tee box. If you play short, you are in trouble. The sand trap in front is the safest place to bail out. Once on the green, (see below) you better be on the proper side of the hole because the greens are lightning fast.

Glen Abbey Golf Course

Moving day at the Canadian Open sets up a players run for the final day. There is no real key to success on moving day, except to understand when to take the appropriate risk and when to hold back. When I played Glen Abbey, I did not think of any of that; I just played a smooth 83 with 4 penalty strokes. If I was to play Glen Abbey again, things would be different.

Glen Abbey Golf Course Score Board

It would be great to see a Canadian name at the top of the leaderboard this weekend. Pat Fletcher, in 1954, was the last Canadian to win our national tournament. I think it is high-time that we bring our trophy home!

The Canadian Open Trophy and The Grateful Golfer

Moving Day at the Canadian Open will likely be the most exciting day of the weekend. It is where many players press their game trying to be at the top of the leaderboard for Sunday. It will be interesting to see if anyone posts a super low score like Adam Hadwin’s 59 at CareerBuilder in January of this year.

As we watch the play at the Canadian Open this year, I wonder if the players will be impressed by the Jack Nicklaus architecture. Probably not, they likely are focused on working their way up the leaderboard and winning our national title.

Who is your favorite for this weekend?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Written by Jim Burton from The Grateful Golfer blog.