Meet TPC Toronto, the new home for the RBC Canadian Open - that's not in Toronto
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'With this property, we squashed a lot of rumours that were coming that this place was going to be too far away … that it wasn't a member club,' Paul said. 'But to have over 2,100 volunteers coming back to us, to have ticket sales that are running neck-in-neck with what happened in Hamilton last year really shows the growth of this tournament.
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In recent years, the tournament has been leaning into a Muskoka chair/cottage vibe with it's 'Summer's Open' branding and that is something golf fans can expect more of with the tournament moving out of the city to a rural area.
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'(TPC Toronto) has established a vibe and an atmosphere and a culture here that is pervasive, and it's authentically Canadian. It feels different,' he said. 'Because it's a big expanse, it feels a little freer, it's a little more open … It has that vibe. Lots of water, big trees, that really great feeling.'
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There has been some concern that having a home base for the tournament relatively far from the buzz of Toronto could hinder visitors and players from what has been a very successful decade for the RBC Canadian Open.
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Corey Conners said on Wednesday that initial reaction he has heard from fellow players has been very positive.
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'The facilities here — great practice facility, great clubhouse, locker room — those are all added bonuses, which I think make the week a little bit easier. Once you're here, you've got everything that you need,' Conners said. '(As for) the proximity to the city, I think it's close enough. Yeah, it's just a special place that a lot of people are going to take notice of. I know a lot of the players have already told me some positive feedback about it. I think everyone's going to like it.'
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McIlroy hinted that, although proximity to downtown Toronto was a plus for the tournament, the RBC Canadian Open has put itself in a position to succeed wherever it is played.
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'Look, we play so much in the States anyway, and you come here, it feels a little different, but you're not that far away,' he said. 'I think when the tournament has been a little closer to the city and we've been able to stay in Toronto, it feels a little more, I won't say European, but cosmopolitan and may be different from what we do week in, week out.
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'But I think for the most part, it's become a very, very good tournament, and I think because of that, and you see guys playing each and every year,' he added. 'I just think this tournament has grown from strength to strength over these last few years, and that's a lot to do with Golf Canada and RBC and everyone behind it, and they should be really proud of what they've built.'
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