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TPC Toronto Awaits: First Round Groupings Set for 2026 RBC Canadian Open

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Golf Colors
·3 min read
TPC Toronto Awaits: First Round Groupings Set for 2026 RBC Canadian Open

There's something deeply satisfying about a Canadian Open in early June. The air still carries that crisp northern freshness, the light lingers impossibly long into the evening, and TPC Toronto presents itself in that perfect state—firm, fast, and demanding the kind of shot-making that separates the merely good from the genuinely elite.

The Stage Is Set at TPC Toronto

Thursday morning, the first groups will walk onto the opening tee at 7:00 a.m. ET, beginning what promises to be a fascinating week of golf. For many in the field, this isn't just another stop on the schedule—it's the final competitive tune-up before Shinnecock Hills hosts next week's U.S. Open, and the strategic decisions players make here will echo through their preparations for that brutal test.

TPC Toronto rewards precision and punishes wandering ball flights with equal measure. The course asks questions of every part of your game, and the answers you give tend to be honest ones. It's the kind of venue where form reveals itself, where pretenders get found out, and where players in genuine rhythm can ride that wave into major championship week.

Rai Headlines After Historic PGA Championship

The most compelling storyline walking the fairways this week belongs to Aaron Rai, who arrives as the newly crowned PGA Champion. His breakthrough at the PGA Championship wasn't just a victory—it was a coronation, the moment when years of steady improvement crystallized into major championship glory.

Since that triumph, Rai has shown no signs of the post-major hangover that claims so many first-time winners. At the Memorial Tournament, he posted a solid T19 finish, suggesting his game remains in the kind of shape that makes him dangerous anywhere he tees it up.

Rai's Thursday grouping is appointment viewing: he'll tee off at 7:33 a.m. ET alongside Collin Morikawa and Justin Rose. That's three players with a combined four major championships between them, three distinctly different games, and three men who know exactly what it takes to perform when the stakes are highest.

Canadian Contingent Draws Afternoon Spotlight

The home crowd will have to wait until the afternoon wave to cheer their favorites, but the wait will be worth it. At 12:26 p.m. ET, an all-Canadian grouping of Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Hadwin, and Mike Weir will walk off the first tee together—a pairing that spans generations of Canadian golf excellence.

Weir, of course, needs no introduction. The 2003 Masters champion remains the only Canadian man to win a major championship, and his presence in this grouping adds gravitas that the galleries will appreciate. Hughes and Hadwin represent the current generation's best hopes for adding to that legacy.

Marquee Names Dot the Draw Sheet

The afternoon wave is particularly loaded with firepower. Brooks Koepka joins Ryan Fox and Nick Taylor at 12:48 p.m. ET, while Wyndham Clark tees off eleven minutes later alongside Sam Burns. The depth of talent assembled here speaks to the RBC Canadian Open's continued importance on the Tour calendar.

Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, and Alex Fitzpatrick comprise another intriguing afternoon group at 1:10 p.m. ET—three players whose games are built for the kind of strategic, position-dependent golf that TPC Toronto demands.

The morning wave features its own compelling storylines: Tony Finau goes off at 7:33 a.m. ET, while Billy Horschel and Davis Thompson share a 7:55 a.m. tee time with Chris Kirk.

Viewing Information

Golf Channel provides television coverage from 3-6 p.m. ET on Thursday, while PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ offers expanded streaming coverage beginning at 7 a.m. ET, including featured group and featured hole feeds that let you follow the action that matters most to you.

The Takeaway

This week at TPC Toronto serves dual purposes: it's a championship worth winning in its own right, and it's the final measuring stick before the year's third major. Watch how players manage their games, how they respond to early adversity, and how their body language shifts as the week progresses. The U.S. Open casts a long shadow over everything that happens here, and the players who emerge from Canada with confidence intact will carry that into Shinnecock feeling ready for anything.