Week 29 Approach Shots: RBC Canadian Open

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News, notes and predictions as we get set for the first round of this week's RBC Canadian Open.

TV/Radio (all times ET)

TV: Golf Channel (Thu.-Fri., 3 p.m.-6 p.m.), CBS (Sat.-Sun., 3 p.m.-6 p.m.) RADIO: Sirius 209, XM 146, PGATOUR.COM (Thu.-Sun., 12 p.m.-8 p.m.)

Key links

• Expert picks | Sleepers • Rankings | Fantasy Insider • Tee times | Field | Course

Weather

Partly sunny all day, temperatures in mid-70s. Winds 10-15 mph from the west. Updated weather info

CANADIAN TOP 40: Mike Weir turned 40 in May, but don't tell him it's an occupational hazard.

"As long as you're fit and healthy, there's no reason you can't play really well in your 40s," Weir said after his pro-am on Wednesday at St. George's Golf and Country Club. "There's been plenty of guys that have, so yeah, I definitely want to focus on that and hopefully play really well here."

Fitness has never been an issue for the Ontario native, but the health factor is harder to control. Weir complained of tendonitis in his forearm last week in the British Open and had to cut his pro-am round short on Wednesday.

"It's part of it, I guess. Every week sometimes, you know, you're not 100 percent, and it's just happened that it's this week that it's bothering me, but I don't think it's a distraction," he said. "It's just the fact that, you know, I'm not able to practice as much as I would have liked to coming off three weeks off and only playing two rounds last week at the British. So I would have liked to have practiced a little bit more, but I'll just rest the rest of today and get ready for tomorrow."

After 19 tries, Weir is still looking for a win in his national championship. He's amassed three top-10 finishes at the RBC Canadian Open, including a heart-breaking playoff loss to Vijay Singh in 2004. But he knows a win in his 20th start at the difficult St. George's course won't come easy.

"It does have a great feel. I think just that there's just natural hazards to the golf course, and that being just rough, tough greens, some doglegs, a few little blind shots here and there, instead of man-made things and artificial things," he said. "So to me that's -- you know, that's a traditional, I guess, way of setting up a golf course difficult, and St. George's is a good test and able to have a nice member's course for regular play, but able to get it ready for a championship."

A championship that Weir hopes to call his own by Sunday afternoon.

WORLDLY WINNERS: Australian Nathan Green became the sixth international player to win this tournament since 1980 when he captured the 2009 event at Glen Abbey Golf Club. England's Peter Oosterhuis won in 1981, with Australia's Greg Norman winning twice in 1983 and 1992. Nick Price of Zimbabwe is also a two-time winner (1991 and 1994). The other international winners are David Frost (South Africa) in 1993 and Vijay Singh (Fiji) in 2003.

FEDEXCUP UPDATE: Ernie Els has led the FedExCup standings for 17 consecutive weeks. Els' run atop the standings surpasses Tiger Woods' string of 16 consecutive weeks during the FedExCup's debut season in 2007.

Last year, it took 354 points to make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, so a win at the RBC Canadian Open (500 points) virtually assures a spot into The Barclays, the first event in the Playoffs. Last year's win in Canada elevated Nathan Green nearly 100 spots from 133rd to 37th in the FedExCup standings, earning him a spot into the first three Playoffs events.

Through 28 events, six different players have led the FedExCup standings.

Predictions: Columnists vs. Interns

PGATOUR.COM's interns are trying to outpredict our expert columnists this summer. We'll keep tabs and see how they rank at the end of the internships. Here are the picks for the RBC Canadian Open. Columnists Pick Comment Stan AWTREY RETIEF GOOSEN: What's another South African winner among friends? Goose is coming off a strong showing at St. Andrews and was second at the Canadian a year ago. Craig DOLCH BRANDT SNEDEKER: He has a pair of top 10s in his last two starts in Canada and should be refreshed after not playing in the British Open. Melanie HAUSER PAUL CASEY: Seriously disappointed last Sunday afternoon. No better way to bounce back than to win the next week. John MAGINNES LUKE DONALD: He's quietly worked his way back to form and is primed to make a run at his third TOUR victory. By all accounts St. George's is a Canadian masterpiece. Look for an English artist to put his touches on this grand old course after a fine showing at the Old Course. Interns Pick Comment Chris DUNHAM TIM CLARK: This course is 200 yards shorter and a bit tighter than the one he won THE PLAYERS on in May, so his No. 3 ranking in driving accuracy will be key. Clark leads the TOUR in proximity and hasn't missed a cut in a non-major since March. Todd HOSKINS FRED COUPLES: A genius at the game of golf and the game of life as well. Plus his boyish good looks are eerily similar to Rickie Fowler's. Ryan PIERCE MIKE WEIR: Resisted the obvious choice, but the Canuck is due for a good showing in 2010. What better place than St. George's?

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: The columnists went six-for-six in made cuts last week between the British Open and the Reno-Tahoe Open, hence their growing lead over the interns.
Columnists: 1188.44 FedExCup points (Melanie Hauser, 364.50; Craig Dolch, 355.19; Stan Awtrey, 298.75; John Maginnes, 85.00).
Interns: 847.93 FedExCup points (Chris Dunham, 436.58; Ryan Pierce, 313.85; Todd Hoskins, 97.50)

Bolton's Yahoo! selections

Fantasy columnist Rob Bolton will provide his Yahoo! picks as a starting point for you every week. Use the advice and opinion from his Power Rankings and Fantasy Insider to assist in determining lineups changes throughout each tournament. Group Starters Bench Group A Luke Donald Charlie Wi Group B Fred Couples, Sean O'Hair Alex Cejka, Retief Goosen Group C Paul Casey Tim Clark

Sign up for our FREE fantasy golf game on Yahoo! Click here

SEVEN SECONDS: One of Jack Nicklaus' seven second-place finishes at the Canadian Open occurred at St. George's Golf & Country Club, when Bob Charles defeated him in 1968. Those seven runner-up performances are by far the most of any player at this event. George Cumming had the next-most, with four runner-up showings (1906, 1907, 1909 and 1914). But he also won in 1905. In all, 20 players finished second in Canada at least twice. Of that group, 12 never won the RBC Canadian Open. Here is the complete list:

GOLF CANADA: The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) has been re-branded Golf Canada -- a member-based organization governed by the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA). Golf Canada is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing more than 350,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sport Organization (NSO) for golf in the country, Golf Canada is responsible for promoting participation in and a passion for the game of golf in Canada. Golf Canada actively conducts championships, programs and services to help shape the present and future of golf in Canada.