Randy Phillips looks at the records of various President's Cup participants at
Royal Montreal, and briefly explores the recent renovation. He also drops a very encouraging comment from
Mike Weir about the PGA Tour's setup, which sounds much more promising than recent Ryder Cups and mini-majors where excessive rough seems to be a foregone conclusion.
The Blue course has changed since 2001, undergoing a major renovation by renowned course designer Rees Jones. In addition to being lengthened from 6,982 to 7,153 yards (it remains a par 70), the most significant change has been the reversal of the 12th and 13th holes, formerly a par 3 and par 5, respectively. The 12th is now a 570-yard par 5, while the 13th is a 224-yard par 3.
Weir, who is playing in his fourth Presidents Cup, played Royal Montreal a few weeks ago and liked what he saw.
''The driving areas are better now,'' the native of Bright's Grove, Ont., said. ''A few changes on the greens seem to be pretty good. It's not going to be set up like a Canadian Open, with deep rough. They want some scoring. So I think it's going to be a good golf course."
