LIV, COVID and forest fires, the Canadian Open battles on

TORONTO : After being hit with a couple of LIV Golf bombshells, COVD-19 and even forest fires, it is doubtful that any PGA Tour event has endured more adversity than the Canadian Open.

The world's third-oldest national open championship the Canadian Open is taking a double hit this week, pushed out of the golf spotlight on Tuesday by the shock announcement that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf had agreed to form one unified commercial entity ending a bitter year-long feud.

If that was not enough, forest fires raging in Northern Ontario and Quebec have left a blanket of smoky air wafting over Oakdale Golf and Country Club prompting some golfers and fans to take some added measures.

After the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were cancelled due to COVID-19 the Canadian Open made a long-awaited return last year only to be overshadowed by the PGA Tour and LIV Golf feud.

With Rory McIlroy back to defend the title he won in 2019, the Canadian Open was the first PGA Tour event to go head-to-head with LIV Golf, who were playing their inaugural event at Centurion Club outside London.

If that wasn't enough of a distraction, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan took the opportunity to come to Canada and declare war on the rebel circuit, banning defectors.

The Canadian Open is also saddled with the added disadvantage of being sandwiched between last week's mandatory stop at the Memorial Tournament and next week's U.S. Open which is followed by yet another mandatory stop the Travelers Championship.

Top golfers rarely play five weeks consecutively and are required to be at mandatory events leaving the Canadian Open as the obvious one to sit out.

"I feel bad for (sponsor) RBC and the Canadian Open," said McIlroy, who will bid to join