'Legacy event': Canadian Open hopes to maintain momentum amid evolving PGA Tour schedule

After a two-year hiatus, the PGA Tour's Canadian Open roared back with full force in 2022.

There was the raucous "rink hole" — a par-three that featured hockey boards, helmets as tee markers and volunteers dressed as refs.

There were Canadians lingering in contention, and an eventual sixth-place finish from Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont.

And, of course, a scintillating finish featuring three top players duking it out on the back nine.

Superstar Rory McIlroy closed with three straight birdies to win the tournament for a second straight time, passing LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman on the all-time wins list in the process — a milestone made especially notable with the rival tour's debut event occurring in London the same weekend.

It was announced on Monday that McIlroy will aim for a three-peat at the 2023 event, which begins June 8 at Oakdale Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

WATCH | McIlroy defends Canadian Open title in 2022 with big final round:

World No. 6 and reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick will also be in attendance, along with fellow top-25 players Cam Young, Sam Burns, Sahith Theegala, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry.

A strong Canadian contingent includes three winners this season — Conners, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson — plus Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith. Mike Weir, who won the Masters 20 years ago, will also play.

No Canadian has won the national open since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Hughes, of Dundas, Ont., said he hopes someone can break that curse.

"Obviously I hope it's me, but if it's not me, I hope it's one of the guys," he said. "Just super exciting to come home once a year. We get the rock star treatment and just kind of feel like we're walking on clouds."

But despite 2022's excitement, the event itself hasn't exactly received that same treatment from the PGA Tour.

In response to the threat of LIV, the Saudi-backed runaway tour that lured the likes of major champions Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka with loads of money, the PGA Tour altered its schedule by marking 13 "designated events" with at least $20 million US purses and mandatory attendance for top players.

Fitzpatrick showed the potential benefit of playing in Canada last year when he finished 10th the week before going on to win his first career major.