Gretzky won’t be at Glen Abbey -- his agent confirmed to PGATOUR.COM he is on vacation -- but his future son-in-law is playing the best golf of his life and, with a major championship victory under his belt, has reached No. 2 in the world.

It’s no wonder he is a fan favorite this week.

“It’s fun to have him to root for, he’s almost a Canadian,” said RBC Canadian Open Tournament Director Brent McLaughlin with a big smile. “Once you have that ‘royal’ Canadian family in your blood, that’s it.”

The last time Johnson played at Glen Abbey was in 2013. He held a piece of the lead through 70 holes, but stepped to the tee on the par-4 17th and blocked his drive way right.

After his round, he tried to quash questions quickly.

“No, I’m done. It’s nothing. Nothing to worry about,” he said, interrupting a reporter’s query.

Johnson played the Canadian Open in 2014 at Royal Montreal, but wasn’t around in 2015. He’s back this week, in the midst of his best season as a professional, and is feeling good.

“I’m excited to be here,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Last time I did very well here, I like the golf course. It’s in really good shape (and) my game, I feel like it’s still in really good shape.”

Johnson would go on to joke about his game compared to Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson last week, saying he was “just okay.” But Johnson has two wins in a season for just the second time in his career and is ranked the highest he’s ever been in both the Official World Golf Ranking.

As he looks next week’s PGA Championship, he feels like there is a big weight off his shoulders.

“I’m not still trying to get that first (major), and I know what it takes. I know I’ve got what it takes to get it done,” he said. “That obviously gives me a lot of confidence when I’m out there playing.”

Despite Johnson’s calm presence on and off the golf course, Gretzky has credited him with having even stronger mental fortitude than any other great champion he’s known.

“You know, I have been lucky enough to see some of the world’s great sportsmen like Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan, and I am not even sure they could muster that amount of mental strength,” Gretzky told an Australian newspaper last June after Johnson’s return to golf following a three-putt on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open.

His long-publicized relationship with the Gretzky family has been a catalyst to his success, Johnson has admitted. And with Gretzky being one of the most accomplished athletes of all time, he’s a good person to lean on when he has questions about how to succeed at the highest level of sport.