RBC Canadian Open - Fantasy Picks - Presented by DraftKings
This week, the Tour stops at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, Canada for the RBC Canadian Open. Many consider Glen Abbey the home of this event, having hosted 27 times.
Jack Nicklaus’ first solo designed course, “The Abbey” has produced many great memories. By far the most famous was in 2000 when Tiger Woods hit a 218 yard six iron from the fairway bunker on the eighteenth. Finishing just past the flag, Woods birdied the hole to defeat Grant Waite and become just the second player in history to win the U.S. Open, British Open and Canadian Open all in the same season. The first to complete this task was Lee Trevino back in 1971.
Another significant moment in golf history came at the 1955 Canadian Open held at Weston Golf Club when Arnold Palmer defeated Jack Burke Jr. by four strokes to claim his first ever PGA Tour title.
For years this event has been held the week after the Open Championship, and for years the fields have lacked some strength as a result, but RBC has been creating a significant sponsorship presence on Tour which has led to improved fields at the event.
The Monday finish at the Open Championship, along with the jet lag that is sure to accompany many competitors, can be expected to play a factor this week. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the players worth keeping an eye on this week as you make your fantasy picks.
Jason Day - Another near-win in a major at the Open Championship. One would have to expect that he will be exhausted and jetlagged, especially with the Monday finish, but it’s hard not to pick a consistent performer like Day.
Jim Furyk - Has a great track record when playing north of the border. Back-to-back wins in 2006 (Hamilton Golf Club) and 2007 (Angus Glen Golf Club), a runner-up last year at Royal Montreal, and a T9 in 2013 at Glen Abbey.
Bubba Watson - Playing good golf this year having just won a few weeks ago at the Travelers Championship. Struggled on the weekend last time the Canadian Open was held at Glen Abbey (2013) shooting a combined one-over.
Luke Donald - Coming off two positive weeks at the Scottish Open (T7) and Open Championship (T12). You can combine this with a T7 finish at the Travelers a few weeks ago to make a strong argument that Donald is beginning to get his game back.
Brandt Snedeker - Winner of this event in 2013. Coming back to Glen Abbey having missed the cut at the Open Championship. Should allow him more time to be rested and less jetlagged.
Matt Kuchar - Has been playing steadily this season. A strong bet to make the cut each week, and is coming to a course where he finished T2 in 2013.
Tony Finau - Continues to impress this rookie season. Big bomber who will be able to utilize his length on a course that’s fairly wide open off the tee.
Will Wilcox - Enjoying a great season, having played his way into conditional status on Tour. Coming off a terrific week last week where he finished solo 2nd at the Barbasol Championship.
J.B. Holmes - Four top-10’s this season, including a win at the Shell Houston Open and 2nd place finishes at The World Golf Championships and The Farmers. Another player who missed the cut at the Open Championship, providing time to get over jetlag. He has cooled off a bit the last couple months, but Glen Abbey has a layout which he can excel on.
Hunter Mahan - Had a two-shot lead on Saturday afternoon in 2013 when he withdrew to be with his labouring wife. His rounds of 67-64 proved his ability to play very well at Glen Abbey.
Sleeper Picks
Roberto Castro - A Monday Qualifier this week who finished T6 at Glen Abbey in 2013.
William McGirt - Finished T2 in 2013. Been playing fairly steady golf as of late; averaging around 30th place finishes. Made two-thirds of his cuts this season (16/24).
Corey Conners - Runner-up in the 2014 U.S. Amateur, has had some terrific experiences over the past year playing in the Masters and four other PGA events. Has not made any cuts so far in these events, but is coming off a 3rd place finish at last week’s Mackenzie Tour event, and having been a member of Canada’s National Development team, has experience playing at Glen Abbey. Considered an extreme dark horse, but could surprise.
I’m even more excited than usual to make my DraftKings picks for this week. I’m coming off my biggest payout of the season in the $1,000,000 Open Championship Challenge. I love the platform the creators of DraftKings have produced. Anyone can compete, anyone can win cash, and anyone can enjoy playing each week. With events available for $3 or less, I highly recommend this fantasy golf experience.
Starting Lineup:
Jason Day - $11,600
Jim Furyk - $10,700
Will Wilcox - $9,200
Ollie Schniederjans - $6,200
Mark Wilson - $6,200
Jonathan Byrd - $5,900
Alternate Lineup:
Bubba Watson - $11,100
Jim Furyk - $10,700
Brian Harman - $7,800
David Hearn - $7,100
Andres Gonzales - $6,800
Andres Romero - $6,200
There are some great deals available for this Tour stop. I really like Mark Wilson, Ollie Schniederjans and Andres Romero at $6,200 each. Jonathan Byrd is also a steal at $5,900. All are players either coming off of good weeks at the Open Championship or Barbasol Championship, or they have found themselves on leaderboards recently. Picks such as these allow you to spend a little more on big guns like Day, Watson and Furyk. I’ve taken Furyk on both teams simply for his outstanding track record playing in Canada.
About the Author This article was written by Jonathan Carr (@jonathanwcarr) as part of our weekly #FantasyGolf series. Each week we preview the upcoming PGA Tour event and highlight some of the players we'll be keeping an eye on. As a scratch golfer himself, Jonathan has a keen eye for what it takes to be successful on and off the golf course. His passion for golf is surpassed only by his passion for his faith and his family. Read some of Jonathan's other articles here. About DraftKings DraftKings is a leading provider of online fantasy sports. Our core product is a 1-day Fantasy Sports Contest, where users compete against each other to win cash prizes. The game works similarly to how season-long contests on ESPN or Yahoo operate, with the key difference being that instead of season-long commitments, our users only need to commit to playing for a single day at a time. Free and entry-fee-based games are available. Featuring daily fantasy sports contests and same-day settlement, DraftKings makes playing fantasy sports simpler and faster for both seasoned and casual players.
Read more about DraftKings at: www.DraftKings.com
