RBC Canadian Open - Power Rankings
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 28 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.
Here are the players I will be keeping an eye on this week.
Jason Day - He is the world number one, and is doing a good job of distancing himself in the standings. Coming in as this year’s defending champion.
Matt Kuchar - Has been playing some of the best golf of anyone in the world the last couple months. Is always a strong bet to make the cut each week, and is coming to a course where he finished T2 in 2013 and T7 last year.
Dustin Johnson - Back-to-back wins at the U.S. Open and World Golf Championship, and played some decent golf last week at Royal Troon. Coming to a course with wide open fairways that will benefit bombers like himself.
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 in 2014 at Royal Montreal, a T9 in 2013 at Glen Abbey to go along with his 4th place finish last year.
Brandt Snedeker - Winner of this event in 2013, and coming off some solid play last week at the Open championship.
Colt Knost - Playing some of the best golf of his career. Has gone from simply trying to make cuts, to contending consistently.
John Rahm - Playing on a sponsor’s exemption and seeking another high finish as he works toward earning status on the Tour. Former world number one in the amateur ranks, has already come out and shown that he has the game to compete.
Bryson Dechambeau - In exactly the same situation as Rahm, with the only difference being that he has had a head start, having turned professional back in April, while Rahm did so about a month ago.
Jimmy Walker - A player who tends to win at least once each season, but is still looking for a title this year. He has played decent golf, and is due for a big week.
Charley Hoffman - Has cooled down a bit after some stellar play in April and May, but is still a cut-making machine, and is coming back to an event where he finished T7 last year.
Sleeper Pick
Jim Herman - Played well last week in Europe, and finished T22 at Glen Abbey last season - a posting made impressive by his second round 75. All other rounds were in the 60’s.
And now a look at my DraftKings lineups for this week.
I’ve taken a similar approach with both my teams this week - loading heavy on top. With Team A, I’ve taken players who have performed well at this event in the past, but Team B is primarily comprised with “wild cards”. Kuchar and Furyk are solid picks, but numbers 3 through 6 are not even educated guesses. They are fun picks - which is exactly why I play fantasy golf in the first place.
Starting Lineup:
Dustin Johnson - $12,500
Jason Day - $12,300
Jim Herman - $6,600
Vijay Singh - $6,400
Steve Wheatcroft - $6,100
Jerry Kelly - $6,000
Alternate Lineup:
Matt Kuchar - $10,600
Jim Furyk - $9,900
Kevin Streelman - $8,200
Nick Taylor - $7,200
Dan McCarthy - $7,200
Jonas Blixt - $6,900
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.
