Fantasy Golf Predictions – The 2013 RBC Canadian Open

Fantasy Golf Predictions for the 2013 RBC Canadian Open July 25-28, 2013

Preview:   We love picking winners!  Recently our staff has successfully picked 3 winners in the last 7 weeks and two of those were Majors (Justin Rose at US Open and Phil Mickelson at The Open Championship).  Oh by the way, 5 of our 7 picks at the The Open finished in the Top 15. OK…we’ll stop indulging our egos now but who can blame us, the season is heating up and we’re excited!

As we look at this week’s field at the 2013 RBC Canadian Open, we see a number guys that can win this event without a problem.  The lineup will battle it out on the challenging Glen Abby Golf Club and Scott Piercy will back in action to defend his crown.

The Course:  Glen Abbey GC measures 7,253 yards and plays par 72. This is Jack Nicklaus’ first solo design, which opened in 1977 and quickly became a favorite stop for Canada’s national championship.  This year will mark the 26th Open held at Glen Abbey. Home to the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, this track will certainly measure a player’s accuracy, so keep an eye on the pros who can find fairways and conquer fast greens.

Photo by GlenAbbey.ClubLink.ca

The Weather at The 2013 RBC Canadian Open in Oakville, ON Canada (from weather.com)

• Round 1: Thursday (July 25) 74 degrees, 20% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 2: Friday (July 26) 79 degrees, 10% chance of rain, partly cloudy.
• Round 3: Saturday (July 27) 75 degrees, 30% chance of rain, isolated T-Storms.
• Round 4: Sunday  (July 28) 71 degrees, 20% chance of rain, partly sunny.

2012 Results:  Scott Piercy tied a record with his 17-under 263 to beat Robert Garrigus and William McGirt by a single stroke last year. Four straight birdies helped Piercy make up the two-shot deficit (where he began the round).  Piercy didn’t gain a share of the lead until McGirt three-putt a bogey on 15. With the victory Scott notched his second PGA TOUR win in as many years (he also won the 2011 Reno-Tahoe Open).

Notes: Piercy, who has played all 12 of his RBC Canadian Open rounds at par or better, seeks to become just the second back-to-back champion since 1951. We don’t have him in our picks this week though, as we feel there is a better chance this is when Mahan or Schwartzel will grab a first win of the year.

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The RBC Canadian Open

• Hunter Mahan (Golficity Odds 10/1): Hunter is 8-for-8 with cuts made at this event but this is his first appearance at Glen Abbey since his best score (T4) in 2004. Mahan has notched top 10s in two of his last four starts (U.S. Open, Open Championship) and currently ranks T8 in total driving – which is an important stat for this course.
• Matt Kuchar (Golficity Odds 12/1): Kuchar finished T15 last week at Murifield and has posted solid numbers so far in 2013. We think he’s in tune to win again on tour this year and may be a real contender to win the FedExCup.
• Brandt Snedeker (Golficity Odds 17/1):  “Sneds” finished T11 at Muirfield despite a nightmare putting display that resulted in carding a 79 in the second round. Although largely staying outside of the spotlight lately, Brandt has quietly picked up three straight top 20s. He tied for fifth at Glen Abbey in back 2009 where he ranked T7 in greens in regulation.  Look out because he could be heating up to defend his 2013 FedExCup crown.
• Graham DeLaet (Golficity Odds 23/1): This hometown boy is 2-for-4  in cuts made at The RBC Canadian Open event and has never broken past T45.  But, DeLaet is currently playing some of the best golf of his career, with a streak of nine consecutive cuts made included five straight top 25s this year, and that’s enough for us to pick him at 23/1 this week.
• Charl Schwartzel (Golficity Odds 29/1):  Schwartzel has posted top 15s in each of his last three starts – that stat alone is enough to put him at 29/1 this week.  Did you see him hit a 440+ yard drive on to the green on a par 4 at Murifield? Although that wont be relevant this week, he’s still a lead contender to win this event.

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win:

• Dustin Johnson (Golficity Odds 50/1): DJ was just one stroke off the lead after 36 holes at Muirfield before he faded to finish T32 after rounds of 76 and 77. Despite these late struggles, his game seems to translate to just about any course. Johnson currently ranks T28 in strokes gained-putting, 26th in adjusted scoring and T31 in par-5 scoring average.
• David Hearn (Golficity Odds 75/1):  Canadian David Hearn lost the John Deere Classic in a five-hole playoff but it marked his fourth top 25 in his last six starts.  Super wildcard this week and we’re sure Vegas has him around 50/1 – we just don’t see it as a sure thing.

Last Week’s Fantasy Golf Predictions Results (2013 Open Championship)

• Adam Scott (Golficity Odds 7/1):  T3
• Phil Mickelson (Golficity Odds 10/1): WINNER
• Justin Rose (Golficity Odds 12/1):  MC
• Tiger Woods (Golficity Odds 17/1): T6
• Charl Schwartzel (Golficity Odds 23/1):  T15

Sleeper Picks/Odds to Win:

• Ernie Els (Golficity Odds 38/1):  T26
• Zach Johnson (Golficity Odds 50/1):   T6

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(Cover Photo Credit)