Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, & Predictions – RBC Canadian Open

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the RBC Canadian Open

2018 RBC Canadian Open Fantasy Preview

The beauty of hosting the British Open at a course like Carnoustie is that you are almost guaranteed a manic Sunday finish.

And that’s exactly what we got in a fitting finale to such an outstanding tournament….

Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner shared the overnight lead heading into Sunday, but they largely faded from view early on in their rounds; Schauffele eventually regrouping later on to claim a share of second.

Eddie Pepperell, Justin Rose and then Rory McIlroy all had the clubhouse lead at various times, and with the wind blowing hard they might just have fancied sneaking into a play-off at worse.

And then Tiger came to the party. He held the outright lead on his own at one point, and it appeared as if one of the greatest redemption stories in the history of sport was about to be written. Alas, the GOAT could not maintain his strong early round form.

All the while this chaos was unfolding, one man was just chipping away at his consistent, plodding best….

If it had escaped your attention, Francesco Molinari has quietly transformed himself into one of the finest golfers on the planet this past year or so. The Italian has always been a sublime ball-striker, but a slight lack of length off the tee – and a dubious putting stroke – have prevented him from really making his mark at the elite level of the game.

Until now.

Francesco Molinari of Italy with his caddie Pello Iguaran of Spain…

Francesco Molinari of Italy with his caddie Pello Iguaran of Spain play a shot on the sixth fairway during the final round of the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 22, 2018 in… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Molinari claimed the BMW PGA Championship and the Quicken Loans National in May/June, and his increased confidence – honed on the range with work alongside his coach Dennis Pugh – carried through to Carnoustie, where he played a remarkable bogey-free round of 69 in 20 mph+ winds to clinch the Claret Jug by two shots on the field.

It was a staggering achievement, and along with his personal glory Team Europe have another red-hot talent on their books ahead of September’s Ryder Cup.

Typically, we might expect a weak field for the ‘after the lord mayor’s show’ event that is this week’s Canadian Open, but plenty of world-class talents will head north of the border to battle it out for prize money, FedExCup points – there’s just four weeks of events to go, remember – and personal pride.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results 

Well, our Top Tier pick Justin Rose clawed his way back to an impressive T2, offering some solid fantasy points for the “$1 Milly-Maker” along the way.   But in the end it was our boy Molinari who charged hard over the weekend to steal the thunder of guys like Kisner, Schauffele, and McIlroy.

When the dust settled in Scotland we lost just one of our main picks to the cut line and we are closing in on an impressive 80% cuts made ratio for the season.

Francesco Molinari of Italy poses with the Claret Jug after his…

Francesco Molinari of Italy poses with the Claret Jug after his victory in the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 23, 2018 in Carnoustie, Scotland. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

The 2018 RBC Canadian Open Field

The Canadian Open is sponsored by RBC, who have their own stable of players under their sponsorship umbrella. So, it’s perhaps not a surprise to see the likes of Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker making the transatlantic dash from Scotland to Canada.

Others who took to the Links at Carnoustie include Bubba Watson, Gary Woodland, Jimmy Walker, Charley Hoffman and Tony Finau, and it will be interesting to see how they fare after the attritional battle of the major.

They will be joined by two-time Canadian Open champion Jhonattan Vegas, who will look to become the first three-peat winner on Tour since Jim Furyk seven years ago, while two-time US Open winner Brooks Koepka will be looking to complete his own unique hat-trick.

The home nation will be represented by the likes of Adam Hadwin, Mackenzie Hughes, Nick Taylor and Mike Weir, while European Tour duo Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia are expected to make good on their vow to play at Glen Abbey.

Adam Hadwin of Canada plays his shot from the third tee during the…

Adam Hadwin of Canada plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Club on July 22, 2018 in Carnoustie, Scotland. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

This Week’s Course Preview

After something of a nomadic period, the Canadian Open seems to have found a settled home at Glen Abbey GC.

This is the 30th occasion on total, and the fifth in sixth years, that the Oakville layout has taken hosting duties, and it is certainly a course that is easy on the eye and pretty easy on the players too.

Winning scores typically in the high teens are delivered here, and that is particularly the case in the soft conditions we are expecting this week – more on those later.

Playing at 7,253 yards for its Par 72, Glen Abbey is a solo Jack Nicklaus design that serves up average width fairways and slow-ish Bentgrass greens, which are smaller-than-average and run at around 10.5 on the stimp, possibly even slower with rain around.

This is a driver-heavy course where length seems to be an advantage – Vegas averaged 307 yards off the tee 12 months ago, and hit just 50% of fairways – but then the regular appearance on Canadian Open leaderboards of the likes of Matt Kuchar, Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner suggest there’s more than one way to get the job done.

There are four par 5s, and three of these come in the closing six holes (13, 16, 18). If your guys need a quick finish to make the cut or claim the trophy, they might just get one.

That closing stretch is known as the ‘valley holes’ for obvious reasons, with the 11th playing to a fairway located 60ft below the tee box. The next three holes wind their way around Sixteen Mile Creek, and so elevation changes naturally follow.

Brandt Snedeker of the United States walks to his ball on the 18th…

Brandt Snedeker of the United States walks to his ball on the 18th hole during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abby Golf Club on July 28, 2013 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Weather Forecast for Oakville, Ontario, CA

Here’s where things could get rather interesting. Thunderstorms are expected to sweep into Oakville on Tuesday, bringing with them plenty of rain right through until Thursday’s first tee.

Thursday itself will dawn sunny but you would expect fairways and greens to be fairly saturated by this point, and with the wind more than doubling throughout the day (6 mph to 13 mph) it might be worth keeping an eye on the forecast and deciding whether a draw bias exists.

Friday’s forecast is another mixed bag, with showers and sunny spells both predicted, and winds reaching up to 11mph.

The weekend could be marginally better, with the sun breaking through on Saturday and helping temperatures along to 75 degrees. Sunday is another tricky-to-predict day by all accounts, with scattered thunderstorms believed to be rolling in during the afternoon.

Last Year’s Results from The RBC Canadian Open

Jhonny Vegas became just the second player in nearly 70 years to successfully defend their Canadian Open crown when he bested Charley Hoffman in a play-off 12 months ago.

The Venezuelan timed his run to perfection with a closing round of 65 to power through the field, although Hoffman – the 54-hole leader on -17 – could have won in regulation time with an eagle at the last. His putt narrowly avoided the hole, and he had to make do with a play-off berth.

The Hoff found himself in a greenside bunker on the first extra hole, while Vegas got up-and-down from the longer grass for a heart-stopping birdie that was enough to seal the deal.

Ian Poulter and Gary Woodland finished third and fourth respectively, with Tony Finau, Robert Garrigus – who equalled the course record of 62 on Saturday, and Brandon Hagy rounding out the top five.

Highlights | Jhonattan Vegas rallies to win at the RBC Canadian

In the final round of the 2016 RBC Canadian Open, Jhonattan Vegas closes with a birdie-birdie-birdie finish to secure his second PGA TOUR title. . SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh Welcome to the official YouTube channel of the PGA TOUR. Here you can find everything you need to stay up to date with the world’s foremost golf tour..

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for The RBC Canadian Open this Week

There is a sense that this is the calm after the storm following the riches on offer at the British Open,

• PGA $550k Drive the Green: There’s a cool $100k top payout available in this $5 entry contest, and if you’re looking to build your bankroll after the British Open the top 10% will double their fee at the least here.
• PGA $40k Albatross: This is a single-entry event, and as we’ll discover later in this preview there isn’t a huge amount of potential winners in this field. So, stick six of the best in a line-up and see if you can land the $4k top prize!

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for The RBC Canadian Open

With rain expected in Oakville, the fundamental note for gamers this week is that the Canadian Open could descend into something of a shootout.

The longer hitters, by and large, have an advantage at Glen Abbey, and you would expect that to be magnified should the fairways become sodden and free of ball-run. The bombers will have wedges and short irons into soft, receptive greens, and that is typically a recipe for low scoring.

These Bentgrass surfaces are fairly slow at the best of times, and with added moisture they will run at a pace that even the most heavy-handed of putters will enjoy.

In short, the Canadian Open is likely to be won by the player who can knock their ball closest to the hole on the greatest number of occasions.

The greens are quite small in stature though, so GIR is a key stat: giving yourself as many birdie looks as possible on these slow greens will be paramount.

And you’ll need to make hay on the four par 5s: all of these played comfortably under par, and while water is in play on 13 and 18 there really is minimal danger. Vegas played the longer holes in -12 last year and Hoffman in -13, so it’s these holes where the tournament will be won and lost.

As far as correlating events are concerned, we might raise a flag when looking at the CareerBuilder Challenge. Vegas has won that back in the days when it was known as the Bob Hope Classic, and with Nicklaus’ fingerprints on those properties in La Quinta perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.

More of an eyebrow-raiser is the apparent link between Glen Abbey and Torrey Pines. A long list, including Vegas, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson and Tiger Woods have finished first or second at both, which suggests that classier operators will have their way at these layouts.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win The RBC Canadian Open

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member? Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The RBC Canadian Open

Top Tier Pick #1: 

Dustin Johnson (Odds: 15/2 , FPPG: 91.79, GPFP: 119.33, Salary: $11,700)

A handful of top-10 finishes at Glen Abbey, including a pair of runners-up spots, suggest there is more to DJ’s continued attendance at the Canadian Open than merely satisfying his RBC sponsorship obligation.

Bombs away off the peg and birdies galore; this is a course that suits his obvious strengths.

The world number one has only won once since January; for mere mortals, they’d be pleased with that, but this perfectionist will be desperate to get back into the winner’s circle following his St Jude Classic triumph.

Johnson is by some way the best and most consistent player in the field, as a return of eight top-10s in 12 starts this season confirms, and the fact he missed the cut at the British Open actually excites us here.

He went MC-MC-54 into the Canadian Open last year before landing another top-10 at Glen Abbey, and earlier in the 2017 campaign he missed the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open and followed up with a formline of 3-1-1-1.

Hell hath no fury like a DJ scorned….

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 1st
• SG: Off the Tee – 1st
• SG: Approach – 10th

Top-Tier Pick #2:

Tony Finau (Odds: 22/1 , FPPG: 72.92, GPFP: 91.15, Salary: $9,800)

Three top-10s in as many major appearances….just how impressive is this young man!

In truth, Finau needs to get back into the winner’s circle soon in order to ensure such talent is capitalized upon, but he surely will win soon enough and presumably it will come at a tee-to-green track like Glen Abbey.

The 28-year-old ranked second for GIR at Carnoustie – no mean feat indeed, and delivered a top-five finish for his backers in this event 12 months ago.

Finau can let his bombs go with complete freedom here, and his outstanding approach play into (probably) wet greens will hopefully render his weak putting stroke largely meaningless from close range.

Key Stats:

• Driving Distance – 3rd
• Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 4th
• SG: Approach – 19th

Mid-Tier Pick #1:

Byeong Hun An (Odds: 45/1 , FPPG: 65.57, GPFP: 52.46, Salary: $7,800)

The Korean ticks many of our boxes this week, with his prodigious length off the tee matched by precision iron play.

In theory, he’s a perfect fit for a soggy Glen Abbey then, and a consistent campaign – 33% of his PGA TOUR starts have yielded top-25 finishes – adds to the confidence factor.

An has finished T2 at the Memorial this term – played at Muirfield Village, another Jack Nicklaus layout – and also has another advantage in this field in that he has won a big tournament, the BMW PGA Championship, which sparked Molinari’s outstanding recent form.

Key Stats:

• SG: Off the Tee – 16th
• Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 31st
• SG: Approach – 39th

Mid-Tier Pick #2:

Jason Kokrak (Odds: 140/1 , FPPG: 58.01, GPFP: 67.38, Salary: $6,800)

Canadians don’t really have a history of success in their home Open, but that’s not to say there isn’t a great motivation among them to end a lengthy hoodoo and produce a home winner.

Of the bunch Kokrak might not be the most obvious candidate, but he has the weapons in his arsenal to overpower this Glen Abbey layout, and so he must come under consideration.

Long off the tee (PGA TOUR rank of 14th for Driving Distance), a consistent green-pepperer (37th for GIR) and somebody who attacks the par 5s with gusto (18th for Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders), Kokrak has the game to take down this layout head on.

T3 in his penultimate start at the Greenbrier Classic and T8 at our correlating courses which host the CareerBuilder Challenge – Jack Nicklaus’ fingerprints are all over them, the Canadian ticks plenty of boxes on home soil this week.

Key Stats:

• Driving Distance – 14th
• Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 18th
• Greens in Regulation – 37th

Low-Tier Pick:

Lanto Griffin (Odds: 160/1 , FPPG: 48.68, GPFP: 38.94, Salary: $6,700)

The top-30 of the Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders features the great and the good of world golf, and nestling down at the bottom there is young Lanto Griffin.

The 30-year-old hasn’t had the best of seasons, but it is telling that his best effort has come at our correlating course at Torrey Pines (T12).

He’s made five cuts on the spin now, his best run of the campaign, and Griffin’s length off the tee could set up plenty of those birdie opportunities he clearly craves on the longer holes.

Key Stats:

• Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 30th
• Birdie Average – 68th
• Greens in Regulation – 82nd

Sleeper Pick for The RBC Canadian Open

J.J Spaun (Odds: 90/1 , FPPG: 55.92, GPFP: 44.74, Salary: $11,700)

Long off the tee, a consistent green hitter and a prolific birdie-maker, Spaun is certainly one to watch this week.

His ranking of 14th on Tour for Birdie Average confirms that, if he could cut out elementary mistakes, he would be challenging for titles, and that was evident in his solo second at the RSM Classic and T3 at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

A decent return to form last time out at the Greenbrier Classic (T13) hints at better things to come.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 9th
• Birdie Average – 14th
• SG: Approach – 14th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for The RBC Canadian Open

Keith Mitchell (Odds: 120/1 , FPPG: 63.87, GPFP: 51.10, Salary: $7,400)

One player who often springs to mind in birdie-fests is Keith Mitchell, whose power striking really does open up doors.

It’s no coincidence that his best efforts this season have come in low-scoring shootouts: solo second in the Corales Puntacana at -14, T3 at Byron Nelson (-19), T6 at the Houston Open (-14) and T7 last time out at the John Deere Classic (-16).

Give Mitchell room off the tee and he can make birdies….lots of them. He ranks seventh on Tour for Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders and 14th for Birdie Average.

Key Stats:

• Driving Distance – 7th
• Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 7th
• Birdie Average – 14th

This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.

[/membership]

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2017-2018)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”7.35%” bar_text=”18 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”18.37%” bar_text=”45 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”36.73%” bar_text=”90 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”8.57%” bar_text=”3 out of 35 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”25.71%” bar_text=”9 out of 35 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”77.14%” bar_text=”189 out of 245 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for RBC Canadian Open with other Premium Members.

---

Cover Photo via Instagram