Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 RBC Canadian Open

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open 

RBC Canadian Open Fantasy Preview

In a sport in which quality over 72 holes is the difference between success and otherwise, Billy Horschel showed at the Memorial Tournament that sometimes it’s just one stellar round that can make the difference.

His third-round knock of 65 was the best of the week, and catapulted him from the chasing pack into a mammoth five-shot lead heading into Sunday.

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But Muirfield Village showed its teeth in firm conditions, and any hope Horschel had for a quiet conversion were extinguished when he played his front nine in +1 – Aaron Wise, his closest challenger, ramped up the pressure with back-to-back birdies on ten or eleven.

Horschel, as a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, knows what it takes to close out victories under the harshest pressure, but even then he must have been delighted when he curled home a 55ft eagle putt on the fifteenth to extend his lead to four shots with three holes to play.

Wise couldn’t rally, and that was all she wrote – Billy Horschel, Memorial Tournament champions despite missing the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge just one week prior.

Many eyes will now be on the U.S. Open at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts next week, but in the meantime there’s a long overdue return to Canada for the RBC Canadian Open to contend with.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week our Top Pick was Rory, who fell to T18 while our other Mid-Tier Picks Zalatoris and Berger closed down a T5 finish each! 

Aaron Wise was our pick pick on our Tuesday Sleeper Report with an impressive T2 finish.

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RBC Canadian Open Field

As you may know, the Saudi Arabian backed LIV TOUR kicks off this week in London, and that accounts for the absence of the formerly RBC sponsored Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na from the field for the Canadian Open.

Whether those that have rebelled against the PGA TOUR’s wishes to not play in the event will regret their decision remains to be seen, but golf’s premier competition continues regardless with another quality field north of the border.

Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns will be looking to add to their already bustling collections of silverware, while Rory McIlroy – the defending champion, of sorts – will also be heading to Toronto alongside Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith and Shane Lowry.

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There will be plenty for patriotic Canadian supporters to cheer for, with Corey Conners leading a strong home contingent that also includes Adam Hadwin and Mackenzie Hughes.

The 52-year-old Mike Weir has taken up his invite, while Jared du Toit – who some may recall playing in the final group on Sunday at the 2016 Canadian Open as an amateur – also earns a call-up.

This Week’s Course Preview

The RBC Canadian Open has enjoyed something of a nomadic existence over the years.

Glen Abbey, Hamilton Golf and Country Club and Royal Montreal have all taken on hosting duties in the past decade, but it’s back to another former host this time around – St. George’s Golf and Country Club in Toronto.

Last seen in 2010 when it hosted this very event, St. George’s was – and still is, by all accounts – a pristine parklands course that offers an excellent examination of every department of your golf game.

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Designed by Stanley Thompson in 1929 and given an overhaul by Ian Andrew and Tom Doak in 2014, St. George’s is a short Par 70 at around 7,014 yards, although it’s worth noting that unlike most Par 70s this one features three Par 5s and five Par 3s. 

There’s some pretty dense tree-lines going on and gently doglegging fairways, and some reasonably tight landing zones are flanked by what has been, historically at least, thick rough best avoided.

The greens, which are a Bentgrass and Poa mix, are undulating in nature and run at a fair pace, and from tee-to-green there are some marked elevation changes and undulations for the players to contend with.

Weather Forecast for Toronto, ON, CAN

How it plays out we’ll have to wait and see, but there is rain predicted for Tuesday and Thursday in Toronto.

That could certainly assist the players if the course is softened and fairways/greens are easier to find and hold, although it should be noted that temperatures of between 66-70˚F won’t have the heart racing.

There’s a bit of a breeze around too at up to 11mph on all four days, although the thick tree-lines will at least offer some protection from the wind.

ONTARIO WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the RBC Canadian Open

It’s back to 2019 we go for the most recent renewal of the RBC Canadian Open, perhaps the worst hit PGA TOUR event as far as the Covid pandemic is concerned.

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In some ways, that 2019 edition was pretty forgettable too. Rory McIlroy won by a staggering seven shots, and while it was a joy to watch the Irishman in full flow, it didn’t really enhance the enjoyment of the tournament as a competitive spectacle. 

McIlroy held the 54-hole lead and then accelerated for the finishing line on the Sunday, playing his first seven holes in -5 and more than once threatening to join the 59 Club.

Webb Simpson and Shane Lowry were locked in T2 at -15, with Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker next on the leaderboard at -13. 

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

In this awkward timeslot one week away from the U.S. Open, DFS gamers are tasked with answering the ‘should I or shouldn’t I?’ question this week. We’ll be looking to build our bankroll for next week’s major, and here’s a couple of ways in which we can do it.

• PGA $30k Caddie: We’re focusing on single entry contests this week, and the reason for that is there isn’t a huge range of players we’re that interested in drafting – you can consolidate your efforts by beating the field with your key line-up. It will only cost you $5 to enter, and you could pick up the top prize of $3,000 for your efforts.  

• PGA $25 Double Up: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, or something like that, so rather than chasing big payouts why not keep it simple and try to bank $25 guaranteed in this single entry double-up – as ever, you only need to be better than just over half the field to profit.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the RBC Canadian Open

While Strokes Gained data wasn’t even used the last time that St. George’s hosted the RBC Canadian Open, we do at least have some idea as to what we need our roster to be able to do.

It’s tight off the tee, and the tree-lines are such that we don’t see many or any of the players being able to successfully cut off corners and take short cuts with the big stick – unless the course has changed markedly, this is a less-than-driver layout where finding the short stuff is key.

The greens at St. George’s are not huge by any means, and they run at a fair pace – unless the rain slows them down – so quality on approach, and a reliable chipping game for missed greens, is key.

The putting surfaces are undulating in nature too, but you suspect that much of the damage will be done from tee-to-green – particularly if the rain takes away the edge that the flat stick supremos would otherwise have.

Carl Pettersson, the 2010 champion at this course, enjoyed a decent PGA TOUR career that would also see him win at Sedgefield (Wyndham Championship), Innisbrook (Valspar Championship) and Muirfield Village (Memorial Tournament). Those are all tree-lined parklands courses with smaller-than-average greens and undulations, so they are correlations that can act as useful indicators for our draft this week.

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

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)

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