Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The RBC Canadian Open

2018 RBC Canadian Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

This year’s majors have served up some stellar golf so far, and the British Open from Carnoustie did not fail to deliver either.

The lead changed hands a remarkable eight occasions, leaving punters and spectators on the edge of their seats as the action unfolded.

Perhaps fittingly, given the blustery conditions, it was the man who kept his head best while all around him lost theirs that lifted the Claret Jug.

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

Francesco Molinari, up until six months ago, would have cut an unlikely major winner, but the Italian has worked hard on his game behind closed doors and has recently been rewarded with victories on both sides of the Atlantic; aided tremendously by a much improved putting stroke.

It was that flat stick that ultimately got the job done on Sunday as Molinari left himself a few knee-tremblers, but the confidence that comes with winning was clear for all to see. While bogeys and doubles were being dropped all over the property, the Italian kept his scorecard completely clean.

And so we head into the meat of the 2018 season. There are just four FedExCup qualification events to go – two with full points allocations, and the last major of the campaign, the PGA Championship, is just a fortnight away.

The RBC Canadian Open is of importance then, and you can forget that narrative which suggests the big guns won’t fancy the job after battling it out in the British Open. Tiger Woods, Jason Day and Brandt Snedeker have all won this event, with Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm finishing second, so don’t be fooled: the cream of the crop tend to give it a good go at Glen Abbey GC.

And why not? This course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is perfect for low scoring, with minimal rough and slow-enough Bentgrass greens minimizing danger and doing little to further shatter the confidence of those on edge after four days on the Links. You can really cut loose with the driver here, particularly on the four par 5s, and you suspect Glen Abbey is a really fun course to play if you have the skillset to put it to the sword.

Ryder Cup places, FedExCup points….there’s lots to play for in Oakville, Ontario this week, and with rain in the forecast the players could be greeted by easy, soft conditions.

It may be something of a birdie fest then, so who is well placed to take advantage?

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The RBC Canadian Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

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The RBC Canadian Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Gary Woodland – Bar for a closing 76 it as a decent turn from Gary Woodland at Carnoustie, and that continued his upward trend in form.

He showed up well in both the Memorial (T23 at another Nicklaus layout) and in the US Open, and with seven of his last twelve being 69 or lower you sense the Phoenix Open champion is on the cusp of something outstanding.

He was just two back with a round to play here 12 months ago, before signing for a top-five finish.

Si-Woo Kim – The list of winners at Glen Abbey features Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day, while in 2016 Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm were tied for second.

That suggests that classy sorts have their way at this layout, and while it would be foolish to put Si-Woo Kim quite on that list yet you sense that, one day, he may just get there.

THE PLAYERS Championship winner in 2017 almost followed up at the RBC Heritage earlier this year, ad while trying to second-guess the Korean’s form is tricky he clearly has the talent to win a fairly low-key event like this.

A top-10 finish ratio of around 16% from 24 starts is another handy indicator of his prowess.

Tom Lovelady – If the rain falls as expected in Oakville this week, the extra length that Lovelady possesses will be a huge advantage on this driver heavy course.

The 24-year-old sits fourth in the Driving Distance standings, and if he can just direct those bombs in roughly the right direction then he will be hitting wedges into receptive greens; a recipe for success, usually.

His best performances have come in alternate events this season in the Barbasol (T2) and Corales Puntacana (T5), and so Lovelady will need to show he can mix it with the big boys.

But in ranking 40th for Birdie Average and 44th for Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders, at least he has the raw materials to do just that.

Bronson Burgoon – There are some really impressive stats underpinning Burgoon’s improved form of late, and when a player is trending in the right way it makes sense to hop on board and see how far they can fly.

Ranking third for Total Driving and 36th for SG: Approach, he has the basic tenets of elite-level performance, and it’s no surprise that foundation seems him rank inside the Tour’s top-30 for Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders and top-50 for Birdie Average.

The 31-year-old missed the cut at the British Open but we can certainly forgive him that – a mark of +6 is no shame – and prior to that his form was strong: T6 at the Quicken Loans and T2 at the John Deere Classic within his last four starts.

Joel Dahmen – These are good times for Joel Dahmen, who has connected four top-25 finishes in as many starts and seven in his last nine. Can he cash in on such good form in Canada?

Top-fives at the Greenbrier and John Deere Classic perhaps should have led to better than T15 at the Barbasol, a weak field event, but maybe Dahmen needs to feel the rush of elite-level competition to get his house in order.

A GIR merchant who goes low on the par 5s in particular, there’s no reason why the 30-year-old can’t connect another good performance here.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for RBC Canadian Open here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2017-2018)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”1.71%” bar_text=”3 out of 175 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”9.14%” bar_text=”16 out of 175 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”26.86%” bar_text=”47 out of 175 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”2.86%” bar_text=”1 out of 35 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”2.86%” bar_text=”1 out of 35 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”63.42″ bar_text=”111 out of 175 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram