RBC Canadian Open PGA DFS Stats Preview: Course Fits, GPP Picks, and Values

The PGA TOUR is heading north of the border to play the 2023 RBC Canadian Open to make one final stop before the third major championship of the season. This will mark the first time the Canadian Open has been held at Oakdale Golf and Country Club.

Oakdale Golf and Country Club is a par 72 measurings 7,264 yards and features greens that are a Bentgrass and POA blend. The course has three par-5s and three par 3s.

The RBC Canadian Open will play host to 156 golfers this week. Notable players include Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Cameron Young, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Sam Burns.

For GPP contests on DraftKings, I will be breaking down the key stats (past 24 rounds) and selecting golfers from different price tiers to provide flexibility for a DFS lineup.

And if you missed it, we added two new metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The cliff notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

For large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.

This analysis may reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots on average it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

Strokes Gained: Approach

The best metric to start with is Strokes Gained: Approach. Proficient iron play is a requirement anywhere, and this statistic will help target the hottest golfers. The course features a lot of elevation changes, so golfers will need to be dialed in with their irons.

High-end target: Rory McIlroy — $11,500 (3rd Strokes Gained: Approach)
Mid-range target: Corey Conners — $9,800 (1st Strokes Gained: Approach)
Value target: Eric Cole — $7,900 (12th Strokes Gained: Approach)

Fairways Gained

The rough at Oakdale is extremely thick and penal. The course is relatively short, so distance off the tee won’t be a major factor. Players who consistently find themselves in the fairway should have the advantage this week.

High-end target: Shane Lowry — $9,400 (19th Fairways Gained)
Mid-range target: Adam Hadwin — $8,700 (8th Fairways Gained)
Value target: Ben Martin — $7,300 (2nd Fairways Gained)

Birdie or Better Gained

Although the rough will provide a slight challenge, I believe we are still looking at a winner in the -18 range. With three par 5s and a handful of short par 4s, the course should be gettable.

High-end target: Tyrrell Hatton — 10,200 (9th Birdie or Better Gained)
Mid-range target: Corey Conners — $9,800 (4th Birdie or Better Gained)
Value target: Chez Reavie — $7,100 (19th Birdie or Better Gained)

Proximity 100-125 Yards

With the average par 4 on the course measuring in at about 412 yards, this will likely turn into a “wedge-fest”.

High-end target: Rory McIlroy — $11,500 (3rd Proximity 100-125 Yards)
Mid-range target: Matt Kuchar — $9,100 (4th Proximity 100-125 Yards)
Value target: Lucas Glover — $6,700 (11th Proximity 100-125 Yards)

Strokes Gained: Putting

Shorter courses with a lot of birdies being made tend to turn into putting contests. I believe a good putter will win the RBC Canadian Open.

High-end target: Tyrrell Hatton — $10,200 (8th in Strokes Gained: Putting)
Mid-range target: Maverick McNealy — $7,700 (3rd in Strokes Gained: Putting)
Value target: Chez Reavie — $7,100 (4th in Strokes Gained: Putting)

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