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PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the RBC Canadian Open on DraftKings

By Alex Hunter @Hunta512
May 28, 2024

The PGA TOUR heads to Canada this week for the RBC Canadian Open, which will be played at Hamilton Golf and Country Club (par 70, 7,084 yards, bentgrass greens) in Ancaster, Ontario. This course also hosted the Canadian Open in 1919, 1930, 2003, 2006, 2012 and 2019. In 2019, Rory McIlroy won by seven shots at -22. For this week, the RBC Canadian Open features a full field of 156 golfers, and there will be a top-65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

My analysis will frequently 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.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key 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.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

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DraftKings $10,000+ Range

Rory McIlroy ($12,100) – Despite being the most lucrative player on the slate, McIlroy is underpriced for his chances of winning this week. As noted above, the Irishman won by seven strokes at Hamilton for the 2019 Canadian Open, and he also won the 2020 Canadian Open at St. George’s Golf and Country Club the following year. McIlroy clearly loves competing north of the border, and with three top-12 finishes in his last five starts – including a win at the Wells Fargo Championship – the 35-year-old is heavily favored to win his third Canadian Open this weekend at +360 on the DraftKings Sportsbook. McIlroy should have been priced over $13,000 considering these odds and is worth every penny this week.

DraftKings $9,000 Range

Alex Noren ($9,900) – Noren is having a tremendous season and needs to be rostered at this sub-$10,000 salary. This season, the Swede hasn’t missed a cut in 12 starts, and he has recorded nine top-25 finishes. Noren is coming off a T12 at the PGA Championship, which is his best major finish in nearly five years. Noren ranks eighth in SG: Tee-to-Green, fifth in SG: Around-the-Green and third in par four performance this season, making him a perfect fit for Hamilton. At this par 70, both of the past two winners have finished the event top-10 in SG: Tee-to-Green, SG: Around-the-Green, and par four efficiency.

Corey Conners ($9,500) – Conners missed the cut at Hamilton in 2019, but he has finished sixth and T20th at the past two Canadian Opens and is a very safe option this week. Thanks to some elite ball striking – he ranks second in SG: Approach this season – Conners has yet to miss a cut in 14 starts, and he has carded six top-25 finishes this season. Conners ranks sixth in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at courses with bentgrass greens – via the Betsperts Rabbit Hole Tool – and he shouldn’t finish outside the top-20 this weekend.

Now in beta testing: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Tom Kim ($8,600) – While Kim has no history of competing in Canada, the 21-year-old is a strong fit for Hamilton and is simply too cheap for his talent. Including four top-30 finishes, Kim has made six consecutive cuts. Plus, he is at his best on bentgrass. When we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at venues that are home to this type of putting surface using the Rabbbit Hole, Kim ranks third in total strokes gained. In our PGA models, the 21-year-old ranks fifth in Perfect%, but he is only the 13^th most expensive option on DraftKings this week.

Mackeznie Hughes ($8,300) – Hughes finished T13th at Hamilton in 2019 and has finished inside the top-30 at three of past four Canadian Opens. The veteran owns an 11-for-13 record in terms of made cuts this season and has produced a top-15 finish in three of his past six starts. Hughes ranks first in par four efficiency and first in SG: putting when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and has the potential for his second top-15 finish at Hamilton.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

Mark Hubbard ($7,900) – While Hubbard has never competed at Hamilton, he has played very well at Canadian Opens. The veteran finished T6th at last year’s edition of this event, which marked his fourth straight made cut at a Canadian Open. Making 15-of-15 cuts this season, Hubbard has been one of the most consistent players on the PGA TOUR this year and he is very underpriced for his safety. Despite being the 19^th-most expensive player on DraftKings this week, Hubbard presents the eighth-highest Perfect% in our PGA models.

Davis Thompson ($7,800) – Thompson has been playing excellent golf, providing five top-25 finishes in his last seven starts. The 24-year-old has never competed at a Canadian Open, but Thompson’s game suits Hamilton, and he should thrive in his debut at the par 70. Thompson ranks 21^st in par four performance this season, and he has made five straight cuts when teeing it up on a par 70, including three top-25 finishes.

Daniel Berger ($7,700) – Berger finished T35th at Hamilton in 2019 and returns to the venue riding a four made cut streak, most notably with a T13 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. The four-time PGA TOUR winner ranks 26^th in SG: Approach for the season and is a rock solid option at this price point. Via the Rabbit Hole, Berger ranks seventh in total strokes gained when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds at par 70s that are home to bentgrass greens.

DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range

Matt Kucher ($6,800) – Trusting Kuchar in cash games at this cheap salary has a ton of merit this week. The savvy veteran has finished T34th and T17th in his last two starts, and he boasts an impressive resume at Canadian Opens. In 14 starts at this tournament, the 45-year-old has made 10 cuts, eight of which have been top-20 results, including a T4 at Hamilton in 2019. Overall, Kuchar owns a career average finish of 37.9^th place at Canadian Opens, and he ranks second in this field in career strokes gained in Canada, via the Rabbit Hole.

Mac Meissner ($6,500) – Meissner is a former Korn Ferry Tour player who earned his PGA TOUR card this past fall, and the 25-year-old has been flashing excellent upside recently, finishing T13th at the Myrtle Beach Classic and T5th at the Charles Schwab Challenge in his last two starts. Meissner gained strokes on approach and with his putter during both of these finishes, and his T5 at the Charles Schwab marked his best finish on the PGA TOUR to date. Furthermore, it marked his fifth top-25 finish in his last 10 starts. This will be Meissner’s debut in Canada, but the blossoming young talent is clearly underpriced for his convincing form, and this may be the cheapest we see him for the rest of the season. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Meissner carries +7500 odds to win the RBC Canadian Open this weekend, which are the same odds as Matt Wallace, who is significantly more expensive for DFS purposes at $7,600.

Patton Kizzire ($6,300) – While Kizzire has never teed it up at Hamilton, he owns a 2-for-2 record in terms of made cuts at the Canadian Open, and he travels north of the border this week in tremendous form. Kizzire has carded a top-25 finish in each of his past three solo starts, and he gained strokes with irons and putter at all these events. The veteran impressively ranks fifth in par four performance this season, which is terrific news with a par 70 in Hamilton up next. Of the past four winners at this track, three finished the tournament top-five in par four efficiency.