The return of the RBC Canadian Open is unfortunately overshadowed by a dump of news on the LIV Golf side of things. Even the longest day in golf on Monday, as U.S. Open qualifying hit its final leg, had trouble staying above the news on the new TOUR, but we will keep our focus this week right on the RBCCO.
DraftKings is back to their standard-sized Pitch + Putt for the main GPP this week, with just over 47,000 entries and $200,000 of the $800,000 prize pool headed out to first place. The focus of the picks from this article will be tailored towards trying to take down this main GPP.
This week, the TOUR heads back to St. George’s Golf and Country Club for the first time since 2010. It is an old-school layout, a bit of a treelined parkland set up at just over 7,000 yards for the par-70 track. The unique aspect of the setup is that it does feature three par 5s and five par 3s. They have grown the rough out to 3.5″ and putting a premium on hitting fairways and greens.
I expect we will see fewer drivers than a standard tour week, and because of that, I am putting my eggs in the approach basket as I think the percentage of fairways hit will be higher than most weeks.
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.
And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
High-Priced PGA DFS Picks
Sam Burns $10,000
I love, love, love JT this week and just want to make that clear as I start things here. He will be one of my favorite starting points with lineups, but as I have started to build, I think we have to put a premium on saving dollars where we can at the top. This is part of my reason for starting with Burns, as I can get more balanced and not have to dig as deep at the bottom where things get really ugly in a hurry.
I also want it to be clear how much I like Burns and legitimately give him a good shot at winning consecutive events. JT is in a tier of his own alongside Morikawa on the iron play side, but Burns at his best is not that far behind. He also brings a strong putting game to the table every week. He’s going to be the lowest owned of this tier, and it’s in part because he won last time out, which again doesn’t make sense, but it’s what often happens in DFS.
I’ll take all of that happily this week in large-field GPPs.
Corey Conners $9,600
If his odds weren’t so short, Corey Conners would be my top pick to win this week. He is tailor-made for this event and has the added motivation of being back for his national open. The Canadian is coming in with solid form, having been the best player on approach last week at the Memorial. He finished T13 and will be looking to build on that this week.
I don’t pretend to be an expert in projecting ownership, but I don’t see any way that Conners is going to be low-owned. In my opinion, he will land in the upper teens and flirting with the 20% when it comes down to it on Thursday. He is a guy I’ll give a boost to in my ownership models to be sure I don’t put him with too much other chalk, but he certainly is in my core for the RBCCO.
Tyrell Hatton $9,500
A little bonus play in this top tier this week because I will be looking to jam as many of these guys into my lineup as I can. I really don’t have any conviction in my typical mid-tier, $8,000 range, so I am willing to skip it in a lot of lineups. Tyrell Hatton and Tony Finau make my list here, but I’ll lean Hatton at lower ownership and a similar ceiling.
He has become a popular bet in the industry this week, but it isn’t carrying over to ownership projections. Hatton has shown an ability to be sharp on approach when he has his game and is also known for grinding on tough courses. If this tournament plays similar to 2010 where we saw a 14-under winner, it could play right up his alley for a nice finish.
I think his ownership would remain low as he is someone many just don’t like to play, and now, at an elevated price tag, he makes for a nice GPP option.
Value PGA DFS Picks
Cameron Champ $7,800
Skipping right down to the value tier is how we can fit up to three of the top tier in this week. Champ may be a bit pricey for that build, but he is a play I really like. He will be low-owned in the 5-7% range, and I love that for GPPs. Many will see him as a player that doesn’t fit this course because we are taking the driver out of his hands on so many holes; however, he sets up well as a top 15 player in recent months on the long par 3s and approaches over 200 yards he will be set to face.
Champ at his best is always one that can outscore his placement position, and we know he has a winning ceiling, all of which set him up to be a nice, unique fit to lineups for St. George’s.
Austin Smotherman $7,500
This could be a great week for one of these young players to break through for a win. Theegala still fits the mold, but his price at $8,700 is tough to swallow. I’ll instead go to Smotherman, who has played well at the shorter courses and continues to be a reliable cut maker.
He’s made the cut in five straight events, with two of those resulting in top 25 finishes. I like the fit for the young player this week, and I think we could see him in a position to make some noise over the weekend.
J.T. Poston $7,200
I am not one that goes to the style of a player like J.T. Poston too often. He just relies on the putter more than the ball striking, a little too much for me to buy week-to-week. However, he is coming in with more than four shots gained on approach in two of his last three tournaments, and that paired with a hot putter is a perfect mix for what I want at this event.
If he can continue to strike it well this week, he is a name that sticks out to be one of my favorites in a really thin lower tier.
Sleeper PGA DFS Picks
Vaughn Taylor $6,800
You don’t want to have to dip into this range too much this week, but in reality, picking the right guy or guys here is likely what will win a big GPP. I love the build that jams guys up top, but to do that, you have to go down low, and I’ll start here with Vaughn Taylor.
Taylor is a name we’ve known around the TOUR for a long time, and he seems to pop up at random times. Usually, it is a shorter course like this week where we see him in the mix for a nice finish, and that’s what I’m hoping for at St. George’s. He comes in having gained better than three shots on approach in each of his last two tournaments and has made the cut in six of eight events this year.
There’s enough stability with upside in Taylor for me to take a shot in lineups this week.
Chris Gotterup $6,300
I’ll lean on the knowledge of some really smart golf people for this final pick. Chris Gotterup is a young and talented player from Oklahoma who finished T7 in his TOUR debut in Puerto Rico in March and will get consecutive weeks to show what he’s got on the big stage.
His qualification for the U.S. Open on Monday shows that he is playing some really strong golf, and if his talent is where many believe it is, he can certainly make some noise in a weak field at the RBC Canadian Open.
I’ll be going to him when I need the savings, and the talent alone gives us some hope of upside to win a GPP.
