For the final stop before the U.S. Open, the PGA Tour is hosting the RBC Canadian Open this week. For the first time ever, Oakdale Golf & Country Club (par 72, 7,264 yards, bentgrass greens with slight poa mix) in Toronto will host this event. Oakdale consists of three nine-hole courses, and the PGA Tour has chosen 18 of these 27 holes for the field of 156 players. Let’s look at Stokastic’s Top Golfers Tool to find the best leverage PGA DFS picks for the RBC Canadian Open.
Leverage scores compare a golfer’s ownership to their salary-weighted odds to finish in the top 6 of the tournament. It is one of many metrics in Stokastic’s tools that use the fantasy point and ownership projections to find the top PGA DFS plays each week.
PGA DFS Picks & Leverage: RBC Canadian Open
Oakdale is a classic tree-lined design, with narrow fairways and small greens. Water only comes into play on four holes, and the course’s biggest defense is expected to be the thick rough, making accurate drivers smart targets. The smaller putting surfaces also put an emphasis on strong iron play, and the best move is to find efficient par-4 players, with Oakdale an untraditional par 72 that is home to 12 par 4’s.
Keith Mitchell
Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Ranks: DraftKings: 31st, FanDuel: 75th
Mitchell has made 15 of 18 cuts this season – including six top-25 finishes – and is without a doubt one of the best off-tee players on the planet, ranking third in total driving this season. Additionally, he is a strong player at courses that feature bentgrass greens, ranking 17th in total strokes gained over the field’s last 50 rounds at bentgrass venues. Notably, he has made seven straight cuts at courses with bentgrass greens, including a seventh at last year’s RBC Canadian Open at St. Georges.
Mitchell brings similar upside this week and is an appealing high-end, contrarian option, with Stokastic projecting him for single-digit ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
James Hahn
Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Ranks: DraftKings: 23rd, FanDuel: 33rd
Hahn boasts a spotless 5-for-5 made-cut record at the RBC Canadian Open – including a pair of top-12 finishes – and has made four of his last six cuts on tour. Most recently, he finished 50th at the AT&T Byron Nelson while gaining a season-high 4.8 strokes on approach in the process.
If Hahn can continue this form with his irons to combine with his accurate driver that ranks 18th in fairways gained over his last 50 rounds, he has the potential to finish in the top-30 this weekend. That would be an incredible return at his low salaries. On top of being extremely affordable, Hahn is projected to come with essentially no ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel, according to Stokastic’s projections.
Kevin Chappell
Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Ranks: DraftKings: 28th, FanDuel: 17th
This is a terrific time to buy low on Chappell. Coming off a missed cut at the AT&T Byron Nelson, he is expected to come with little ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel, according to Stokastic’s projections. While missing the weekend at the Byron Nelson was not ideal for Chappell, he was in excellent form prior to this, making his five previous cuts and finishing top 30 four times. Plus, during that cut streak, Chappell was striking the ball extremely well, gaining strokes on approach at all five events.
He has finished inside the top 20 in two of his last three appearances at the RBC Canadian Open and should bounce back with a solid finish at Oakdale.
Andrew Novak
Stokastic PGA Optimizer Leverage Ranks: DraftKings: 28th, FanDuel: 70th
Novak is way underpriced for his chances of advancing the through the cut and is slated to come with low ownership according to Stokastic’s projections. That makes him a tremendous sleeper for GPPs.
Novak has been consistent this season, making 12 of 15 cuts at standard stroke play events, including six top-30 finishes. He has gained strokes on approach in four straight solo starts and has top-30 upside in this weak field.
