DFS Golf Picks This Week: RBC Canadian Open 2022 DraftKings Value Plays

The PGA Tour is back in Canada for the first time since 2019. COVID caused the cancellation of the RBC Canadian Open in both 2020 and 2021, but the event has been reinstalled to its regular place on the schedule for 2022, directly prior to the U.S. Open. The event is switching venues this year and will be played at St. George’s for the first time since 2010. Prior course data up to 2019 is essentially useless, but there are a few takeaways from that 2010 event. Carl Pettersson won that season, shooting 14 under par and landing himself a 60 in the third round. It was a weaker-field event, but the fact Pettersson ranked 137th in driving distance and third in strokes gained putting tells a lot about the setup of this course. Let’s get a fresh look at some of the best DFS golf picks this week for DraftKings and FanDuel fantasy golf contests.

DFS Golf Rankings & Expert Picks | RBC Canadian Open

St. George’s is a shorter, par-70 venue that stretches to just 7,014 yards. It’s a simple setup but does have smaller greens and some harder-to-hit fairways. Scoring chances should be abundant for the pros, though, as there are three short par 5’s, five par 3’s and three par 4’s that come in under 400 yards in length. Expect low scoring and to target players trending well in short iron approach and proximity.

St. George’s Golf & Country Club Stats and Info

St. George’s is a Stanley Thompson venue that plays as 7,014 yards and features bentgrass greens. The venue should challenge players on approaches given the smaller greens and tighter setup, but it isn’t expected to be overly challenging.
Tighter fairways should make this venue less driver heavy. The course has three shorter par 5’s, and there are also three par 4’s under 400 yards. Clubbing down will be popular, and there should be lots of approaches from 150 yards and in.
Some wet early-week weather could make the greens on this older venue more receptive as well. Look for high-end iron players and those trending well in short- to mid-iron proximity to really explode this week.

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RBC Canadian Open 2022 DFS Golf Picks & Fantasy Golf Rankings

Rory McIlroy: Grades: A+, Values: A+

It’s really tight at the top of the rankings again this week with a lot of the top players getting solid grades and bunched in the projections. However, Rory McIlroy has the best value score of the top three golfers, and he also trumps Cameron Smith in win percentage and is slightly ahead of him in the projections. That’s the deciding factor, as McIlroy seems on the verge of breaking through, having posted finishes of 18th or better in each of his last four starts.

McIlroy is also setting up to be a very popular pick, with ownership levels trending well above 30%. That’s something to note for GPP pools if going overweight on him. Several top players have broken through lately, though (and some as popular picks), so there’s no need to shy away. A softer golf course for McIlroy might be a good thing since he is trending well on approaches, and he’s again projecting as a great starting point.

Projected PGA DFS ownership: DraftKings: 33.5% | FanDuel: 34.6%

The Stats:

Has gained over 2.5 strokes on approach in each of his last three starts.
Won this event on a similar setup in 2019 and ranks first in strokes gained tee to green over the last 24 and 50 rounds of play.

Check out Jason Rouslin’s PGA DFS preview and course breakdown for the RBC Canadian Open 2022.

Matthew Fitzpatrick: Grades: A+, Values: A+

Riding with Matthew Fitzpatrick in DFS this year has been an enjoyable experience for the most part. He’s landed seven top-15 finishes in his last 10 starts but has offset those with three missed cuts on the year as well. One of those came last week at the Memorial, unfortunately, but it’s not something to be concerned about. Fitzpatrick gained over two strokes on approach and off the tee last week but had a terrible week putting, an anomaly given how good of a putter he generally is.

The shorter St. George’s should fit more into his style of play, and it’s worth noting that he regularly chewed up some shorter stops on the European Tour and is a two-time winner of the Omega European Masters, which is a shorter, technical track similar to this week’s venue. Fitzpatrick grades strongly again and has slightly better value metrics than fellow European Shane Lowry, who is also slightly more expensive on DraftKings. Looking to Fitzpatrick as the second man in core lineups makes sense.

Projected PGA DFS ownership: DraftKings: 17.1% | FanDuel: 19.9%

The Stats:

Gained over two strokes off the tee and on approach in two rounds last week.
Third in strokes gained tee to green and around the green over the last 24 rounds; seven finishes of 15th or better over his last 10 starts.

Low-Owned Daily Fantasy Golf GPP Flier

Chris Kirk ($9,100)

It’s pretty interesting to see Chris Kirk projecting for under 5% rostership in this weak of a field. Yes, there is some top-end talent around, but this field dries out fast after the top five or so. Kirk is just two starts removed tying for fifth at the PGA Championship, the best major finish of his career, and he comes to a setup that should favor his strong approach and around-the-green games.

This is certainly a case of paying up to get lower ownership, but the upside with Kirk in this field seems worth employing that strategy. He’s fourth in the field in strokes gained tee to green over the last 50 rounds and is also top 10 in proximity from 100 to 125 yards and 100 yards or less. The short length of this track should make this a wedge fest, and Kirk’s steadiness off the tee (he’s gained strokes off the tee in 14 straight starts) means plenty of birdie looks should be coming his way. If this low-sentiment projection holds, he’ll be a fantastic GPP target.

Projected PGA DFS ownership: DraftKings: 4.8%

If you’re looking for an edge in the golf betting market, be sure to watch who golf betting experts Ben Rasa and Eric Lindquist are putting their money on to win the Canadian Open.

Top 3 Under 5% in DraftKings Fantasy Golf This Week

This section will target players that should end up under or close to 5% ownership in larger DraftKings Golf GPPs. These picks are boom/bust PGA DFS players with an almost 100% focus on the upside.

Patrick Reed ($8,900)

Reed is worth the pay up for many of the same reasons as Kirk. Reed has played better of late but just suffered a little on the longer Muirfield track last week. He’s fully capable of getting hot with his putter on a short track like St. George’s, though, and he has been striking it more consistent of late. Under 5% ownership would feel like a huge win considering the strength of this field.

Adam Svensson ($7,100)

Svensson should be a nice fit on this shorter, technical track. He has posted two top-10 finishes in 2022 already, and both came on par-70 setups that tend to emphasize and reward strong approach play. Svensson has made three straight cuts in a row and is trending well with the putter. If that club keeps consistent, a top-20 is within reach for a player who can get hot with his irons.

Stephan Jaeger ($7,300)

Jaeger is by no means a must-play, but it does seem silly to just ignore the fact he’ll be 2% owned or less this week. The missed cut at Colonial hurt, but he was showing real consistency with his approach game prior to that and carries one of the more elite putting/short game combos in the game. Putting him in GPP player pools makes sense and won’t require much exposure to be overweight the field.

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