The 2023 RBC Canadian Open is set to get underway from Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, this week. It’s not a Designated event like we’ve seen in recent weeks, like at the Memorial Tournament, but the RBC Canadian Open still has some big names in its field as we approach the PGA Tour’s third major at the U.S. Open next week.
From a DFS perspective, Oakdale should cede birdies at a fairly high clip. There are three par 3s and three par 5s, while the greens tend to run on the smaller side of average, especially on the front nine compared to the back nine. Ball striking will continue to be a premium, as we’ve seen all year, with many doglegged fairways and lengthy par 4s with sand bunkers flanking its Bentgrass/Poa Annua greens. Bentgrass has been the primary putting surface at recent PGA Tour events, but it’s been pure Bentgrass, which runs up to 13 feet via the Stimpmeter. However, the mixed surface at Oakdale leads to a slightly reduced speed at 11.5 feet, which could create some tricky conditions when successfully navigating the greens.
Rory McIlroy is the back-to-back defending champion at this event, although his -19-under-par and 22-under-par winning scorecards came at different courses than Oakdale. We just saw McIlroy implode at Muirfield Village last weekend with a share of the lead on Sunday, but his name remains the outright betting favorite at 5/1 odds. Behind McIlroy are Tyrrell Hatton, Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Young to round out the top five, while other premier ball strikers like Justin Rose, Corey Conners, and Tommy Fleetwood aren’t far behind.
There aren’t as many superstar names as we’ve become accustomed to seeing at Designated events, but there is still more than enough value on this slate to acquire when constructing DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s find out which six players I’m targeting and why ahead of Thursday’s opening round at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open from Oakdale Golf & Country Club.
Before we get into our RBC Canadian Open DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 RBC Canadian Open selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Sam Burns ($10,500)
Sam Burns fared well at the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, even though it was at a different course than Oakdale. The 26-year-old Louisiana native has three T16 or better finishes across his last five events, mixed in with two missed cuts. There’s a bit of risk, but Burns is a decent ball striker in strokes gained off-the-tee while brandishing his putter with confidence, as it ranks eighth in strokes gained putting. Burns has a great driver as well, which blends together to make him one of my favorite blue-chip prospects available on this slate. Plus, Burns ranks eighth in birdie or better conversion percentage at nearly 36 percent, so we can expect over a dozen birdies for the fourth time in Burns’ last six events played. Lock Burns into lineups with confidence.
Tommy Fleetwood ($9,600)
Tommy Fleetwood is undoubtedly one of the best ball strikers on the PGA Tour this season. While the Englishman is still searching for his first career outright win, Fleetwood logged three consecutive T20 finishes, including a T5 at Wells Fargo Championship, before missing the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge in his last outing. Due to the rare missed cut, we’re landing a discount on Fleetwood, who managed a T6 finish at the RBC Canadian Open during his last appearance at this event back in 2018. Fleetwood is ranked first in strokes gained around the green, 10th tee-to-green, and 37th approaching the green while also ranking inside the top 50 for strokes gained putting. He doesn’t tend to find greens in regulation but is 20th in scrambling, so don’t hesitate to grab Fleetwood at a decent value with his skill set projected to align nicely with the challenges at Oakdale this week.
Harry Hall ($7,600)
Harry Hall is another Englishman who put the PGA Tour on notice with his putting clinic at the Charles Schwab Challenge a couple of weeks ago. Since then, he’s taken a week off to rest and prepare for the RBC Canadian Open, where he’ll attempt to log his third T10 finish in five events. He is ranked 14th in strokes gained around the green, sixth in strokes gained putting, and 55th in scrambling. The driver and irons aren’t his best friend by any stretch, but Hall makes up for it with a 38th-ranked sand save percentage and a red-hot putter. In DFS, birdies are king, and Hall has collected 13 to 20 birdies in four of his past five events played. At just $7,600 on DraftKings, Hall is a great value to acquire in lineups.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Matt Fitzpatrick ($11,600)
The ball strikers continue to be priced highly in DFS, including Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the first RBC event of the season at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina earlier this Spring. Fitzpatrick is ranked 17th in total strokes gained, including 20th around the green, 32nd tee-to-green, 35th off-the-tee, and 34th putting. Plus, he’s also ranked 29th in total driving. He’s a great scrambler, which makes up for his inability to find greens in regulation while averaging 3.81 birdies this season. Fitzpatrick logged a T10 finish at this event in 2022, starting off six-under-par and closing out with three-under-par, so I like his game and how it fits at a precision course like Oakdale this week. Pay up to get Fitzpatrick into your FanDuel lineups.
Mark Hubbard ($9,100)
I haven’t been prone to recommending Mark Hubbard this season, but there’s a first time for everything. Hubbard has quietly logged five T30 finishes or better in his last six outings, but he did implode, going +7 in the final round at the Memorial Tournament this past weekend. Hubbard is ranked 39th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 27th approaching the green, and 51st in strokes gained around the green. When Hubbard is hot, there’s no stopping him, as he ranks 16th in consecutive birdies streak while also ranking second in best YTD streak without a 3-putt. There’s a reason that Hubbard is only $9,100 on FanDuel, due to his inconsistent play with his driver and hitting greens in regulation, but we’re taking a chance on his upside in a field with less overall talent than we’ve seen in recent events.
Carson Young ($8,500)
Carson Young is only six years into his PGA Tour career, but he’s been quietly stacking T20 finishes lately. The 28-year-old South Carolina native ranks first in consecutive fairways hit, which will be massive at Oakdale, where bluegrass rough is expected to measure over five inches to punish errant tee shots. Plus, Young is ranked 14th in putting from ten feet or less and 53rd with greens in regulation percentage at a 67.1 percent rate. His previous five finishes go T19, T15, MC, T14, and T21. Young is a huge value flying under the radar on DFS, as he’s only $8,500 on FanDuel, which makes him a quality salary-saving prospect to insert ahead of Thursday’s first round at Oakdale.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Matt Fitzpatrick ($11,600)
The ball strikers continue to be priced higher in DFS, including Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the first RBC event of the season at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina earlier this Spring. Fitzpatrick is ranked 17th in total strokes gained, including 20th around the green, 32nd tee-to-green, 35th off-the-tee, and 34th putting. Plus, he’s also ranked 29th in total driving. He’s a great scrambler, which makes up for his inability to find greens in regulation while averaging 3.81 birdies this season. Fitzpatrick logged a T10 finish at this event in 2022, starting off six-under-par and closing out with three-under-par, so I like his game and how it fits at a precision course like Oakdale this week. Pay up to get Fitzpatrick into your FanDuel lineups.
Mark Hubbard ($9,100)
I haven’t been prone to recommending Mark Hubbard this season, but there’s a first time for everything. Hubbard has quietly logged five T30 finishes or better in his last six outings, but he did implode, going +7 in the final round at the Memorial Tournament this past weekend. Hubbard is ranked 39th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 27th approaching the green, and 51st in strokes gained around the green. When Hubbard is hot, there’s no stopping him, as he ranks 16th in consecutive birdies streak while also ranking second in best YTD streak without a 3-putt. There’s a reason that Hubbard is only $9,100 on FanDuel, due to his inconsistent play with his driver and hitting greens in regulation, but we’re taking a chance on his upside in a field with less overall talent than we’ve seen in recent events.
Carson Young ($8,500)
Carson Young is only six years into his PGA Tour career, but he’s been quietly stacking T20 finishes lately. The 28-year-old South Carolina native ranks first in consecutive fairways hit, which will be massive at Oakdale, where bluegrass rough is expected to measure over five inches to punish errant tee shots. Plus, Young is ranked 14th in putting from ten feet or less and 53rd with greens in regulation percentage at a 67.1 percent rate. His previous five finishes go T19, T15, MC, T14, and T21. Young is a huge value flying under the radar on DFS, as he’s only $8,500 on FanDuel, which makes him a quality salary-saving prospect to insert ahead of Thursday’s first round at Oakdale.
