Before we head to Los Angeles for the U.S. Open next week, the PGA TOUR is hosting the RBC Canadian Open at Oakdale Golf & Country Club (par 72, 7,264 yards, Bentgrass greens with slight POA mix) in Toronto, marking the venue’s debut at the PGA TOUR level. There are three nine-hole courses at Oakdale and the players this week will play a special selected 18 holes from the 27 on site, that the PGA TOUR believes creates the most challenging test of golf Oakdale has to offer. Overall, this is an untraditional par 72, with the official scorecard for this week reading 12 par 4s, three par 5s and three par 3s.
Oakdale is a tree-lined parkland course that features narrow, windy fairways, small greens and thick rough, that is expected to be around four-to-six inches long. While the rough is expected to be penalizing, Oakdale lacks hazards, with only 57 bunkers on the grounds and water only coming into play on four holes. Being in the fairway is going to be a clear advantage at this track and targeting players who rank well in driving accuracy or total driving is a wise move. As always, we should be prioritizing golfers who are in convincing form with their irons and we should also be seeking elite par four players, with Oakdale home to 12 par 4s.
Headlined by two-time defending champion Rory McIlroy – who is heavily favorited to win the RBC Canadian for the third year in the row at +500 on the DraftKings Sportsbook – 10 of the top-30 ranked players in the world will be competing at Oakdale this week. This is a full field of 156 golfers and there will be a normal top-65 and ties cut following the first 36 holes.
Below, I have featured four of my favorite sub $7.5K DraftKings value plays for the RBC Canadian Open.
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Mark Hubbard ($7,300) – Playing the best golf of his career, Hubbard is a tremendous value at this soft price tag. The 34-year-old has made six straight cuts at standard stroke play events, with five of these finishes notably being top-30 results. During this run, Hubbard has impressively gained strokes on approach at every event, has shot under par in 70% of his rounds and has moved himself up 58 spots in the world golf rankings, to a career-best No. 102.
To put the icing on the cake, Hubbard owns a solid resume at the RBC Canadian Open, making three-of-four cuts for his career, and he has yet to miss the weekend at a venue that presents Bentgrass greens this season, including three top-30 finishes.
Ben Martin ($7,300) – Martin has only missed one cut in his last 10 starts at standard stroke play events and has flashed great upside during this span, posting four top-15 finishes. In addition, the Clemson product is an excellent match for Oakdale, ranking in fifth in SG: Approach, sixth in par-4 efficiency, sixth in BOB% and 30th in fairways gained over his last 50 rounds.
Martin checks all the boxes this week and is one of the safest bets to make the cut in this price range.
C.T. Pan ($7,100) – Pan is coming his best finish in over two years, with a T4 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. At TPC Craig Ranch that week, not only did Pan gain strokes in every major category, but he shot under par in every round, including a jaw dropping nine-under par 62 on Sunday, which is lowest score the 31-year-old has ever recorded on the PGA TOUR.
Looking to build off this incredible performance, Pan is a terrific target at this low salary. In his only other start at an RBC Canadian Open in 2017, Pan finished T14 at Glen Abbey GC, which like Oakdale, is a par 72 that features Bentgrass putting surfaces.
Doug Ghim ($7,100) – Ghim finished T18 at last year’s RBC Canadian Open and returns to Canada in compelling form. In his last two starts, Ghim has finished T27 at the Wells Fargo Championship and T19 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, while ranking top-20 in fairways found at both these tournaments. Overall, Ghim ranks seventh in greens-in-regulation and sixth in driving accuracy over his last 24 rounds, setting him up perfectly for Oakdale, where being accurate off the tee and on approach will give you a distinct edge.
A third consecutive top-30 finish is certainly possible for Ghim this week and he needs to be included in your player pool at this cheap price point.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $700K Pitch + Putt [$200K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.