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Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. I hope you are as excited as I am for the RBC Canadian Open! Let's dive in!
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the 2022 RBC Canadian Open. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options that are worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
2022 RBC Canadian Open - PGA DFS Overview
The Course: St. George's Golf & Country Club
Par 70 - 7,014 Yards, Greens: Bent, Designed By: Stanley Thompson
Considered one of the finest courses in Canada, St. George's is some of legendary architect Stanley Thompson's finest work. The layout was originally constructed in 1929, and despite renovations in 2014 and 2019, still comes in at just over 7,000 yards...which is extremely short by modern standards. Perhaps the most unique aspect of this week's layout is its interesting hole structure, which includes five Par-3s and three Par-5s. While I don't normally give extensive thought to Par-3 scoring for DFS purposes, we're almost forced to evaluate how players will handle the short ones this week, with four of St. George's Par-3s measuring between 200 and 215 yards.
As always, SG: Approach will be critical, as will a player's ability to take advantage of the Par-5s. This is a classical, tree-lined layout and we shouldn't overlook the need to find fairways off the tee, so Good Drives Gained will also be added to my recipe for the week. We last saw St. George's in the 2010 Canadian Open, so we are making educated guesses as to how exactly this course will play. As a result, I'll lean heavily on SG: T2G as my default foundational stat this week.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
| Stat | St. George's | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | N/A | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | N/A | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | N/A | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | N/A | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | N/A | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- SG: T2G
- Good Drives Gained
- SG: Approach
- Par-3 Scoring (Focus on 200-225 Yards)
- Par-5: Birdies or Better Gained
- Scoring Average: Easy Conditions
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Justin Thomas ($12,000)
When we get past the first dozen or so golfers in this week's field, things get pretty thin, pretty fast. As a result, this is shaping up as a "Stars & Scrubs" type of week for me from a DFS perspective. I'll be targeting the top of the board often when constructing lineups and that starts with Justin Thomas.
We can forgive JT for a missed cut at Colonial just a few days removed from an emotional victory at the PGA Championship. He's now had a little time to separate himself from that, and with the U.S. Open on the horizon, I look for Thomas to be refocused and ready to get back to business in Canada this week and let me tell ya...business has been booming.
Thomas has played beautifully to this point in 2022 and his win at Southern Hills felt like an appropriate payoff for the excellence he's displayed over the past year. Prior to the hangover appearance in the Charles Schwab, he'd gained strokes T2G, OTT, and on Approach in eight straight starts and in a remarkable 19 of his last 20 appearances dating back to last year. JT is an explosive scorer who grades out second in this week's field in Birdies or Better Gained over the last 12 rounds and he's repeatedly proven his ability to adapt to all types of golf courses, which adds a level of safety as we head to a course with some unknowns.
Rory McIlroy ($11,900)
Like the aforementioned Thomas, Rory McIlroy is playing at a level that will be rewarded with a win soon. A final-round run at Augusta National seems to have lit a fire in him and he's put forth a strong effort in post-Masters starts. McIlroy has gained an average of 6.9 strokes T2G over his last five tournaments and ranks first in this week's field in SG: Total, T2G, Ball Striking, & OTT over the last 12 rounds. He won the RBC Canadian Open in 2019 (though not at this course), so we have to feel that this is an event he takes seriously. He also stands first in the field in Birdies or Better Gained and second in Scoring Average.
Cameron Smith ($11,600)
Another headliner that's repeatedly demonstrated his explosiveness, including a winning score of 34-under par in the Sentry Tournament of Champions to open up the calendar year, Cameron Smith has clearly taken his game to a new level in 2022. In addition to the win at Kapalua, the Aussie captured The Players and was right in the thick of things down the stretch at Augusta National. A surprisingly-cold putter capped his result at the PGA Championship (T13), but the takeaway with Smith is his noticeable and consistent iron play - an area that's been a weakness in the past. He's now gained strokes on Approach in each of his last six and has gained an average of 4.7 strokes on Approach over his last five starts. His ability to rack of birdies in bunches (fifth in BoB Gained last 12 rounds) will be a huge asset this week.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Keith Mitchell ($9,900)
A player I relied on heavily earlier in the year, Keith Mitchell's strong play last week in The Memorial indicates we should be willing to stay on board. Mitchell recorded a T18 at Muirfield Village in spite of a third-round 76 and heads to Canada with his game in fine form. He has six top-25s on his 2022 resume and possesses the ability to thrive on both Par-3s and Par-5s, which will be critical at St. George's this week. In addition to grading out seventh in this field in SG: Par-5s, Mitchell also ranks an impressive 10th in Par-3 scoring on holes measuring between 200-225 yards. These traits make him uniquely qualified to handle what's on deck this week.
Chris Kirk ($9,800)
Chris Kirk has played his way into a lot of DFS player pools over the past month. An impressive T5 at the PGA Championship shined a spotlight on just how excellent the UGA alum has been from T2G this year. Prior to a misstep at Muirfield Village last week, Kirk had gained strokes T2G in all 12 of his 2022 starts. While the ball-striking numbers last week - which were by far his worst of the year - are a little concerning, Kirk still stands out as a noteworthy sub-$10k option on this Canadian Open slate. St. George's profiles as a nice fit for the vet, who ranks near the top of the field in Good Drives Gained but lands in the bottom half when it comes to Driving Distance. He's been especially proficient in a specific area we're targeting this week...Par-3 scoring, where he ranks 24th on Par-3 measuring between 200-225 yards. He'll see four of those per round this week and possesses top-10 upside on this slate.
C.T. Pan ($9,600)
As we move down the salary scale, this is the type of slate on which we must be willing to make some compromises and accept players "warts and all". That's the case with C.T. Pan, a player that's failed to muster a top-50 finish in either of his two most recent starts, but has shown enough over the past few months to deserve consideration. Pan is one of the shorter players off the tee in this field (89th Driving Distance), but that shouldn't be a huge hindrance on this St. George's layout that measures just over 7,000 yards. Instead, the Olympic bronze medalist should be able to capitalize on his accuracy off the tee (10th in Good Drives Gained), as well as his consistent iron play - he ranks sixth in this field in SG: Approach over the last 24 rounds. Pan has now gained strokes on Approach in nine consecutive starts and possesses sneaky upside on a course of this type.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Mark Hubbard ($8,700)
The 33-year-old journeyman has split time between the PGA Tour and KFT in 2022, and Hubbard has put together enough solid combined play across both to be in consideration on this slate. He comes in off a T29 in the REX Hospital Open on the KFT last week and has now made the cut in six of his last seven starts of this PGA/KFT hybrid schedule. Hubbard grades out 35th in this week's field in Birdies or Better Gained (measured PGA Tour rounds only) over his last 24 rounds and he's compiled a scoring average of 68.10 in five KFT starts this year.
Adam Long ($8,600)
Adam Long is coming off a rough outing at the Memorial, but there have been plenty of encouraging signs in recent months. Prior to last week's missed cut at Muirfield Village, Long had posted top-35 results in four of his last five starts and gained an average of 2.1 strokes T2G across those tournaments. There's reason to be bullish on his prospects on this St. George's layout, as the ball-striking has been solid. Long grades out fifth in this RBC field in Good Drives Gained over the last 24 rounds while ranking 16th in SG: Ball Striking over the same time frame.
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