PGA DFS Golf: 2018 RBC Canadian Open DRAFT Rankings (DRAFT.com)
Why do you need another DFS site? Because DRAFT combines the excitement of a season-long draft into one set of games! Get your PGA DFS Golf rankings with FantasyCPR
Welcome to this edition of PGA DFS Golf rankings for DRAFT.com from FantasyCPR, covering the 2018 RBC Canadian Open. The DRAFT app can be downloaded to your mobile device through your app store, or you can access their desktop site here.
I play quite a bit on DRAFT, and have always been a big fan of the snake draft format. On DRAFT, for PGA, you simply roster five golfers. They offer head-to-head, 3-man, 6-man and 8-man drafts that start upon filling. In the DRAFT lobby, you will find me in the six-man and eight-man contests, which payout to the top two spots.
My goal here will be to give you my targets in tiers, based upon their DRAFT projections. Followed by that, will be my top 40 overall rankings. The strategy of course here, is that 40 golfers will be drafted for 8-man contests, and these rankings will have you covered. After having completed my rankings for this week, let’s quickly look at last weeks Open Championship targets, and talk about this event before we move on to the targets.
Last Week:
While the results were not exactly there for me, as I only cashed on one of my seven drafts last weekend, my targets here were pretty dead on. All nine players I targeted (three from each tier) made the cut, and the worst finish out of the bunch was Brooks Koepka, who finished at +2 and T-39. Unfortunately for me I had a few Dustin Johnson and Emiliano Grillo lineups which turned awful, but regardless, I write this column for the people who have reached out to me on Twitter to tell me thanks, and that I helped them cash this week. If I can help anybody then that is why I write this weekly. If I helped you too let me know, because I do appreciate it, and it keeps me motivated.
Back to the Open Championship, my low projected targets all turned in top 20 finishes. Tommy Fleetwood finished at -3 and tied for 12th, while Alex Noren T-17 at -2. Also in that group of low projected targets was Tiger Woods, who certainly seems to be back for whatever that is worth. Woods finished -5 and T6th. Highlighting the mid tier was Rory McIlroy, who along with top tier target Justin Rose, finished T2nd at -6. Out of my nine targets, six finished in the top 20, with three in the top five. You can read last weeks Open Championship article here, but lets move on to this week to see if I can drum up even better results.
About the Event:
Starting on Thursday morning, July 26th at around 6 AM CST, the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, in Oakville, Ontario will be underway. At what at times has been a rotating event, it is now pretty much established at Glen Abbey, as this will be the 30th time it has hosted, and the fifth time in the last six years. That helps give us a good look at course history, so that will certainly play a role in the rankings this week. Glen Abbey plays at par 72, and measures 7,253 yards.
The field here at the RBC Canadian is fairly decent, with world #1 golfer Dustin Johnson and U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka highlighting the field. Two time returning champion Jhonattan Vegas is back going for a third straight victory here at Glen Abbey, and will no doubt garner a late first to early second round pick this week in your draft. Tommy Fleetwood has also made the trip over after the open, and is now riding three straight top 20’s. Last years runner-up here Charley Hoffman is back, and is another popular name I look for to contend this weekend.
Event History:
2018 will mark the fourth straight, and seventh time in 10 years that Glen Abbey has hosted this rotating event known as Canada’s Open. Other courses that have hosted somewhat recently are Royal Montreal which held the honor in 2014, and Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver in 2011. It was recently announced that the event will be on the move again in 2019, as the RBC Canadian will return to 2012 host Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario. Scott Piercy won the 2012 tournament, tying the four day event record with a 263.
Let’s talk a bit about history here at Glen Abbey before we get to the targets. So we know now Vegas has been fantastic here, winning the last two. But, we also have some other past winners present in this field, along with a couple of runner-up’s who could also contend. Past champions include 2008 champ Chez Reavie, who started out the season in good shape, but has missed a few cuts as of late, and Brandt Snedeker who held off four 2nd place finshers by three strokes in 2013. Finishing T2 that year, and again in 2016, was tournament favorite Dustin Johnson. And last years runner-up Charley Hoffman is also back, and will likely be a first round pick in your drafts.
PGA DFS Golf High Projected Targets: (Players with DRAFT Projections of 60-80)
Dustin Johnson – (80.8)
Well D.J. broke a few hearts last week for DFS, but I am sure nobody felt worse than him. Johnson is described as a pretty laid back guy who doesn’t seem to let much bother him, but a poor showing in a major for the number one ranked golfer in the world just cannot sit well with any true competitor. With his two second place finishes here I mentioned above, he also notched another top ten here last year, as he tied for 8th. Johnson has pretty much owned this course, and after rounds of 76 and 72 last week, I think he will be itching for another victory. I think DJ gets it done this weekend, and he is my top pick without question this week.
Brooks Koepka – (73.2).
Koepka was right in thick of things after the first two rounds at The Open, but stumbled in the third round shooting a 75, and following that up with a 70 and finishing in a T-39th. Arguably the 2nd best player in this field, the U.S. Open champ will be looking to right the ship a bit, as he has slipped a bit since that win in June. Granted, it has only been just over a month since then, and he has only played in two events. Bottom line here for me with Koepka this week is that I think he destroys these Par 5’s, and an eagle or two seems likely for the young gun. Tony Finau may get a little more attention this week for his performance at The Open, but I will take Koepka this week.
Charley Hoffman – (64.3)
Hoffman comes in to Glen Abbey as one of my favorite plays this weekend. He has the combination of good course history, and great recent form going for him here, and will likely be a top five pick in your drafts this week. Here at the RBC Canadian, we covered that he was runner-up last year, but also has tied for 16th and 7th place as well the two previous years. More recently, he finished The Open T-17, giving him three straight top 20’s on the PGA tour. If you pick mid to late first round, Hoffman should be in your queue.
PGA DFS Golf Mid Projected Targets: (Players with DRAFT Projections of 50-60)
Jhonattan Vegas – (54.5)
Well the recent form certainly is not there for Vegas, as he has failed to make a cut since his T-41 finish at the U.S. Open. In fact he has has just one top 20 since March. So you may ask, why? Well in a semi-weak overall field, I am going to put a premium on a player who has been the best player on this course for two consecutive years. All of these guys are professionals, and they will struggle a bit, but there is something to be said about being comfortable somewhere. Vegas will likely slot in around the end of the second round, but I can see myself drafting him ahead of the Ian Poulters and Keegan Bradleys of the world. He was struggling last year as well heading into this one, and I am guessing he will be coming to play once again.
J.B. Holmes – (59.5)
Holmes is a tough guy to figure out, but finds his way into the upper half of my rankings this weekend. In June, the bomber was firing on all cylinders, notching a solo third at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, and following that with a T-2 at the Travelers. Come late June / early July however, Holmes has missed two cuts, and is looking to get back on track. If Holmes can find that early June form here this weekend at Glen Abbey, he should easily be able to pay off his third round price tag. This is the area of the rankings where it starts to thin out a bit, so Holmes looks to be a good gamble in this range in this field.
Harold Varner – (52.2)
Varner should be ready to go, and chomping at the bit to get back into competition. He is currently on a great run, scoring top 10’s in his last two events. He finished sixth at the John Deere Classic two weeks ago, after finishing T-5 the week prior at the Greenbrier. Varner did play at Glen Abbey in this event last year, and was decent then as well, posting a T-23. With his current form, and the strength of the field, Varner should slot in somewhere around the end of the 2nd round.
PGA DFS Golf Low Projected Targets: (Players with DRAFT Projections of 25-50)
Tommy Fleetwood – (41.7)
Another PGA DRAFT DFS article, another low projection on a projected top 10 finisher in Tommy Fleetwood. If you have read this piece before, you will likely notice some fill in repeat notes such as in the introduction and the conclusion. You will also likely see Fleetwood as the top target of the low projected targets, but I promise, this part is always different! Fleetwood continues to get it done, and shined once again at last weeks Open. He fired a second round -6 to put him in contention, but stumbled on the weekend and ended up T-12. Since THE PLAYERS in May, he has only played on the PGA tour in the two majors, but he has made the trip to Ontario to compete in his first RBC Canadian Open. One of the best golfers in the field, he will once again go in the first round of your drafts, and will not be a sneaky pick.
Sam Ryder – (32.8)
Although the rookie Ryder did not compete at The Open over the weekend, he was in action and putting on a show, at least in the third round, at the Barbasol Championship. Ryder shot a -9 in that round, and went on to finish T-7, marking two straight top 10’s. The week prior, Ryder was in contentention at the John Deere Classic, but came up just short of that elusive first tour victory with a T-2 finish. Ryder’s recent form puts him in a good spot here, and he should be a relatively sneaky pick that can be had late third / early fourth round.
Joel Dahmen – (46.7)
Our final target this week will be another up-and-comer also in great form. One of the better ball-strikers on tour as of late, Dahmen has been in the hunt all of July, and has put together four straight top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour. After missing a couple of cuts in June, Dahmen bounced back at the Quicken Loans National and started his stretch of great golf, finishing T-23rd. He proceeded to notch back-to-back top fives at the Greenbrier and the John Deere Classic, and tied with Ryder for second at the John Deere. His stretch of great play continued last week at the Barbasol Championship, where he finished T-15. He is going pretty consistently in the third round, and I will get as much of him as I can there this weekend.
PGA DFS Golf DRAFT Rankings: Top 40
My rankings are pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 40 overall. Following each golfer is their DRAFT fantasy point projection in parenthesis.
1. Dustin Johnson – (80.8)
2. Brooks Koepka – (73.2)
3. Tony Finau – (71)
4. Charley Hoffman – (64.3)
5. Tommy Fleetwood – (41.7)
6. Matt Kuchar – (67.2)
7. Brandt Snedeker – (62.9)
8. Jhonattan Vegas – (54.5)
9. Kevin Kisner – (62.5)
10. Ian Poulter – (60.6)
11. Gary Woodland – (63.1)
12. Chez Reavie – (61.3)
13. Harold Varner – (52.2)
14. Sergio Garcia – (62.3)
15. Jamie Lovemark – (61.6)
16. Bubba Watson – (58.2)
17. JB Holmes – (59.5)
18. Adam Hadwin – (61.1)
19. Stewart Cink – (61.8)
20. Steve Stricker – (60.4)
21. Sam Ryder – (32.8)
22. Joel Dahmen – (46.7)
23. Byeong-Hun An – (57.8)
24. Keegan Bradley – (63.9)
25. Jimmy Walker – (52.9)
26. Ollie Schneiderjans – (57.7)
27. Ryan Armour – (51.8)
28. Corey Conners – (35.3)
29. Chesson Hadley – (37.9)
30. Brandon Harkins – (36.1)
31. Nick Taylor – (51)
32. David Hearn – (47)
33. Kevin Tway – (58.3)
34. Seamus Power – (54.8)
35. Chris Kirk – (55.5)
36. David Lingmerth – (53.3)
37. Wesley Bryan – (53.1)
38. JJ Spaun – (53.8)
39. John Huh – (51.8)
40. Mackenzie Hughes – (49.9)
Next: DraftKings RBC Canadian Open Sleepers/Ownership
That is all for this weeks PGA DFS Golf DRAFT rankings for the 2018 RBC Canadian Open. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing. I more so hope I guided us all to some success on DRAFT! If you have any questions, give me a follow on Twitter at @JuanBondDFS. You can also leave a question right here in the comments, and I will do my best to respond before lock Thursday morning. Good luck this weekend, enjoy your golf, and happy drafting on DRAFT!