This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
Canadian Open
Oakville, Ontario
Glen Abbey Golf Club - Par 72 - 7,253 yards
Field - 156 Entrants
Purse - $6.2M
The Preview
As the Canadian Open sits in the middle of a busy mid-summer stretch that includes the Open Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship, just six of the OWGR's top-50 teed it up at last year's edition of the event. That number nearly doubles this year as the 156-entrant field is highlighted by 11 of the top-50, including major champions Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia. Glen Abbey Golf Club is a ball-strikers paradise with four scorable par-fives, so focus on total driving, SG: Tee-to-Green and GIR percentage when building lineups. As for the weather, rain is expected throughout the late morning and early afternoon on Thursday, but temperatures should remain mild throughout the week and the wind is slated to remain at a one-club rate or less.
Past Champions
2017 – Jhonattan Vegas (Glen Abbey)
2016 – Jhonattan Vegas (Glen Abbey)
2015 – Jason Day (Glen Abbey)
2014 – Tim Clark
2013 – Brandt Snedeker (Glen Abbey)
2012 – Scott Piercy
2011 – Sean O'Hair
2010 – Carl Pettersson
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Dustin Johnson - $18,500
A swing and a miss at Carnoustie last week, but a single missed cut didn't keep the oddsmakers from making the OWGR's top-ranked player the favorite this week. Johnson had six straight top-20 finishes prior to his MC at the Open Championship, and has placed T8-T2-T2 in his last three trips to Glen Abbey
Brooks Koepka - $17,400
The reigning U.S. Open champion couldn't make it two major victories in a row at the Open Championship last week, but the fourth-ranked player in the world has now gone over 25 consecutive starts without a missed cut to go along with four top-20s in his last six showings. Koepka placed T18 during his Glen Abbey debut in 2015, while he's top-10 on Tour in both birdie average and scoring average this season.
Tony Finau - $16,700
At No. 10 in the FedExCup standings, Finau is the highest-ranked player without a win this season. He's more than overdue and notched a top-five result at Glen Abbey last year, while he's currently top-25 on Tour in a plethora of statistical categories including driving distance, GIR percentage, birdie average, total eagles and scoring average to name a few. Finau has ascended to a career-best 28th in the OWGR thanks to a quartet of top-25 finishes in his last five starts.
Glue Guys
Gary Woodland - $14,900
Woodland, who finished solo-fourth at the Canadian Open last season, is primed for success again at Glen Abbey as he ranks fifth in SG: Off-the-Tee, ninth in GIR percentage and 36th in par-five birdie or better percentage. He's made the cut in four straight starts dating back to the Memorial Tournament, most recently finishing 67th on a tough layout at Carnoustie.
Steve Stricker - $14,100
Even at 51 years of age, Stricker continues to be a confident play in cash-game environments as he continuously makes cuts. He's finished worse than a T43 just once in his last nine starts, impressively posting a top-20 during his penultimate showing at the U.S. Open. The veteran ranks top-30 on Tour in scoring average, driving accuracy and GIR percentage.
Bargain Bin
Joel Dahmen - $13,600
Sitting just outside of the top-200 in the OWGR, Dahmen continues to be priced below the $14k range despite finishing top-25 in seven of his last nine starts, including a recent stretch of T15-T2-T5-T23. The 30-year-old missed the cut during his Glen Abbey debut last season, but is currently playing the best golf of his career.
Harold Varner III - $13,500
Varner is on fire with a pair of top-6s in his last two showings at the John Deere Classic and The Greenbrier, and he bounced back from a missed cut at Glen Abbey in 2016 with a top-25 performance at last year's edition of this event. He's 18th on Tour in driving distance and will be motivated to jump inside the top-100 of the FedExCup standings this week.
Sam Ryder - $13,000
Ryder will make his Canadian Open debut coming off the best back-to-back stretch of his rookie season after posting results of T7-T2 at the Barbasol Championship and John Deere Classic. He led the Web.com Tour in driving distance and ranked third in ball striking last season, while he's currently third on the PGA Tour in GIR percentage through 23 starts.
J.J. Spaun - $12,900
Spaun presents plenty of value at this price as the 50th-ranked player in the FedExCup standings, while he's also 14th on Tour in GIR percentage, 14th in SG: Approach and 14th in birdie average. He's one for two in terms of cuts made at Glen Abbey, but has finished T13-T27 in his past two starts at The Greenbrier and Quicken Loans National.
