This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
RBC Canadian Open
Caledon, Ontario, Canada
TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North Course) - Par 70 - 7,389 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $9.8M
The Preview
The PGA Tour heads north for our neighbor's grandest golf tournament of the year, as TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley is primed to host the RBC Canadian Open for the very first time. Despite only a pair of par-5s appearing on the scorecard, the North Course stretches to nearly 7,400 yards, with its relatively wide fairways and sizable greens possibly promoting some sense of a bomber's paradise off the tee. Meanwhile, two of the par-3s measure 225-plus and six of the par-4s are 480-plus, further emphasizing the importance of long-iron play as well. However, Osprey Valley probably sounds like a tougher test on paper than the TPC setup will actually provide, especially if the rough isn't too penal, so birdie chances remain key for DFS scoring purposes. Aside from scattered showers early Thursday morning, the weather forecast looks quite favorable for the rest of the week.
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Recent Champions
2024 - Robert MacIntyre (Hamilton G&CC)
2023 - Nick Taylor (Oakdale G&CC)
2022 - Rory McIlroy (St. George's G&CC)
2021 - None
2020 - None
2019 - Rory McIlroy (Hamilton G&CC)
2018 - Dustin Johnson (Glen Abbey GC)
2017 - Jhonattan Vegas (Glen Abbey GC)
2016 - Jhonattan Vegas (Glen Abbey GC)
2015 - Jason Day (Glen Abbey GC)
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Driving Distance
Proximity: 175+ Yards
Birdie Average
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Rory McIlroy - $45
McIlroy skipped out on the Memorial Tournament after a disappointing T47 at the PGA Championship, but he returns to action this week in Canada where he's shorter than a 5/1 outright favorite without Scottie Scheffler in attendance. Sitting No. 1 in driving distance and second in SG: Off-the-Tee over his last 36 rounds, McIlroy owns a significant advantage with driver at Osprey Valley's North Course.
Ludvig Aberg - $45
Aberg has underwhelmed since his mid-February win at The Genesis Invitational, but he just gained 5.1 strokes from tee to green at Muirfield Village, where he also posted the event's second-best final round performance with a six-under 66 on Sunday. From a value perspective, it might feel weird that you're spending the same amount of salary on Aberg as McIlroy, but it's important to remember that Yahoo's pricing is very soft and this duo is easily stackable.
Taylor Pendrith - $41
Not only has Pendrith logged more rounds at TPC Toronto than maybe anyone else in the field, but he also just paced the Memorial Tournament in SG: Approach, gaining a career-high 7.3 strokes with his irons last week in Ohio. That impressive performance came on the heels of a T5 at the PGA Championship, and the Canadian also ranks top-7 in both SG: Off-the-Tee and proximity over his last 24 rounds.
Glue Guys
Harry Hall - $32
Having gained a collective 13.4 strokes with the flat stick over his last three starts, Hall brings a hot putter and five straight top-35 finishes to Ontario. This stretch includes a T6 in his most recent outing at the Charles Schwab Challenge, where he gained a career-best 6.6 strokes off the tee while leading the field in driving accuracy.
Keith Mitchell - $31
Priced at just $31 despite being one of the strongest ball strikers in this field, Mitchell has quietly gained strokes putting in six consecutive starts as well. Mitchell's ability to rack up birdie opportunities is extremely valuable in DFS at this discounted salary.
Luke Clanton - $28
Clanton's Yahoo salary is $10 too low for his professional debut, especially given the fact that we've already seen him contend on the PGA Tour as the No. 1 amatuer in the world. He won four of his last six collegiate events dating back to February's Watersound Invitational, and the Florida State product's off-the-tee prowess makes him an excellent course fit at TPC Toronto.
Bargain Bin
Alex Smalley - $27
Smalley was a top-25 machine from the Sony Open in Hawaii to THE PLAYERS Championship earlier this year, but he's since cooled off with four missed cuts in his last six outings. However, Smalley is still fifth in P4: 450-500 Efficiency and 11th in SG: OTT over his last 36 rounds, and he's no longer the atrocious putter that we saw in past seasons. If long-iron play factors into the recipe for success as expected this week, I like Smalley to bounce back here at potentially low ownership.
Chris Gotterup - $20
Gotterup successfully qualified for the U.S. Open while back home in New Jersey on Monday, and he'll bring that positive momentum to TPC Toronto where he can let loose and showcase his admirable driving distance. The putter can run cold for Gotterup, but he's still 13th in scrambling and 34th in Birdies or Better Gained over his past 24 rounds, guiding him to a T28-T13-T15-T18 run since the Corales Puntacana Championship.
Ricky Castillo - $20
Ranking second in proximity, fourth in Opportunities Gained, 15th in SG: APP and 25th in SG: OTT over his last 36 rounds, Castillo pops in the stat models this week, especially for a minimum-salaried player. He hasn't lost strokes from tee to green in a measured event since February's Mexico Open, and Castillo gained a combined 9.8 strokes with his irons throughout his last two starts at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Looking for the best golf picks on Yahoo? Find the top Yahoo PGA DFS picks and value plays for every tournament from RotoWire golf expert Bryce Danielson.
