By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter & LineStar Chat

Tournament & Field 🏆

The golf world was hit with a massive news drop on Tuesday with the announcement that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf are merging under common ownership. Implications of this merger still aren’t 100% clear but we do know that this deal will end all pending litigation between the three parties and LIV Golf players will be eligible to re-apply for membership with the PGA Tour or DP World Tour following the 2023 season. There are plenty of hot takes and opinion pieces out there, along with sources that provide much more in-depth information surrounding the merger, so there is no real need to delve too deep into it here. But, damn, what an unexpected bombshell!

Moving onto this week, the PGA Tour sets its sights northward in preparation for the RBC Canadian Open which will be hosted by Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Ontario. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this tournament was canceled in the 2020 and 2021 seasons but returned to the PGA limelight last year. Oakdale G&CC will be the 37th host course for this tournament in its 117-year history. This tournament is sandwiched between an elevated event (the Memorial) and the third Major of the season, with the US Open arriving next week. As a result, we aren’t going to see an overly deep field compete this week; only six of the top 25, and 23 of the top 100 ranked players in the world are on site. Nonetheless, there are plenty of well-established players competing, including Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, and Tommy Fleetwood. But there is no question that we’ll be getting a bit more familiar with lesser-known golfers when constructing PGA DFS lineups. This is a full-field event with 156 players and the normal cut rule is in effect -- the top 65 players (including ties) after 36 holes will move on to play the weekend. Golfers will also be competing for a slice of the $9 million prize pool and 500 FedEx Cup points.

The Course Preview ⛳

Oakdale Golf & Country Club

Par 72 | 7,264 Yards

Greens: Bentgrass

First Tee: Thursday, June 8th at 7:00 a.m. ET

Oakdale G&CC will be making its PGA Tour debut so we’ll have zero course history to go off of this week. Nestled in the northwest region of Toronto, Oakdale G&CC is a golf course renowned for its picturesque fairway views, undulating greens, and strategically placed hazards. Crafted by the celebrated Canadian golf course architect, Stanley Thompson, this course showcases a classic parkland design, featuring a diverse blend of lengthy and shorter holes.

Off the tee, golfers will face down narrow fairways that are flanked by towering trees. The greens are well-guarded by bunkers and possess subtle slopes that could produce some tricky putting reads. The layout boasts a generous number of short Par 4s and three reachable Par 5s; this means that distance alone won't be a significant factor. While these holes may be shorter in yardage, none of the Par 4s appear to be drivable so varying degrees of short-wedge shots will routinely come into play. Ultimately, success will favor those who can skillfully spin their wedges close to the hole and confidently sink crucial putts. While we do not have any previous data to rely upon when it comes to course difficulty, on the surface, this may be a layout where PGA-caliber golfers can pour in a ton of birdies and post some very low rounds. The most challenging stretch at Oakdale G&CC is expected to be holes 3-6, which consists of four Par 4s that measure 475 yards in average distance.

One element that may keep scores from going extremely low is the rough. In preparation for the upcoming US Open, tournament organizers may deliberately have the rough grown out to resemble the conditions golfers will face next week while also helping to mitigate easy birdies following missed fairways. With that said, due to this course’s relatively shorter length, clubbing down off the tee to increase fairway accuracy (likely) won’t result in any significant disadvantage when it comes to the subsequent approach shots. So, we’re purely guessing here, but don’t expect an overly difficult scoring environment this week. This should be a solid tournament to build lineups for and we’ve got another big week ahead so let’s stay in strong form! Best of luck!

Weather & Tee Times ⛅

(Click the images above to view the most up-to-date forecast)

General Note: Due to the ongoing Canadian wildfires, air quality is going to be an issue throughout the week. It’s not an ideal situation, to say the least, but the tournament is going to play on as scheduled.

Thursday: Sustained winds should stay under <10 mph throughout the day and there are no significant gusts expected. Partly cloudy with temps in the 60s.

Friday: More light 5-10 mph winds. Chance for some scattered showers in the afternoon.

Weekend: More manageable wind conditions throughout the weekend. Sunday will bring forth the highest chance for rain.

⚖️Weather Verdict: Aside from the air quality concerns, overall conditions don’t look problematic this week. No wave advantage.

RBC Canadian Open Tee Times

Key Stats to Consider 📊

1. Strokes Gained: Approach | 25%

2. Birdie or Better Percentage | 25%

3. Par 4 Average | 25%

4. Short Iron Accuracy (Proximity: 100-150 Yards) | 15%

5. Strokes Gained: Putting | 10%

PGA Tour Stats Page

Canadian Open DFS Model Standouts 🏅

Below are the top 20 ranked golfers in both my overall model and my key stats model. Below that are the top 20 leaders in average fantasy points over the last five and last ten starts. The players ranked on these lists do not necessarily mean they are the top golfers I’m targeting for this week's event, but many of these guys should no doubt be favorable DFS options.

Overall Model Rank: A golfer’s ranking (within the current field) in my personal DFS model, which weighs all of the key stats listed above in this newsletter, as well as things like course history, recent form, recent average fantasy scoring results, and odds to win.

Key Stat Rank: Provides a golfer’s overall rank (in relation to the field) in my "key stats only" model, which considers only the key stats listed above in this newsletter with the specified percentage weights allocated towards each statistic.

Canadian Open DFS Cheat Sheet 📑

Click the Cheat Sheet above for the higher quality direct image link

Alternative Cheat Sheet Direct Image Link

Cheat Sheet QR Code:

That will do it for our PGA preview! Best of luck this week and, once again, feel free to hit me up in the LineStar chat or on Twitter @Ryan_Humphries with any questions.