GOLF

Daily Fantasy Golf Course Primer: RBC Canadian Open

Jhonattan Vegas will try to three-peat this week at the RBC Canadian Open. What can we learn from his performance at Glen Abbey GC?

The Open Championship this past weekend was everything you could've hoped for.

The top of the leaderboard was loaded -- and shifting -- all day on Sunday, and Tiger Woods was in the hunt, if that's your thing (it is). Francesco Molinari carried a steady streak of pars to the Claret Jug, leaving a slew of studs in the rear-view mirror.

The stakes won't be quite as high this week at Glen Abbey GC for the RBC Canadian Open, but that's okay. We've got daily fantasy golf to give us that sweat.

Let's dig into the course and see what stands out.

Course and Tournament Info

Glen Abbey GC hasn't always hosted this event, but this will be the fourth straight year for it, as well as the fifth over the past six years. The par 72 runs 7,253 yards and features bentgrass greens and fairways.

The past few years indicate that this course plays pretty easy, though 2016 proved a bit tricky, while winds gusted upwards of 20 miles per hour until Sunday.

Year Difficulty Rank Course Par Yards Avg Score Avg O/U Par
2017 42 Glen Abbey GC 72 7,253 70.371 -1.629
2016 14 Glen Abbey GC 72 7,253 72.535 0.535
2015 31 Glen Abbey GC 72 7,253 71.211 -0.789
2013 28 Glen Abbey GC 72 7,253 71.603 -0.397
2009 40 Glen Abbey GC 72 7,253 70.892 -1.108
2008 33 Glen Abbey GC 71 7,222 70.830 -0.170


So, this means that this course is scorable, and the par 72 featured two of the 20 easiest holes on the tour last year. Those were the 2nd hole (a 527-yard par 5) and the 16th hole (a 516-yard par 5). In fact, the four par 5s all ranked as a top-100 scorable hole last year, combining for 69 eagles (compared to 156 bogeys or worse).

The field itself comprises 156 golfers, and the top 70 plus ties make it through the cut after the first two rounds.

Key Stats

These stats stand out as the most important at Glen Abbey GC, based on historical performance.

Key Stats for the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey GC
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
Driving Distance
Par 5 Scoring
Birdie or Better Rate


We're targeting ball strikers this week, so strokes gained: approach and off the tee make the top of the list this week. Additionally, driving distance should carry weight.

Golfers finishing top 10 here since 2004 averaged 296.6 yards off the tee, according to FantasyGolfMetrics. Those missing the cut have averaged just 289.7, a bigger gap than we normally see.

We already know that scoring on the par 5s is paramount, so don't forget that.

And at the end of the day, this fantasy slate could come down to birdie or better conversion. A lot of eagle and birdie chances linger, and pars won't cut it.

Past History Studs

Despite Jhonattan Vegas' two straight wins, Dustin Johnson is the man here, as datagolf's metrics show. DJ has averaged +2.59 strokes gained above the field average since 2010 at Glen Abbey GC. Johnson has finished second twice (2013 and 2016) and eighth last year.

Vegas (+2.36) has won the past two events here, after a 48th-place finish in 2015.

Charley Hoffman (+2.36) is close, finishing 16th, 7th, and 2nd in his three tries since 2013.

Then it's a sizable dip to Matt Kuchar (+1.91), who owns a 2nd, 7th, 9th, and 32nd (last year) at Glen Abbey.

Bubba Watson (+1.61) missed the cut in 2009 and bounced back in 2013 with a T21. He was 2nd in 2015 but 42nd last year.

James Hahn (+1.53) enters with an 11th-place finish in 2015 and a 10th-place outing last year.