Before the PGA Tour heads north of the border for the Presidents Cup in September, it will head to Ontario for the 2024 RBC Canadian Open, which begins on Thursday. The RBC Canadian Open 2024 field is headlined by Rory McIlroy, who will be very popular in PGA Tour fantasy golf lineups considering his past success. The Irishman has won this tournament twice before, including when it was last held at Hamilton Golf & Country Club, which plays host this year. As the only top-10 ranked player in the field, you may have to rely on several players with lesser prominence when making 2024 RBC Canadian Open fantasy picks.
Taylor Pendrith could be one of those as, not only was he born in Ontario, but he also won on tour last month in Texas. That's one of four top 15s for Pendrith over his last five starts as he's gone from ranked No. 106 to No. 62. It may not be a bad RBC Canadian Open fantasy golf strategy to lean towards those playing in their native land such as Pendrith, Corey Conners or Nick Taylor. Before making any 2024 RBC Canadian Open fantasy golf picks, you have to see the RBC Canadian Open fantasy golf rankings from SportsLine handicapper Eric Cohen.
Cohen is an avid golf bettor who correctly predicted the pre-tournament outright winner of the 2024 Masters (Scottie Scheffler, +350), Players Championship (Scheffler +550), 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic (Rickie Fowler +1400), 2023 PGA Championship (Brooks Koepka +2000), 2023 Honda Classic (Chris Kirk +3500), 2022 Open Championship (Cameron Smith +2200), 2022 U.S. Open (Matt Fitzpatrick +2500), and 2022 Phoenix Open (Scheffler's first career victory at +2800).
Cohen is a contributor to SportsLine's YouTube shows including "Early Edge" and is the host of "The Early Wedge" golf show. Anyone who has followed Cohen's predictions has made positive gains on their golf picks.
Now, Cohen has ranked his top golfers for the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. Cohen's picks are only available at SportsLine.
2024 RBC Canadian Open expert picks
For the RBC Canadian Open 2024, Cohen is backing Canadian Mackenzie Hughes at +4500 odds. One of the closest course comparisons to Hamilton Golf & Country Club is Innisbrook Resort, as both are shorter-yardage venues with dramatic elevation changes. Innisbrook hosts the Valspar Championship, and Hughes placed third at that tournament in March. He also has more recent leaderboard success, finishing sixth at the Wells Fargo three weeks ago.
There's also the fact that Hughes isn't just a Canadian, but was born in Hamilton. He estimates that he's played this course at least 50 times, so he's well acquainted with all of the intricacies the course has to offer. He had a top-15 finish the last time it hosted this tournament (2019), with Cohen liking his chances this year, saying, "If you're looking for another home country player to win this event, Hughes is my top selection."
On the other hand, Cohen is fading Sam Burns at +2500 odds. Burns isn't in the best of form, and that's reflected in his plummeting World Ranking. He's currently No. 27 in the world after ranking in the top 25 from July 2021 to April 2024 -- a span of nearly three years. Burns can thank poor recent results as he's finished 30th or worse in six of his last seven starts. That includes three missed cuts over that stretch including in his last start at the PGA Championship.
His short game has struggled all year as he sits outside the top 100 PGA Tour players in strokes gained: around-the-green and scrambling. Additionally, after ranking in the top 10 in total putting each of the last three season, Burns has slipped to outside the top 50 this season. His game is going in the wrong direction, with Cohen adding, "He's missed the cut in three of his last five events, with a T13 at the Wells Fargo Championship as his best finish. Normally an excellent putter, Burns lost nearly five strokes on the greens in two rounds at Valhalla." See all of Cohen's RBC Canadian Open picks at SportsLine.
How to set 2024 RBC Canadian Open Fantasy golf lineups
For this week, Cohen is backing several underdogs in his 2024 RBC Canadian Open fantasy golf picks, including a staggering 100000-1 longshot who could be a game changer for your Fantasy golf lineups. See who it is, and get all of Cohen's fantasy golf picks, at SportsLine.
Who wins RBC Canadian Open 2024, and who are the top players to target for your PGA fantasy golf picks? Visit SportsLine now to get Eric Cohen's fantasy golf rankings, all from the fantasy expert who has called eight outright winners since 2022, and find out.
