Fantasy Lookahead: Jason Day an easy choice in defense of Canadian Open
Jason Day's lackluster play in 2016's majors continued with a 22nd-place result at The Open. It was his worst showing of the three majors this season, as he failed to shoot a single round in 60s.
Still, the high standards apply to only the No. 1 golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he wasn't alone, as Rory McIlroy's fifth-place result was the best finish of anyone from the Big Four.
Day now returns to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, in defense of the tournament in which he beat Bubba Watson by a single stroke in 2015.
Course History
Day shot in the 60s in each round of last year's tournament at Glen Abbey, shooting a low of 66 Friday and a high of 69 Saturday. Only six golfers bested Day's Sunday round of four-under 68, which allowed him to move past third-round leader David Hearn.
Day didn't participate in the 2013 event at Glen Abbey, and he finished just 52nd in 2009, failing to break 70 in a single round. Fantasy players should only be looking at Day's recent form and last year's dominance of the course. Both of which point to him being an easy selection this week.
Statistical Breakdown
Per FantasyInsiders, the following stats have been strengths of previous winners at Glen Abbey Golf Club:
Scrambling Percentage (SCR)
Par 5 Scoring Average (P5S)
Birdie or Better Percentage (BoB)
Here's how Day has fared in the selected statistics so far this season:
| SCR | P5S | BoB |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 2 | 5 |
Day's somewhat poor rank in SCR has been like most of his statistics this season, other than Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation. He's still the key stat favorite of the week, bolstered by his field-leading rank in P5S. World No. 2 Dustin Johnson, is the only player in the field with a better rank than Day in BoB.
Day has favored an early tee time this year, so monitor those, but he it has been a small factor in his outright dominance this season.
Daily Fantasy
Day isn't even the most expensive player of the week, with the owner going to Johnson. Day is a considerably safer play than Johnson due to the World No. 2's extensive history of inopportune withdrawals from non-marquee events preceding a major.
Due to the 2016 Olympic Summer Games, the PGA Championship will take place in New Jersey next week. While it is only a short trip from Ontario, many of the world's best golfers are already opting for an extra week of rest and course preparation instead of stopping in Canada between the year's third and fourth majors.
There is dramatic separation in salary between Day and the third-most expensive player of the week, Matt Kuchar, but Day has rarely failed to deliver in either cash games or tournaments. The weaker field keeps him a top option.
Season-Long Fantasy
Even for owners running low on starts for Day, he should be rostered for the Canadian Open and PGA Championship. He won both events a year ago, and the Canadian Open is the only one being played on the same course as it was last year.
If only one start is remaining, use Day this week, with the A-List being significantly thinner than it will be for the final major of the year.