Draws and Fades: Matt Fitzpatrick highlights chase pack behind Ben James in Canada

The scoreboard was lit up by a former Cavalier named James on Friday. It’s a familiar headline during the NBA Finals this time of year, but we’re talking about Ben James in Canada. A sizzling 63 vaulted the 23-year-old Virginia alum to the top of the RBC Canadian Open leaderboard in his pro debut, continuing the momentum from an electric week in which he qualified for the U.S. Open on Monday.

That kind of week can be a lot for any young player to process, but James has looked anything but overwhelmed. The former amateur standout has carried himself with the type of poise that helped make him No. 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings, and on Friday, everything clicked at TPC Toronto.

“It was a great day,” he said. “It all kind of came together today. It was just one of those days. The putter was good, I was hitting fairways, had good numbers, and was able to capitalize on a pretty tricky scoring day.”

It won’t be easy for James, as a logjam has formed just behind him at the halfway point of the RBC Canadian Open, filled with hungry up-and-comers and confident veterans. Nine-time PGA TOUR winner Brooks Koepka is two shots back, while tournament co-favorite Sam Burns trails by a single stroke. Tommy Fleetwood, Keith Mitchell, and a host of others remain firmly in striking distance as well.

Round 2 played more than a full stroke harder as the course firmed up and wind became a factor. After a softer, more receptive setup in the opening round, TPC Toronto’s North Course started to finally show some teeth on Friday. As the wind picked up throughout the day, slightly offline approach shots became more difficult to control as the greens firmed up throughout the afternoon.

With such a congested leaderboard, there are plenty of options to extract value ahead of the third round. Burns remains the favorite to win at +450, but there are 10 other players with odds under +2200 on the live odds board at FanDuel Sportsbook. That speaks to both the depth of the leaderboard and the volatility that could define the final 36 holes.

Updated odds to win the RBC Canadian Open:

• +450: Sam Burns
• +700: Tommy Fleetwood
• +850: Ben James
• +1000: Keith Mitchell
• +1200: Brooks Koepka

Here are some value-driven plays to consider for the weekend at TPC Toronto.

To Win: Matt Fitzpatrick +3500

I’m going to choose to be an optimist on a three-time winner this season. Matt Fitzpatrick sits just five shots behind the leader after a bogey-free, 2-under round on Friday, where he failed to make birdie on either of the par-5s on the North Course.

That may sound like a missed opportunity, but it also leaves room for optimism. Fitzpatrick kept a clean card on a day when scoring became more difficult, and he did it without taking advantage of the two most obvious scoring holes on the golf course. If he can clean that up over the weekend, there is still plenty of room for him to make a serious move.

Let’s not forget that Fitzpatrick is the No. 4 player in the world rankings and No. 3 in the FedExCup standings this season, both of which are the best marks in the field this week. He gained two strokes on approach in his Friday round and checked all the key stat-model boxes pre-tournament.

He’s now nearly three times his odds from the start of the week, and I believe Fitzpatrick has the firepower, ball-striking floor, and upside you look for when searching for weekend value. In a tournament where one low round could completely reshuffle the board, +3500 feels too long for a player of this caliber.

Weekend Fade: Ryan Fox (+2000)

Defending champion Ryan Fox will garner some attention after posting back-to-back rounds of 4-under, but it’s all smoke and mirrors.

Fox actually lost strokes to the field from tee-to-green on Friday, but gained an astonishing +4.28 strokes with the putter, an unsustainable number heading into the weekend. Through two rounds, he’s already gained more on the greens than he did during his win last season.

That’s the kind of profile I’m willing to bet against. We’re likely going to see regression over the weekend, and when the putting comes back down to Earth, Fox could come back down the leaderboard. The incoming form this year was not great either, with only one finish inside the top 25 in his last seven starts.

Saturday morning looks like the cleanest window for low scoring, as the gusts are once again expected to show up by late afternoon. Don’t be surprised to see multiple players make a run at James before he tees off. We could be in for a highly contentious final 36 holes at TPC Toronto.

Joe Idone is a contributor to Read the Line.

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