Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge

The 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

Come on, own up, which of you had punched those 300/1 tickets on Phil Mickelson to win the PGA Championship?

There were some shared on social media, so congratulations to those of you that did, but for us – and many other pundits – we just expected Kiawah Island to place too many challenges on the body of a 50-year-old.

But, then, Phil Mickelson is no ordinary 50-year-old.

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Lefty never once looked like shirking the challenge, and even when Brooks Koepka took the briefest of leads on Sunday there was no panic from Phil – sometimes, experience really does count for a lot.

He reeled Koepka in with the minimum of fuss, and despite the odd error here and there – as you’d expect from the bomb merchant himself – nobody was able to really get close enough to the 50-year-old to put any pressure on him.

And so, in the end, the hordes of patrons at the Ocean Course got to witness an extraordinary moment of golfing antiquity – Mickelson, as well as winning his sixth major title, is now the oldest major champion in the sport’s long-old history.

He will go for the career grand slam at his beloved Torrey Pines in a matter of weeks, and so he may be best served to it out this week’s event at Colonial Country Club – the Charles Schwab Challenge.

For now Phil’s name is on the entered list, but it’s hard to see how a guy who has only made the trip twice in the past decade will make the effort to play after such an extraordinary Sunday.

Either way, there’s still a high-class field heading to Fort Worth, with defending champion Daniel Berger looking to hold off company that includes Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and many other classy operators.

Colonial, one of the most adored stretches on the PGA TOUR rotation, was looking resplendent back in June when professional golf made its long awaited return after the initial danger of the Covid outbreak.

It played in its usual tough-but-fair way too, with Berger taking down Morikawa in a playoff after both posted -15 in regulation time.

Tight off the tee, Colonial features doglegging fairways and juicy rough, while its Bentgrass greens are small and run pretty slick too. There’s lots of water and sand to be navigated, and so we expect those premium ball-strikers to really make the most of their competitive advantage this week.

The forecast is typically Texan – hot temperatures, sun, rain and high winds all expected over the course of the four days – so it will take a versatile yet quality operator to get over the line in Fort Worth.

With that in mind, who makes our shortlist of sleeper picks for the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge?

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The 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

Charley Hoffman – 55/1 – A former Texas Open winner, Charley Hoffman loves golf in the Lonestar State and he has been queuing up for a big performance for some time.

Solo second at the Texas Open just a matter of weeks ago, that was just the latest in a catalogue of fine showings from the Hoff – in his last seven TOUR starts, he’s now served up six top-20 finishes.

We know he can take care of business in Texas, and his excellent approach play of late – coupled with a relative fondness for Colonial – bodes very nicely indeed.

Jason Kokrak – 60/1 – We have a data model that helps us to identify the right type of players to shortlist at certain types of golf course.

Jason Kokrak is a name that comes up time and time again when the real estate requires shot shaping around doglegging fairways, and some of his best works have come in such conditions – including T3 here in June, no less.

The big fella, with T9 at the PLAYERS Championship and T13 at the Valspar, is in the flush of good form, and he’ll be looking to go even better than he did last time he teed it up at Colonial.

Matt Wallace – 70/1 – We’ve been banging the Matt Wallace drum for some time now, and he continues to deliver in what has been his best season yet.

Forget the European Tour wins – the Brit has finally nailed down what it takes to be a consistent pro at the top end of the game, and that is the reason why he is an attractive proposition at these odds.

An excellent iron player, Wallace finished with top-10s at the Texas Open and the Wells Fargo Championship and T18 at the RBC Heritage, and he looks ready to strike at a course which should maximize his areas of strength.

Kevin Streelman – 80/1 – Other than being a terrific wind player, there was no viable reason why Kevin Streelman played so well on Kiawah Island.

The course is long and Streelman is not, however the takeaway point maybe we can draw upon is that he is feeling good about his game right now.

There have been bits and pieces of form shown at the Wells Fargo and RBC Heritage, and maybe this notoriously consistent grinder is finding his rhythm and range once more.

You couldn’t ask for a better course for him than Colonial, so will Streelman take his PGA Championship gains to a layout that really does suit him?

Harry Higgs – 125/1 – What a boost for Harry Higgs – his T4 finish at the PGA Championship ensures he will take up his spot at The Masters next year.

That will probably be a weight off his mind, and it will be interesting to see how the Texan plays back on home soil this week.

His efforts at Kiawah Island snapped a run of poor form for the likable Higgs, and while he is yet to really threaten a win on the PGA TOUR his fine showing at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he was T9, is very much in mind this week at the correlating Colonial.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”1.29%” bar_text=”2 out of 155 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “9.68%” bar_text=”15 out of 155 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”24.51%” bar_text=”38 out of 155 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=0%” bar_text=”0 out of 31 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”6.45%” bar_text=”2 out of 31 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”65.80%” bar_text=”102 out of 155 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram