Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2023 Genesis Invitational

2023 Genesis Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

It was hyped up to almost matchplay-esque proportions on a rambunctious Sunday at the Phoenix Open.

In the blue corner we had Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion hoping to reclaim top spot in the world rankings. And in the red, we have Arizona State grad, crowd favorite and a player who perhaps believes he should be numero uno, Jon Rahm.

Just two shots separated the heavyweight duo heading into Sunday’s final round, and by the end the gap had become a chasm – Scheffler charging for the finishing line as Rahm wilted.

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But wait, there was a third pugilist in the ring. Most expected Nick Taylor to discretely disappear down the leaderboard, but not a bit of it – the Canadian was sinking putts and making life very difficult for his playing partners.

In the end, an eagle from Scheffler and a bogey from Taylor on the back nine gave the defending champ the daylight he craved, and he made no mistake as he doubled-up at TPC Scottsdale and ascended back to the top of the world rankings.

Victory in Phoenix last year set up a gargantuan run on wins and great form, so will Scheffler now take 2023 by the horns as well?

On paper, Riviera Country Club – home of this week’s Genesis Invitational – is the perfect fit for Scheffler. You need to be long and accurate off the tee, while being mindful of the doglegging fairways, and hit precise mid and long-range irons into greens that, while not small, take some holding due to their undulating nature.

This is one of the hardest golf courses on the PGA TOUR rotation as far as GIR is concerned, so only those with a decent recovery game need apply, while comfort putting on Poa Annua greens is a must.

Like we say, it’s almost like the perfect blueprint for Scheffler.

But before we down our tools for the week, look at the odds of the most recent winners of the Genesis Invitational. Joaquin Niemann, Max Homa, J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson – four of the last five champions at Riviera – were priced at 50/1 or longer, with Holmes available at 140/1 in some places.

Basically, there’s enough variance to get us excited this week.

It’s a quality field, mind you, that will assemble in the Pacific Palisades – this is another of the new ‘elevated’ PGA TOUR events with huge prize money on the table. 

But even so, we can be confident that some (if not all) of our Genesis Invitational sleeper picks will give us a decent run for our money.

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Rickie Fowler – 66/1 – It’s official: Rickie Fowler is back.

Sessions with his favorite coach and mentor Butch Harmon are yielding results, with Fowler started to gain plenty of strokes with his ball-striking – that was the foundation for his successes in years gone by.

Add a surer hand with the flat stick, and Fowler has served up T10 and T11 finishes at TPC Scottsdale and Torrey Pines.

A classical golf course like Riviera should suit the skillset of an in-form Fowler down to a tee.

Si-Woo Kim – 80/1 – One of the things that is so likable about Si-Woo Kim’s game is that he is so versatile.

When he is hitting laser-like approaches he tends to do very nicely – winning the Sony Open as the perfect case in point. But the Korean is very good at scrambling and getting up-and-down too, so he can still make it work when not quite at his best.

Si-Woo has gained strokes on the field putting in each of his last four starts, and memories of a T3 finish here a couple of years ago will hopefully jolt towards another bid for the winner’s circle.

Nick Taylor – 100/1 – Well, why not?

On Sunday, Nick Taylor was paired with two of the best players in world golf right now in Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler. He beat the former by three strokes and tied the latter’s round of 65 – that is a fantastic performance.

The Canadian will presumably take plenty of heart from it, and maintained his fine start to the calendar year that has yielded two top-10s and a T20. Taylor will be very keen to maintain his hot streak this week.

Beau Hossler – 150/1 – There’s been a definite improvement in Beau Hossler’s driving of late, and while he still isn’t the finished article from a ball-striking perspective, any chance to let his elite short game thrive will lead to better results.

And so it’s proved. T11 at the AT&T Pebble Beach was followed by T14 at the Phoenix Open, and in both cases he was crushing his tee shots.

A player that ranks inside the TOUR’s top 50 for SG: Putting, Scrambling and SG: Around-the-Green can thrive in low GIR events – as we have this week, and so Hossler can do the business if his driving continues to fire.

Patrick Rodgers – 175/1 – Having flirted with the top page of the leaderboard at the Phoenix Open, Patrick Rodgers heads to one of his happiest hunting grounds full of confidence.

In seven trips to Riviera, Rodgers has delivered five top-30 finishes with a best of T12, and he heads to the West Coast in good spirits after gaining strokes on the field in every department in Arizona.

A long driver of the ball with a solid recovery game, if Rodgers can keep his ball in play off the tee – as he did at TPC Scottsdale – then he could make a decent run for his backers at huge sportsbook odds.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Genesis Invitational here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2022-2023)

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