Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2023 Genesis Scottish Open

2023 Genesis Scottish Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

For a minute there, it looked as if Sepp Straka was going to break all kinds of records at the John Deere Classic.

In the end, simply hoisting the trophy after securing a two-shot victory would have been reward enough, but the Austrian will no doubt long rue the day that he played his front nine in 28 shots and then failed to join the 59-club after a sluggish back nine.

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Indeed, hitting his tee shot into a pond at the last hole was not what the doctor ordered at all, but his lead was sufficient enough that the likes of Alex Smalley and Brendon Todd were unable to wrestle a second PGA TOUR title away from him.

Matters take an almighty change in direction this week as the TOUR heads for its two-week jolly to the UK. Although, judging by the weather in Scotland and England, there may be nothing jolly about it.

Rain, thunderstorms and howling winds look set to greet the players at the Scottish Open this week, and while the Renaissance Club is a more amenable host than some Links courses in this part of the world, it still bites when the conditions are tough – as the field found to its cost last year when Xander Schauffele grinded out victory with a score of -7.

When the wind blows, these are greens that are tough to hold, and with a relative zephyr in the early weather forecast it could be another week of scrambling, chipping and being happy with par.

Plenty of big names will be sampling the conditions ahead of next week’s final major of the year at the British Open. Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler headline alongside Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and many more besides, who will surely have an edge on the likes of Jon Rahm – who has chosen to take the week off – ahead of the British Open.

Either way, a quality field could be tested to the limit this week – a refreshing change from the dull birdie-fests of recent weeks on the PGA TOUR.

If strong winds are a great leveller in golf, outsiders and longshots could be in with a chance this week. But who, specifically? Hopefully one or more of our sleeper picks for the 2023 Scottish Open can pop.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2023-2023)

Tom Kim – 50/1 – A veritable birdie machine whose two PGA TOUR titles so far have come at scores of -20 and -24, Tom Kim showed his appetite for the fight by hanging around in a solo third finish in last year’s Scottish Open.

Conditions got really tough at times at the Renaissance Club in 2022, but Kim showed that he was willing to make par and move on – all told, he made just ten birdies all week but was still able to hang onto the coattails of Schauffele at the top of the leaderboard.

He then made the cut in his first start at the British Open, which is no mean feat for a young man who simply hasn’t been exposed to Links golf all that much. But another year older in 2023, with increased maturity and added length off the tee, Kim can parlay a top-10 in the U.S. Open with something similar (or better) in Scotland’s version.

Lucas Herbert – 80/1 – A player we have seen at times on the PGA TOUR, Lucas Herbert has a fine pedigree for wind-affected golf.

Two of his four DP World titles have come in such conditions – the Irish Open and over at the Dubai Desert Classic, while a couple of T4 finishes in this very event and T15 at the 2022 British Open add further heft to Herbert’s resumé.

The Australian heads back to Australia in fine fettle too, having won the ISPS-Handa Championship back in April before notching a T15 last time out at the Travelers Championship.

Gary Woodland – 80/1 – Having won the U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach and finished second in the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Gary Woodland’s credentials on the coast – in America, at least – cannot be questioned.

He does have a mixed bag of form in the UK, however, having initially made seven straight cuts in the British Open before missing his next three.

But that is factored into the odds of a former major champion and world number 12, whose shaky chipping stroke may not be tested too much by the large green complexes at the Renaissance Club. 

Otherwise, Woodland’s ball-striking prowess is well recognized – that can shine even under the cloudy skies in Scotland this week.

Ryan Fox – 90/1 – Since the Dubai Desert Classic in January, Ryan Fox has embarked on a remarkable run of form in which he has missed just one cut in eleven starts – putting together six top-25 finishes in that span.

That might not get the pulses racing of bettors seeking winners, but T23 and T26 at the Masters and PGA Championship show that Fox can compete with golf’s elite – and that’s ahead of a return to conditions he loves.

The New Zealander won the Alfred Dunhill Championship on a trio of Scottish Links courses, has twice finished runner-up on the coast of Ireland and has a bank of form in the desert – plus he’s got a T16 to his name in the British Open.

Fox simply loves playing on the coast in the United Kingdom, and he’ll be looking to add another notch on his record this week.

Alex Noren – 125/1 – Although he’s a player that stat-focussed bettors find it hard to warm to, you simply cannot fault Alex Noren’s record on Links-style golf courses.

He’s won at breezy coastal tracks – the Scottish Open, Open de France and the Celtic Manor Wales Open – and served up a stack of top-fives in similar conditions too….perfect for those betting each way or on ‘top finish’ options.

With three finishes of T11 or better in the British Open, Noren can beat the best in this environment – a handy top-10 last time out at the Rocket Mortgage Classic only serves to swell the optimism.

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

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2023-2023)

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