Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Sometimes, nice guys don’t finish last.

You’ll do well to find a nicer professional golfer than Peter Malnati, the family guy whose life could not be any further away from questions about LIV Golf, Signature Events, and the like.

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But Malnati will get his first crack at The Masters after winning the Valspar Championship, his first PGA TOUR title in more than 3,000 days.

The breezy conditions at an already-tough Copperhead Course were right up Malnati’s street – a gritty veteran whose short game has kept him on TOUR for a number of years. But with his approach play also on point, while others floundered in the Florida breeze, Malnati stood up to be counted.

As well as scoring a Masters invite, Malnati will be in the field for the next few Signature Events, wraps up his TOUR privileges for another two years, and banks $1.5 million into the bargain. Not a bad weekend for a guy it’s impossible to dislike….

That brings the curtain down on the Florida Swing, with the PGA TOUR now heading off to Texas for its pre-Masters jaunt. First up is the Houston Open, which will return to the schedule for the first time since November 2022.

Tony Finau was on victory duty back then, almost lapping the field in a -16 win that saw just two other players join him on double-digits under par.

Scottie Scheffler, with two top-10 finishes to his name at Memorial Park, is the elephant in the room this week – the 3/1 kryptonite to Peter Malnati’s 300/1 victory just a week ago. Even at those odds, there will be plenty have a wager on Scheffler given how well his putting has held up in his wins at the PLAYERS Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational. 

Wyndham Clark, Will Zalatoris, Sahith Theegala, and Jason Day will be just a few of those attempting to head Scheffler off at the pass, while Finau will have a go at defending his title and finding some form in the process.

So what have they got in front of them? A long old golf course and a long walk. Memorial Park measures more than 7,400 yards for its Par 70, which leaves us with a smattering of Par 3s over 200 yards and five Par 4s in excess of 500 yards – hitting 3-woods and long irons is the name of the game this week.

The good news for the bombers in the field is that the fairways are pretty wide and the rough, historically, is kept low, and with Tom Doak removing trees during his course renovation work, Memorial Park has the feel of a big-hitter’s paradise.

The greens, which are overseeded Bermuda, are on the large side too, which helped Finau and co to GIR of around 75% last time they played here, while the switch from November to March could ensure those greens are even softer and easier to hold.

Consequently, we expect scoring to be lower at Memorial Park than it has been in other editions of this event. But can anybody outscore Scheffler? Let’s find out in our 2024 Houston Open sleeper shortlist.

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Tom Hoge – 50/1 – If chipping and scrambling weren’t parts of golf, you wonder how many PGA TOUR titles Tom Hoge would have by now?

That’s the only weak part of his game, which tends to get exposed at layouts with small greens like TPC Sawgrass, where he gained +1.66 on approach and +1.45 putting on his way to a T54 finish.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Tom Hoge is one of the best iron players on the planet, and at layouts with large greens he can really make that count – while minimizing the downside of his poor touch around the greens.

Billy Horschel – 55/1 – Better things tend to come Billy Horschel’s way when his approach play is on point, and it’s certainly trending in that direction after the Florida Swing.

He made good gains in that department at the Valspar Championship, where he finished T12, having recorded a T9 finish at the Cognizant Classic just a couple of weeks prior.

With a flat stick that has brought gains on the field in each of his last three completed starts, Horschel is just starting to near his best once more.

Akshay Bhatia – 70/1 – It had been a tough Florida Swing for Akshay Bhatia, who missed the cut at the Cognizant Classic and PLAYERS Championship.

But he found a little form at the Valspar Championship, particularly in round four, where he ranked eleventh or better for Driving Accuracy, Driving Distance, GIR, and Scrambling.

Those are the things he typically always does well, but it’s worth noting that he ranked 19th for the event for SG: Putting too – suggesting that he’s finally gotten something going on the greens.

Davis Thompson – 80/1 – It was an extraordinary effort from Davis Thompson to miss the cut at the Valspar Championship, given that he gained +1.94 strokes on the field on approach through 36 holes.

Putting woes have dogged him throughout the Florida Swing, and while we can’t promise an immediate improvement on that front, we do know that he’ll appreciate the extra room off the tee at Memorial Park.

A player with tremendous upside for his backers, could this be the week that Thompson breaks through? 

Cameron Champ – 110/1 – Within touching distance of the leaders at the Valspar Championship deep into Sunday, Cameron Champ thus disappeared from the top page of the leaderboard.

But it was a notable effort anyway given how regularly the Copperhead Course takes driver out of the players’ hands – undoubtedly the best club in Champ’s bag.

Now, he heads home to Houston, and a Memorial Park track that will allow him to wield his big stick more frequently – and cash in on his red-hot form with the flat stick.

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

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2023-2024)

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