Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2024 Masters Tournament

2024 Masters Tournament Fantasy Sleeper Report

By hook or by crook, Akshay Bhatia won the Texas Open on Sunday to cap a fine wire-to-wire week.

But the Californian would have liked a more serene conclusion to what would become his second PGA TOUR title triumph.

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After opening with a round of 63, Bhatia proved his credentials as an outstanding wind player in the Lone Star State, maintaining his lead to the point that he was four clear at the 54-hole stage – and six shots ahead of the field after a flurry of birdies early on Sunday.

Step forward Denny McCarthy, the only gunslinger in old cowboy country able to give Bhatia a run for his money. Even then it took something extraordinary – he made seven birdies in a row, and eight in total, on a back nine played in just 28 shots.

Bhatia’s heartrate would have been inching higher and higher as he watched McCarthy’s progress on the leaderboard, and in the end he was forced to birdie the 72nd hole just to stay in the contest, forcing a playoff.

And in a case of golfing irony, McCarthy was unable to birdie the first extra hole – Bhatia was, and that’s all she wrote as the Californian booked his place in The Masters field at the last available opportunity.

According to the stat gurus, the number of strokes the pair gained on the field this week – they ended up on -20, nine clear of the rest – would have been enough to win any of the past 167 PGA TOUR events.

Sadly for McCarthy, it wasn’t enough for him to land a maiden title.

Onwards we go to The Masters. Augusta National. Magnolia Lane. Green Jacket. You know the drill by now. This is a week in which golf’s traditionalism is to be celebrated, not ridiculed – as it often deserves to be in this more progressive age.

Almost a century after its establishment, Augusta National continues to shine as one of the best golf courses on the planet. It’s hard but fair, rewarding those who can accurately shape their drives and hit precision approaches into green complexes that tend to be contoured and severely sloping.

You don’t win majors without a strong short game either, which confirms the feeling that Augusta is a layout that allows the best to separate themselves from the rest.

This is one of the most undulating courses you’ll ever see at the elite level, while bunkers and water hazards – used sparingly – are so strategically placed that they are actually relevant; not always the case at other layouts.

It takes solid drivers and quality approach play merchants to win The Masters, which explains why Jon Rahm was able to slip into the Green Jacket with relative comfort 12 months ago. He won by four shots from Brooks Koepka, who faded over the weekend, and the fast-finishing Phil Mickelson.

Narratives are never in short supply these days at The Masters. PGA vs LIV. Rory’s attempts to complete the career Grand Slam. Will we see a young champion (Tiger Woods was 21 when he won the Green Jacket for the first time), an oldie (Tiger, Phil Mickelson, and Zach Johnson could break Jack Nicklaus’ record this week), or a debutant – Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Aberg looking to become the first debutant to win The Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

Scheffler. Rahm. Koepka. The Masters is a heavyweight battle for the ages, but who will strike the knockout blow come Sunday?

We have seen winners at Augusta from sportsbook odds of 50/1 or greater, and here’s a handful of players that could join the club from our Masters 2024 sleeper shortlist.

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Cameron Young – 50/1 – It would be unusual, but not impossible, for a player’s first senior title to come at The Masters.

With seven second-place finishes to his name in PGA TOUR events, Cameron Young is certainly knocking on the door of victory – if he can rid his game of the silly mistakes that dog him when in contention, he will become a multiple-time champion, of that there’s no doubt.

His game, on paper, is perfect for Augusta National. His ball-striking is long and precise, and his short game is just about good enough to get by here – evidenced by a T7 finish here in 2023. 

There will be those that question his fortitude when closing out victory, but we’re always happy to side with world-class ball-strikers nonetheless.

Sam Burns – 60/1 – A five-time PGA TOUR winner, Sam Burns has plenty of pedigree already at the age of 27, and a solo third finish at the correlating Genesis Invitational is evidence of what he might achieve at Augusta down the line. 

Burns was T29 at the 2023 Masters, but his is a game with the potential for much better here – long off the tee, his approach play can spike, he’s reliable around the greens, and his putting is as reliable as anybody’s.

After four straight top-10 finishes, Burns’ game has cooled lately, but he’s still gaining strokes on the field on approach – if he can match that with a hot hand on the greens, he becomes a very dangerous proposition.

Russell Henley – 75/1 – There was a timely run to solo fourth in Texas for Russell Henley, whose approach play was so good that only Bhatia gained more strokes on the field in that department than him.

Henley, a Georgia boy, has a sneaky good record at Augusta. He was T4 here a year ago, but even before that he hadn’t missed a cut in five trips, with finishes ranging from T11 to T31.

With solid form on his side recently, perhaps Henley can even improve upon that T4 of a year ago?

Si-Woo Kim – 75/1 – Regular readers will know we’re Si-Woo Kim converts, and for good reason – his game is so good, at its best, that the Korean can hang with anyone.

Fairways and greens are the name of Si-Woo’s game, but he also has an incredibly solid and inventive chipping game around the greens – never a bad thing at Augusta, and particularly so if it gets windy….as it’s forecast to do, to some extent, this week.

Six consecutive cuts made at Augusta have yielded a best finish of T12, but there’s no doubt that Si-Woo’s best game can take him all the way at The Masters.

Keegan Bradley – 175/1 – Okay, so the price dictates the bet.

But at his best, Keegan Bradley is a high-class, straight shooter who very nearly made the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup barely six months ago.

Yes, he’s been suffering with putting woes of late, but that’s typically the exception to the rule than the norm for a player who has improved immensely on the greens in recent years.

An outstanding mid-range iron player, Bradley has made four consecutive cuts at Augusta – he likes the place, and could finish in the top-10….or higher this week.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for The Masters Tournament here.

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2023-2024)

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