Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2024 Grant Thornton Invitational

2024 Grant Thornton Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

The only gift that PGA TOUR pros will be hoping for this Christmas is for a hex to be put on the head of Scottie Scheffler.

In just 12 months in 2024, the world number one has won eight PGA TOUR events, an Olympic gold medal, and the FedEx Cup, becoming the first back-to-back winner of the PLAYERS Championship and the fourth youngest multiple-time champion at The Masters for good measure.

And now, at the Hero World Challenge, he trialled a new putting grip from within ten feet of the hole, drained plenty, gained strokes on the field with the flatstick, and successfully defended his trophy by some six shots.

What will 2025 bring? The patrons of the PGA TOUR will be hoping for a curse on a young man who is already established amongst the sport’s all-time greats at the sprightly age of 28.

Do you know one event that Scheffler won’t win in 2024? That’s the Grant Thornton Invitational, because even Scottie can’t win when he’s not playing.

It’s off to the wild and windy Naples in Florida we go for the final tournament of the year. The Grant Thornton Invitational is a unique affair, with top players from the PGA and LPGA Tours paired together to compete across three rounds (it’s a Friday start this week) and a trio of different formats.

Round one is traditional better ball; so both players tee off, select the best ball, and then both play their own from that exact spot.

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Round two is foursomes, where the players take it turn to tee off on alternate holes. They then complete the hole playing alternate shots.

Round three is a modified four-ball format, in which both players in a pair tee off before playing their partner’s ball for the rest of the hole.

Eight pairings broke 60 in the first round last year, but it was Jason Day and Lydia Ko who took full advantage of their fast start to win the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational 12 months ago. That said, Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson were left to ponder what might have been having failed to make birdie at the final hole, which is one of the easiest on the real estate.

And that real estate is the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, designed by Greg Norman and a regular feature on the two tours, having hosted the QBE Shootout (PGA TOUR) in the past, while still welcoming the LPGA’s Tour Championship each November.

It’s an exposed, open layout with little in the way of tree cover, which could well be a factor this week given how fiercely the wind is expected to blow. There’s plenty of bunkers too, while some large lakes line the fairways and greens.

That said, the emphasis is very much on low scoring this week, with the format lending itself to plenty of birdies. Although the men’s tees make the course around 7,400 yards for its Par 72, the ladies’ tees are carried forward to leave around 6,600 yards to play; that is a considerable difference.

Sixteen pairs will make up the Grant Thornton Invitational field, so this isn’t the best event from a betting perspective – the small field size condensing the sportsbook odds quite considerably.

But that’s not to say that there aren’t value bets to be placed, so in that spirit let’s take a dive into the duos that make up our Grant Thornton Invitational sleeper shortlist for 2024.

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Rickie Fowler & Lexi Thompson (10/1)

Rickie Fowler’s attachment to Florida runs so deep he has moved and set up home in the state, having won both the PLAYERS Championship and Honda Classic. 

His comfort in the Floridan winds is obvious, and while Fowler isn’t the player once was, his solo fourth last time out at the ZOZO Championship – where he finally made some putts – at least offers plenty of encouragement.

Although she has now retired from professional golf as of the end of 2024, Lexi Thompson can still hang with the best women’s golfers in the world. She finished T9 at the Women’s PGA Championship this year, and it’s barely been 12 months since she missed the cut at the men’s Shriners Open by just two shots.

Florida born and bred, Thompson will love being on home soil and back at Tiburon, where she won the LPGA Tour Championship in 2018. She and Fowler finished just four shots adrift of Ko and Day here 12 months ago.

J.T. Poston & Maja Stark (14/1)

The visual similarities between Tiburon and the likes of Harbour Town, Sea Island, and Waialae should suit J.T. Poston down to a tee.

He’s played well at all those places, and heads to Naples on the back of a hot run in which he’s won the Shriners and played superbly in T5 at the RSM Classic. 

In Maja Stark, he’s joined by a two-time Solheim Cup participant that broke into the world’s top 20 this year. The Swede finished T4 at the Maybank Championship in October, and is one of the most solid drivers of the ball on the LPGA Tour.

Nick Dunlap & Gabi Ruffels (18/1)

With six pairs priced at 10/1 or shorter, there’s not a great deal of scope in the betting market.

So maybe it’s worth chancing a duo that, if they pop, could make their longer odds look fantastic value.

Much will fall on the shoulders of the young Nick Dunlap here, but in 2024 he’s shown that he’s more than up to the task with two PGA TOUR wins. His approach play has really improved since turning professional, and he’d love to parlay that into a third one.

Ruffels is similarly green in her professional career, but having broken into the world’s top 50, she – like Dunlap – is ascendant. Despite being in only her third year as a pro, the Australian already has six finishes of T25 or better in majors to her name.

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

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2024-2025)

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