Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

2018 WGC-Dell Match Play Fantasy Sleeper Report

Throw another cat among the pigeons. Just as we were getting settled on who we might be backing at The Masters in two week’s time, Rory McIlroy comes along and spoils the party.

His performance in winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational was nothing less than outstanding; a final round of 64, after starting the day three back, the catalyst for an irrepressible effort.

His tee-to-green game is working just fine, and boy how has he improved with the flat stick: after missing everything in sight in the past few weeks, a complete turnaround on the Bermuda of Bay Hill – he ranked first for Strokes Gained: Putting – was a real eye-opener ahead of his tilt at the title in Augusta.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland kisses the tournament trophy while…

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland kisses the tournament trophy while wearing a replica Arnold Palmer red cardigan following his three stroke victory on the 18th hole green in the final round of the… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

A quick word too for Bryson DeChambeau, who remained unflustered by competing on a leaderboard which contained McIlroy, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson at its business end. Indeed, on any other standard for the Irishman, DeChambeau might have walked away the victor.

Everything is shaping up nicely then for The Masters, although we have another couple of welcome distractions first in the Houston Open next week and before that the WGC Match Play event kicking off this Wednesday.

Played out in Austin, Texas, the Match Play is a tournament which clearly appeals to some players more than others, but ahead of the trip to Augusta it is a chance to work on the game in top-class company. For those in and around the 50-mark in the Official World Golf Rankings, it could be the chance to stamp the ticket.

Remember, there are 64 players duking it out at the Austin Country Club in 16 groups of four. They play each other in a round robin format with points awarded for wins and ties, and the pool leader progresses to the knockout stage of the competition. From there, the remaining 16 battle it out for a WGC title and a prize pot worth $1.8 million.

Last year the likes of Spieth, Thomas, Matsuyama, Garcia, Reed and Kuchar were all bombed out of the tournament in the pool round, so there are opportunities for ‘lesser lights’ to contend in a WGC event.

So who are the sleeper plays to follow this week?

Thomas Pieters – Vegas Odds 66/1 – We might surmise that certain personality types are more pre-disposed to match play golf than others, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if a firebrand like Thomas Pieters prospered this week.

The Belgian will attack flags and if he plays a good shot everyone will know about it; especially his opponent. The mixed memories of the Ryder Cup in 2016 will presumably fuel Pieters too – team Europe lost, but he gained a staggering four of their eleven points, as will the notion that his place in the Ryder Cup team later this year is nowhere near inked in.

He will need to improve upon his early season form – even if T13 at the Honda Classic is an intriguing uptrend – to have a chance this week, but the switch to the match play format may just be the catalyst that sparks his campaign.

Xander Schauffele – Vegas Odds 66/1 – Schauffele finished second in the Western Amateur Championship back in 2014; a match play event previously won by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

The 24-year-old is edging towards the kind of form that saw him win twice on Tour in 2017 and crowned Rookie of the Year; T17 at the Phoenix Open, T9 at the Genesis and a decent T18 at the WGC Mexico which included an opening round of 65.

If the wind gets up in Texas then Schauffele is one of the few players who will be unfazed having recorded top-fives at the US Open and CIMB Classic in the past 12 months.

Louis Oosthuizen – Vegas Odds 80/1 – Some players seem to elevate their game when embroiled in a match play battle, and Louis Oosthuizen is certainly among that select group.

His record in this tournament is excellent, having reached the final in 2016 and the quarters in 2014 and 15, and last year he only lost out in the pool phase on a play-off to Ross Fisher, despite having beaten the Englishman and Hideki Matsuyama.

There have been decent efforts in the Presidents Cup too, with a win and draw against Patrick Reed in the singles in the last two editions.

A missed cut at Bay Hill last time out should not disguise a decent run of form which includes T24 at the Honda Classic and T16 in the Valspar Championship.

Kevin Chappell – Vegas Odds 80/1 – Chappell is bubbling up into some rather nice form at the moment, with three top-10s and a pair of top-30s in his last six starts.

He played nicely on the Bermuda at Bay Hill last week, closing with a 67, and he will have been left wondering what might have been after a Saturday 73 on his way to a T7 finish.

The reigning Texas Open champion earned a place in the US’ Presidents Cup team in 2017, and he did not disappoint. Chappell and Charley Hoffman teamed up to demolish Charl Schwartzel and Anirbhan Lahiri 6&5, and he would halve his singles encounter with Marc Leishman, so no alarms there.

Russell Henley – Vegas Odds 100/1 – One of the things we really like about Russell Henley is that he has big cajonés.

In is professional career he has participated in three playoffs and won the lot; a playoff is, in essence, match play, so that’s a handy guide indeed.

His last PGA TOUR win came in the state of Texas in the Houston Open last year, and Henley is someone who seems to thrive in tough conditions: he’s also won at the wind-bound Honda Classic and Sony Open.