Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The Masters

The 2019 Masters Fantasy Sleeper Report

So here we go: the first major of 2019.

And man, what a spectacle this could be as the best players in the world battle it out at an Augusta National track which, judging by the early images and videos shared on social media, looks to be in impeccable condition.

You might think that a major is not the ideal place to be backing sleeper picks, with the best in the business generally turning up to Georgia with their A-Game.

But let’s think about it: did anyone see Danny Willett, the 150/1 shot with the bookies, winning in 2016? And even though their prices were shorter, neither of Sergio Garcia nor Patrick Reed were all that well fancied with the sportsbooks.

So we might just be able to dig out a sleeper winner, or at least a long odds pick to give us a great run for our money.

The weather forecast in Augusta is interesting this week. There are rain showers and thunderstorms spread quite liberally in the predictions, both before the tournament begins and during, and it will be interesting to see how that impacts upon the conditions.

Certainly, any additional rain will help to soften and slow the greens, while slowing down the fairways too; giving longer hitters an advantage.

Tiger Woods of the United States walks on the 11th green during a…

Tiger Woods of the United States walks on the 11th green during a practice round prior to The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 08, 2019 in Augusta, Georgia. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Don’t forget, this course is traditionally one where all of the scoring is made on the Par 5s, while walking away with par on threes and some of the fours is a result in itself.

Long, straight drivers do thrive at Augusta National – both Reed and Garcia were exemplary off the tee, and that’s simply because they can hit shorter approaches into these heavily contoured, tiered greens. But staying straight is key because you don’t want to be stuck behind a tree line; unless you can hit a curveball like Bubba Watson, that is.

These Bentgrass greens are typically lightning quick but remember, any rain will help to slow them down somewhat, and there’s plenty that can be learned from examining a player’s previous form at this classic Bobby Jones layout.

If the rain comes and the wind is down, Reed’s -15 mark of a year ago is certainly achievable once more, and that in itself will appeal to some players more than others with the usual Augusta grind perhaps not in the offing.

With all of the above factors in mind, who makes our Masters sleeper shortlist?

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Masters Fantasy Sleeper Report

Marc Leishman – Vegas Odds 50/1 – The big Australian sat solo second here at the halfway stage 12 months ago, and that was a sighter of how Augusta is not a layout that worries him.

He ended up finishing T9, and that continues the classic trajectory at this layout that so many have taken: MC-43-9, chronologically ordered, in his last three visits.

It shows the confidence is up and that the Augusta fear factor, which must be present in the minds of even the spunkiest of newbies, has gone.

Leishman ‘only’ has four PGA TOUR titles to his name, but this is a premium quality ball-striker who has the requisite length to succeed at Augusta. His profile in majors – lots of cuts made and five top-10 finishes – also catches the eye.

It’s been a fairly quiet season for the world number 19 since he won during the wraparound segment, but there were some good signs in his effort at the WGC-Dell Match Play, and it will be interesting to see how he goes this week.

Henrik Stenson – Vegas Odds 66/1 – Some players bludgeon their way onto your Masters shortlist with one or two eye-catching performances, whereas are rather more circumspect.

No-one would call the form of Henrik Stenson blistering by any means, but he has shown enough in recent weeks to suggest he should be taken seriously at what is a mouth-watering price.

The Swede finished T17 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and T24 at the Valspar Championship, both strong efforts at difficult courses, before a decent enough run at the WGC-Dell Match Play came to an end in the bracket stage.

The Swede’s straight hitting is a real bonus at Augusta, and nobody is surprised that in his last five trips Stenson has recorded four top-25s including T5 last year.

Add into the mix that he’s already a major winner, proving his mental strength as well as golfing ability, and the Swede is firmly on the radar this week.

Haotong Li – Vegas Odds 125/1 – Any event where long, straight driving is considered a must have brings Haotong Li into the crosshairs, and the Chinese ace is playing well enough to justify his position on our shortlist.

He was another who made a run to the bracket stage of the WGC-Dell Match Play, and that followed T19 in the WGC-Mexico and solo second in the European Tour’s Saudi International.

One of the main reasons for interest in Li is his ability to turn it on for the big stage. He won his home China Open at the age of 21, and when going toe-to-toe with Rory McIlroy in a Sunday shootout at the Dubai Desert Classic he also came out on top.

Factor in a major top-five in the British Open, T16 in the US Open and T32 on debut here 12 months ago, and the 23-year-old looks ready for another strong run in a big tournament.

Charley Hoffman – Vegas Odds 100/1 – You could have asked 1000 golf fans if they were backing Charley Hoffman for the Masters just a week ago and all of them would have said no thanks; even the Hoff himself, quite probably.

But he returned to form with a vengeance in the Texas Open last time out, carding 68-64-67 after an opening 71 to finish in solo second.

That followed T18 at the Valspar Championship, so Hoffman’s game is tracking in the right direction ahead of a trip to a venue which suits his eye.

You may recall in 2017 Hoffman was the first-round leader of the Masters, and anyone who can compile a round of 65 here when the next best on the day is 69 deserves huge respect.

Indeed, his form at Augusta (12-22-29-9) is eye-catching stuff, and with a spring in his step the Hoff has to be considered this week.

Brandt Snedeker – Vegas Odds 100/1 – Beware the player that reunites with a trusted old swing coach.

Brand Snedeker is back under the tutelage of Todd Anderson after spending a couple of years with Butch Harmon, and the signs are that he is coming back into some nice form.

T5 at THE PLAYERS Championship was followed by T30 at the Valspar, and it’s worth remembering that positive swing changes are both a technical and a psychological thing. Snedeker, with Anderson close to hand, will be confident of tackling Augusta National once more.

And why not!? He’s banked three top-10s here in the past, as well as a trio of other top-30s, and Sneds is a player that won’t be put out should the weather take a turn for the nasty in Georgia.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”4.63%” bar_text=”5 out of 108 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”15.74%” bar_text=”17 out of 108 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”37.96%” bar_text=”41 out of 108 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”4.54%” bar_text=”1 out of 22 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”13.63%” bar_text=”3 out of 22 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”64.81%” bar_text=”70 out of 108 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram