Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – Charles Schwab Challenge

2019 Charles Schwab Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

We’re already two majors into the PGA TOUR season, but man what excitement we have enjoyed thus far.

If you thought Tiger’s triumph at the Masters was something, just go back and re-watch the action from Sunday to remember why we all fell in love with golf in the first place.

Okay, so there were some unsavory moments – why the heck were the crowd digging out Brooks? – but this was high stakes, championship golf played at a course which separating the men from the boys.

In the end it was one of the biggest of them all, Brooks Koepka, who bested his good friend Dustin Johnson in a titanic conclusion.

Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts to his putt on the 18th…

Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts to his putt on the 18th green as he hugs caddie Ricky Elliott during the final round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 19,… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

He never looked like losing the lead he had held from the get-go, to be honest, apart from a spell of 30 minutes or so where his world seemed to fall apart. Four straight bogeys opened the door for DJ – everyone else was too far away to take advantage of Koepka’s generosity.

Unusually for him, Johnson blinked under the spotlight, making bogey at 16 and 17, and so Brooks won by default in the end.

Actually, scrap that. This was the best in the business getting a slice of luck that even the premier performers need from time to time.

So that’s four major titles before the age of 30 for Koepka, who becomes the first player in history to hold back-to-back US Open and PGA Championship titles.

It’s back to Texas this week for the concluding leg of the Lone Star Swing. The Charles Schwab Challenge might sounds like one of those gap-filling events in the schedule, but don’t worry because this is just the Colonial event under (yet)another sponsorship-led name.

Long time PGA TOUR viewers will know the drill at this stretch of Fort Worth. Some of the most bendy tree-lined doglegs await the players at this Par 70 layout, were smaller-than-average Bentgrass greens only add to the complexity.

There’s bunkers galore, water on six holes and rough that is thicker than the average – factor in the typically strong Texan breeze and we have a recipe for a tough old test of ball-striking.

That said, scores can be made – and with rain around, a nice soft course will help on that front – so there should be a nice, fair test of skill to be had his week.

With that in mind, who makes our shortlist of sleepers for the Charles Schwab Challenge?

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Charles Schwab Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

Rory Sabbatini – 50/1 – It’s been eight long years since the Slovakian by way of South African won a PGA TOUR event, but right now he is showcasing the form that suggests he is closer than ever to ending that drought.

Nine of his last twelve strokeplay rounds have been in the 60s, and that has led to T5, T10 and T18 finishes in the AT&T Byron Nelson, RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo Championship.

A fun little run at Colonial of 20-MC-10 is confirmation of what we already knew: Sabbatini is a premium quality ball striker who can shoot low numbers when the mood strikes him.

Scott Piercy – 55/1 – The high-quality recent form of Scott Piercy continued at Bethpage Black – to some extent anyway.

But for a final round of 76, he would have recorded a top-30 finish to go with top-threes at the RBC Heritage and AT&T Byron Nelson.

That was a strong effort given his lack of length off the tee, and at Colonial – where he won’t be penalized for such – we can expect more low numbers from the 40-year-old.

One of the most accurate drivers around who happens to rank 18th for Par 4 Birdies or Better, Piercy’s recent form is a strong indicator of further success in Fort Worth.

Graeme McDowell – 66/1 – For a man born in Portrush and who still has a home in the town, the motivation on the part of Graeme McDowell to qualify for this year’s British Open is off-the-scale.

The Irishman is going about it the right way too, and since winning the Punta Cana Corales Championship he has continued to go from strength to strength.

A T7 return at the Texas Open has been matched by a T29 at the PGA Championship – a minor miracle given his lack of length off the tee.

That was an effort built on a great week with the putter, undoubtedly the strongest part of his game, and if he can create some birdie opportunities from tee-to-green then ‘GMac’ is as well placed as anyone to take advantage.

Joel Dahmen – 66/1 – It’s been a stellar few months for Joel Dahmen. T12 at TPC Sawgrass, he followed up with another top-20 showing at the RBC Heritage shortly after.

And on paper, a T71 return from the PGA Championship is hardly mind-blowing, but remember that was his first look at a tremendously difficult golf course. To be sat at just +2 at the halfway stage is testament to his confidence at present.

A naturally accurate driver who hits plenty of fairways, Dahmen’s natural game allied to some red-hot form should be a marriage made in heaven at Colonial.

Kevin Na – 70/1 – You only have to go back 12 months to recall when Kevin Na absolutely slayed Colonial CC.

He bookended his tournament with rounds of 62 and 61, and while we can largely ignore the filling of that sandwich it’s proof positive that this layout is right up Na’s street.

That was his third top-10 at the layout, and for a player with bits and pieces of form in the bank that is intriguing to say the least.

A run to the last eight of the WGC-Dell Matchplay was franked by a decent effort at Augusta and a top-10 at the RBC Heritage, and we’re willing to forgive a missed cut at Bethpage given that that came on the line.

Can Na take Colonial to task once more? At these odds, it will be fun watching him try.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”6.02%” bar_text=”8 out of 133 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”15.78%” bar_text=”21 out of 133 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”34.58%” bar_text=”46 out of 133 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”3.70%” bar_text=”1 out of 27 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”18.51%” bar_text=”5 out of 27 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”63.91%” bar_text=”85 out of 133 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram