Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The 3M Open

2019 3M Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Even if the spectacle of it wasn’t all that satisfying, it was still a great moment to see Nate Lashley cash in n his undoubted talent last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He’s experienced more trauma and tragedy already than most people go through in a lifetime, but he’s walked through the storm, rediscovered his love of this sport and capitalized with a win.

Lashley is now significantly richer and will benefit from all of the exemptions that PGA TOUR winners enjoy, but more importantly than that he has earned the proof that all of his hard work on the range was worth it.

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We walked into the unknown as bettors last week, and once again we have to take some liberties with our selections in the inaugural hosting of this 3M Open events at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.

The name may ring a bell or two: the 3M Championship has been a mainstay of the Champions Tour for a good few years now. That tournament is also played at this course, where it has routinely ranked either first or second in the ‘birdies made’ category each season.

Add into the equation that the average winning score here is -17 (made through 54, not 72 holes), and that Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos have fired rounds of 60, and you might be thinking that the younger pros are set to take this course to the cleaners.

And you might be right, although we have to wait and see how a series of renovations – overseen by British Open champion Tom Lehman – will manifest themselves.

Those include the addition of new trees, the extension of water features and the inclusion of deeper sand traps, but the word on the street is that -20 or lower will be the winning mark.

With rain in the forecast, there is the worry that this tournament could turn into a farce. If the Bentgrass greens are suitable softened, this could become a bomb-and-gouge contest where the best putter from 10ft and inwards wins – the nightmare scenario for bettors.

All we can do is prepare ourselves for that eventuality by backing a series of players who are comfortable in these conditions and capable of hanging tough in birdie-based shootouts.

With that in mind, here are our sleeper picks for the 3M Open.

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3M Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Nate Lashley – 66/1 – Well, why not?

With two rounds of 63 last week, it’s fair to say that Lashley is firing at flags and shooting red numbers in abundance.

He will have that first-time champions glow, and that can sometimes manifest itself as a weak performance as the hangover of success kicks in.

But on the flipside, Lashley played extraordinary golf in Detroit and probably should be a lot shorter than 66/1 with the sportsbooks as a consequence.

It could be a boom-or-bust wager, but there’s more foolish ways to lose cash than backing Lashley – a player making up for lost time – to double up.

Brian Harman – 80/1 – Here’s a curious player with whom you never quite know where you stand.

Harman hadn’t recorded a single top-30 this season, and proceeded to rock up at Sawgrass and finish T8 in THE PLAYERS Championship.

A similar thing happened at the Travelers, where after another fallow spell he again shattered preconceptions in finishing T8.

He enjoys Bentgrass layouts and seems more at home when tree-lines inform his tee shots, and so to that extent TPC Twin Cities could suit his eye.

Harman is a fine talent, and we just hope that three consecutive rounds of 66 at the Travelers are a sign that the two-time PGA TOUR winner is approaching his best form.

Collin Morikawa – 80/1 – We can all be guilty of diving in headfirst with talented youngsters who emerge on Tour.

But one of the things that sets Morikawa apart from the rest is his propensity for winning. He has landed amateur titles up and down the land, is a former number one ranked amateur in the world and a former All American.

He impressed when T14 at the Canadian Open, and was excellent at the US Open and Travelers Championship too.

As we know, it’s not unheard of for an amateur to win a senior level event, and Morikawa’s record of victories is certainly of interest.

Sepp Straka – 100/1 – This has the feeling of one of those tournaments where somebody will enjoy a breakout win – much like Lashley last week – and you sense that Sepp Straka is one of the most likely candidates.

The Austrian’s all-round game is very good, and he has the length off the tee to really make a difference at layouts like this.

A prolific Par 4 birdie maker, Straka has performed well in weak field events and compiled three rounds of 68 or better at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week.

Mackenzie Hughes – 125/1 – We have been keen backers of the Canadian’s in recent weeks, but he has been coming up with the goods so we’re happy enough to get involved once more.

Hughes’ formline – 21-51-14-8 – only tells part of the story, because he’s been making stacks of birdies in that run: of his last 16 rounds, nine have been played in the 60s with six at 67 or better.

We’re assuming that form shown at Detroit GC last week will travel well, and there Hughes was mostly excellent, so we’re backing him to go well once more.

Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the 3M Open here.

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Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”6.13%” bar_text=”10 out of 163 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”15.34%” bar_text=”25 out of 163 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”34.56%” bar_text=”56 out of 163 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”6.06%” bar_text=”2 out of 33 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”18.18%” bar_text=”6 out of 33 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”64.42%” bar_text=”105 out of 163 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram