Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – Sentry Tournament of Champions

2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions Fantasy Sleeper Report

The dawn of a new year brings with it the start of a new PGA TOUR season into the bargain.

The Presidents Cup and the wraparound/Fall season are now in the rear view mirror, but the lessons we learned from those events are clearly of interest to bettors looking for some sleeper value this week.

We get things underway with the Tournament of Champions, which heralds the start of the two-week jaunt in Hawaii that concludes with the Sony Open next week.

This is a pretty relaxed way to ring in the new year, with the conditions at the Kapalua course perfect for those looking to shake off the cobwebs of the off-season. It’s easy, which is a nice start, with winning scores in the minus twenties under par a common theme here in recent times.

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There’s not a huge amount of danger to be found off the tee, and the large Bermuda greens are receptive and run nice and pure to reward the smoothest of putting strokes.

The temperatures are up to an agreeable high, the wind will be ever-present but manageable, and all-in-all the Tournament of Champions will be a fun way to ring in the new campaign – working out which players are here to win, and which are just here for the holiday vibes, will be key to betting success.

This event is a fantastic one for anybody who enjoys wagering lie and ‘in play’ too. Just take a look at the 2019 edition: Xander Schauffele was absolutely nowhere after 54 holes, but a final round of 62 – a tied course record shared with an eclectic mix of Jason Day, K.J. Choi, Chris Kirk and Graeme McDowell – saw him get home by one-shot from Gary Woodland.

That was actually a turn of -11, given that Kapalua boasts a rather unique make-up: it is one the rare Par 73 courses used in elite-level golf. Measuring just over 7,400 yards, the layout is not overly long but do note that there are still only four Par 5s – it is the eleven Par 4s that make up for the additional shot.

The Crenshaw & Coore design features all of the classic hallmarks of a coastal PGA accredited course, so all of the attributes required to succeed at places like Harbour Town, Sea Island, El Camaleon and Pebble Beach (in its pro-am set-up) are relevant here.

That gives us plenty of ammunition in making our sleeper shortlist, so who gets the nod as we tackle the Sentry Tournament of Champions?

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Sentry Tournament of Champions Fantasy Sleeper Report

Matt Kuchar – 50/1 – It’s not been a golden time for Kooch of late, but layouts like Kapalua tend to ring the best out of the veteran.

A winner in Hawaii in the past, Kuchar has also thrived at the RBC Heritage and the Mayakoba, and as a former British Open runner-up we know he is comfortable in a breeze.

A two-time Tour champion in the past year or so, any notions of Kuchar not being a closer can now be kicked to the curb.

Could he kick off 2020 with the ultimate bang?

Kevin Kisner – 66/1 – It’s been a while in coming, but there was a turnaround in form – of sorts – for Kevin Kisner last time out.

He putted much better, which is a start, and while finishing T7 in the Hero World Challenge is hardly anything to set the world alight, it is a start ahead of a new year.

Kisner has played well here in the past, including a top-10 finish back in 2016, and he has a string of good performances in related events – including winning the coastal RSM Classic.

Sebastian Munoz – 80/1 – A strangely inconsistent performer, when Sebastian Munoz clicks he tends to perform at a level higher than his world ranking of 105 suggests.

He was excellent from tee-to-green at the RSM Classic last time out and putted pretty well too in that solo third, which came just five starts after triumphing in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

The Colombian has played well at coastal layouts in the past, and if he has one of his ‘good weeks’ in Hawaii then he can go very well indeed.

Dylan Frittelli – 80/1 – The South African earned his place in this TOC field by winning the John Deere Classic, so success in the wind is not hard to find.

A winner of the European Tour’s Mauritius Open, this sort of test is second nature to Frittelli and he will be looking to make his mark early on in the new season.

An excellent tee-to-green merchant, Frittelli is the kind of player that can get on a roll with the putter – albeit not as often as he’d like – so there’s a chance he can post some streaky low scores in Hawaii.

Graeme McDowell – 125/1 – Short? Check. Coastal? Check. Wind affected? Check.

It’s no surprise to learn that Graeme McDowell has a top-three finish to his name at Kapalua given that it suits his game down to a tee.

A winner at Pebble Beach, the Harbour Town Links and even Celtic Manor in Wales, GMac has plenty of relevant experience under his belt.

The Irishman has banked a trio of top-25 finishes in his last four starts, so there is a platform there on which he can build.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2019-2020)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “4.00%” bar_text=”2 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”34.00%” bar_text=”17 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 10 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 10 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”58.00%” bar_text=”29 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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