Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – Sony Open in Hawaii
2020 Sony Open in Hawaii Fantasy Sleeper Report
Who doesn’t love a playoff finish to a golf event?
Justin Thomas certainly does, because he extended his shootout record to 3-1 with victory over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed at the Tournament of Champions last week.
He well and truly showed his mettle after making a bit of a pig’s ear of the eighteenth hole on Sunday, recapturing his composure knowing that he would have to replay Kapalua’s fun final hole again versus his playoff combatants.
A birdie on the first extra hole was enough to take JT and Reed through to the next with Schauffele’s par sending him home, and at the next two holes Reed had putts to win or at least extend the contest yet further.
But Thomas, like the great champion he is, struck on the third go-around, making a birdie to collect the twelfth PGA TOUR victory of his stellar career to date.
The 26-year-old extended his fine record on Hawaiian soil with a third tournament win on the island, and he might even be eyeing number four this week at the Sony Open.
He’ll have to overcome a decent field that includes the likes of Reed, defending champion Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson and Hideki Matsuyama, and there may well be some funky conditions to overcome too.
The early forecasts are suggesting wind speeds of in excess of 25 mph could be in the offing, while rain showers throughout the week could test the mettle of the players yet further.
At least the Waialae course in Honolulu is an easy enough one to tackle. There is little danger off the tee with minimal rough, although you will want to avoid the thickest of the tree lines and their ability to hide the greens from sight of some approaches.
Other than the weather, the primary asset of the Seth Raynor design is the small Bermuda greens, which are flanked by some quite beastly sand traps. The emphasis is very much on approach play this week, or an immaculate chipping game that keeps the keenest of scramblers in the hunt.
The weather may just blow, pun intended, this event wide open this week, and that of course brings the prospect of a sleeper winner into the offing. Two of the last four champions here in Fabian Gomez and Patton Kizzire have come somewhat from left field, so could we be in for a repeat in 2020?
Let’s take a look in our Sony Open sleeper report.
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Sony Open in Hawaii Fantasy Sleeper Report
Marc Leishman – 50/1 – It would be fair to say that 2019 was a year to forget for Marc Leishman.
The Australian is one of the most impressive ball-strikers around when on form, but he only offered up glimpses of that last year.
Ironically, one of his best performances of 2019 came at the Sony Open, where rounds of 64 and 65 propelled him to a T3 finish at Waialae.
Other signs of life came later in the year, with solo third finishes at both the WGC-FedEx St Jude and Safeway Open suggesting a return to his best is in the offing.
T10 last time out in his home Australian Open, Leishman loves this golf course and is expected to go well.
Kevin Kisner – 50/1 – The renaissance of Kevin Kisner continues at pace.
A decent end to the 2018-19 season reminded many that had written off Kiz as to what he is about, before an inconsistent Asian Swing was improved upon by T7 at the Hero World Challenge and T14 at the Tournament of Champions last week.
It seems as though his swing changes are starting to take effect, and while he is still some way away from contending, perhaps, he does have a pair of top-fives to his name at Waialae and so has the basis for a strong showing.
Sebastian Munoz – 66/1 – Since the start of the 2020 season, Munoz has won the Sanderson Farms Championship, recorded two other top-10 finishes and confirmed that he has a bright future on the PGA TOUR.
A solo third at the RSM Classic confirms his suitability for short, coastal tests, and he got an initial taste of conditions in Hawaii last week in a so-so outing at the Tournament of Champions. He will surely grow stronger for that.
A decent turn at Waialae in 2019, which resulted in a first top-10 finish of the year, sets the scene nicely for this talented Colombian.
Vaughn Taylor – 100/1 – Given his suitability for the test, the poor form of Vaughn Taylor at Waialae comes as something of a surprise.
That said, he’s playing some fantastic golf at the moment and so arguably hasn’t trotted into Hawaii in better form.
He was right in the mix at Mayakoba and did nothing wrong, agonizingly missing a putt that would have forced him into a playoff with Brendon Todd.
The 43-year-old followed up with a T10 return at the RSM Classic, so all is going well in his game right now.
A decent putter with an excellent iron game, Taylor ranked 30th for Birdie Average in 2019 and 21st for Scrambling, so here is a guy with the tools to thrive at Waialae.
Brian Gay – 100/1 – When conditions suit, Brian Gay continues to thrive.
He might be knocking on a bit now, but the veteran still shines on shorter courses where wind management and strategy are the watchwords – hence T3 at the Bermuda Championship, T7 at Shriners and T14 in the Mayakoba in recent times.
In his last nine trips to Waialae, Gay has missed just one cut and recorded five top-25 finishes. In short, he can still mix it with the best when all of the cards fall into place.
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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Sony Open in Hawaii here.
Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2019-2020)
Cover photo via Instagram
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