Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2023 Grant Thornton Invitational  

Grant Thornton Invitational Fantasy Preview

There’s a special bonus in 2023 with the advent of the Grant Thornton Invitational, a unique event that will pair a PGA TOUR pro with a counterpart from the LPGA TOUR – the first time since 1999 that the two tours have combined in this way.

There’s plenty of questions to be asked this week – who the heck is Grant Thornton, being one of them, but you won’t need to wonder about the format of the tournament as we’ve got you covered.

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This three-day, 54-hole affair will bring together a format made up of foursomes, better ball and scramble for an event that readers may well remember from the PGA TOUR’s now defunct QBE Shootout.

Those in the field can enjoy the uniqueness of the tournament and the fact that Scottie Scheffler won’t be in town to take money out of their pocket. He won the Hero World Challenge last week having gained strokes on the field putting – something of a rarity for a player of even his extraordinary talent.

His newly employed flat stick coach, Phil Kenyon, was watching on from greenside, and if their link-up continues to bear fruit, the world of golf has been served notice of what might be to come in 2024.

Last Event’s Fantasy Results

No Scheffler on our report, but in total out of 7 main picks and 3 sleeper picks, we ended up with 6 top 10’s including Straka (2nd) and JT (3rd).

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2023 Grant Thornton Invitational Field

There are 14 pairings taking part in the Grant Thornton Invitational, with one of the most eye-catching seeing Tony Finau team up with Nelly Korda.

Intriguingly, two of the standout players on the LPGA TOUR this season – Lilia Vu and Celine Boutier – have been paired with Joel Dahmen and Harris English respectively, who it’s fair to say have not had the best of campaigns. Could they be sparked into form by their partners?

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Ludvig Aberg will go into battle with Magdelene Sagstrom, Rickie Fowler links up with the in-form Lexi Thompson, while Sahith Theegala – one-half of the 2022 QBE Shootout champions – will be boosted by the presence of the young phenom, Rose Zhang.

This Week’s Course Preview

Tiburon – the Spanish word for shark – Golf Club is on hosting duties this week, and given the moniker you won’t be surprised to learn that the Great White, Greg Norman, was on design duties for this slice of Naples, Florida real estate.

For the men, the Gold Course will play 7,382 yards for its Par 72 (the ladies’ tees total 6,595 yards), with some long old stretches – three of the four Par 3s will play over 200 yards. But there’s a chance to drive the Par 4s at ten and thirteen for the longest hitters, which will certainly pique their interest.

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The format and the ease of the course lend themselves to low scoring – English and Kuchar once played 54 holes here in -37 thanks to the better ball rule at the 2020 QBE Shootout, with Tiburon also hosting the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA TOUR; Amy Yang winning with a score of -27 earlier this year.

So this isn’t a golf course that is upping the intensity: it’s supposed to be a fun watch for those present and at home, and a relaxed birdie-fest for those out on the battleground.

Weather Forecast for Naples, FL

It’s typically a cold start to the day for the people of Naples this week, with the weather improving (mostly) in the afternoon.

Thursday and Friday are shaping up to be ideal golf days, with temperatures of around 73 degrees and wind speeds at a manageable 11mph.

Saturday is looking to the best of the week for sun worshippers, with the mercury hitting 80 degrees, before there’s the potential for some rain on Sunday, with a stiffer 13mph breeze also possibly bringing in some thunderstorms. 

NAPLES WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the Grant Thornton Invitational

This is the inaugural edition of the Grant Thornton Invitational, so there’s no previous results to report.

However, Tiburon Golf Club has been a prolific host on both the PGA and LPGA TOURs. The QBE Shootout, a unique pairs event, was played at the venue between 2001 and 2022, with Theegala and Tom Hoge joining forces to lift the trophy last year ahead of Charley Hoffman and Ryan Palmer.

And as recently as November, the Gold Course also welcomed the LPGA’s Tour Championship, which Amy Yang won by three shots from Alison Lee and Nasa Hataoka. 

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Grant Thornton Invitational this Week

As was the case with the Hero World Challenge a week ago, the Grant Thornton Invitational has a very limited field of just 16 teams, so there’s very little value in taking on multi-entry contests unless you have the bankroll to really take advantage.

• PGA $10k Albatross: It’s in single-entry games where your best edge will lie, with this $12 contest serving up a jackpot of $1,000.
• PGA $10k Dogleg: If you want fewer teams to compete against, there’s just 353 entries accepted in this $33 game, but still a handy $1,000 top prize to fight it out for.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes

Whenever the format calls for alternate shots being played, strategically we start to think of pairings that compliment one another.

You can see that in some of the winning pairings of the QBE Shootout. Tom Hoge is a world-class iron player, Sahith Theegala has an excellent short game – put them together and magic tends to happen. The duos of Jason Kokrak-Kevin Na and Kevin Tway-Rory Sabatini have also thrived in this way.

The three rounds of the Grant Thornton Invitational will take on the following format:

• Round 1 – Scramble (Both players tee off, they decide whose ball is best placed, and then both play a ball from within a club’s length of the selection’s position)
• Round 2 – Foursomes (The best drive is chosen, with the players taking alternate shots from there)
• Round 3 – Modified Four-Ball (Both players hit drives and then swap balls for the remainder of the hole, with the lowest score counting)

So, if you think about, there’s a huge emphasis on driving this week, with both players needing to come to the party off the tee. 

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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Grant Thornton Invitational   

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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Grant Thornton Invitational  

Top Tier Pick # 1

Sahith Theegala (Odds: 10/1, FPPG: 83.2, Salary: $9,900) (with Rose Zhang)

Theegala has already enjoyed success at Tiburon, having won the 2022 QBE Shootout here with Tom Hoge.

He’ll be backed by similarly silky iron and wedge play courtesy of Rose Zhang, the young phenom who has taken the LPGA TOUR by storm in the second half of 2023.

Theegala is now a bona fide PGA TOUR champion thanks to the Fortinet Championship, while Zhang won on her LPGA TOUR debut. A stack of top-10s have since followed….as well as rounds of 66 and 67 at Tiburon during the Tour Championship a few weeks ago.

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 15th
• SG: Putting – 17th
• SG: Around-the-Green – 22nd

Top Tier Pick #2

Rickie Fowler (Odds: 11/1, FPPG: 64.3, Salary: $8,900) (with Lexi Thompson)

Timing can be everything in golf, and this event comes along nicely for Lexi Thompson.

She nearly made the cut at the Shriners during the Fall Series, which shows how well she’s striking the ball, with three consecutive top-10s on the LPGA TOUR too. Five top-10s in her last six trips to Tiburon, including a victory in 2018, sets the scene.

As for Rickie, you know what we’re getting. Elite iron and wedge play, solid putting….that works like a charm anywhere, but especially in this format. 

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 7th
• Scoring Average – 11th
• SG: Around-the-Green – 21st

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Corey Conners (Odds: 12/1, FPPG: 83.3, Salary: $8,300) (with Brooke Henderson)

Henderson has established herself as something of a fan of Tiburon GC.

She’s banked four top-10 finishes at the stretch in her last five visits, and has finished no lower than T22 in any of her last five outings worldwide – a recipe for success if ever there was one.

Regular readers know we’re Corey Conners shills, and the fact he’s already won twice at another Greg Norman design for the Texas Open adds further weight to this pairing’s claims this week.

Key Stats:

• SG: Off-the-Tee – 11th
• SG: Approach – 21st
• Scoring Average – 29th

Mid-Tier Pick #2

Lucas Glover (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 90.7, Salary: $8,000) (with Leona Maguire)

If professional golfers could call on a replacement to take some of their shots for them, there’s no doubt that Lucas Glover would be calling down a substitute putter from the bleachers.

Ranking inside the PGA TOUR’s top 20 for Driving Accuracy, SG: Approach and GIR, Glover is elite – shown by his two back-to-back to wins a few months ago. But an SG: Putting rank of 169th reveals what he could achieve in the game with an improved flat stick performance.

The missing link – for one week only – could be Leona Maguire, a quality operator in her own right who ranks inside the top-20 on the LPGA TOUR for Putting Average. Confidence is high in the Maguire camp after her Meijer Classic victory in June. 

Key Stats:

• SG: Approach – 15th
• Total Driving – 35th
• Birdie Average – 37th

Low-Tier Pick

Denny McCarthy (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 124.5, Salary: $7,400) (with Megan Khang)

There have been times during Denny McCarthy’s career where it would have been agreeable for him to have somebody else hitting some of his shots.

He is one of the best putters on the planet, it’s as simple as that, but his tee-to-green game is such that he is yet to fully take advantage of the fact.

So step forward Megan Khang, who ranks seventh on the LPGA TOUR this season for GIR. Her presence will surely help McCarthy take his game to the next level – assuming he putts well, that is. He did finish T5 here a year ago in the QBE Shootout with Nelly Korda.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 3rd
• Scrambling – 9th
• SG: Around-the-Green – 58th

Sleeper Pick for the Grant Thornton Invitational

Joel Dahmen (Odds: 18/1, FPPG: 66.4, Salary: $7,000) (with Lilia Vu)

In Lilia Vu, we have arguably the best women’s golfer on the planet right now – she’s the world number one that won four titles in 2023, including two majors.

In Joel Dahmen, we have a good time guy who, when everything falls into place, can play some mean golf himself.

You wonder if Dahmen is the kind of guy that really needs pressure on him to perform well – that’s what pairs golf will do, and especially when you’re teaming up with a player who’s banked three top-five finishes in her last four outings, including a win at The Annika in November.

Will Joel hold up his end of the bargain?

Key Stats:

• Proximity to Hole – 52nd
• SG: Off-the-Tee – 65th
• SG: Around-the-Green – 65th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Grant Thornton Invitational

Russell Henley (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 102.5, Salary: $6,500) (with Mel Reid)

There are so few weaknesses in Russell Henley’s game these days that he’s the ideal partner in any pairs format.

He’s one of the best ball strikers in the business, and while his season-long putting stats aren’t great, he has improved in his most recent outings – gaining more than +3.00 on the field in a trio of events from the Wyndham to the BMW. 

As for Mel Reid, we could be banking on the nappy factor – she’s recently welcomed a new addition to her family, which as we know can bring a tremendous sense of perspective.

Key Stats:

• Driving Accuracy – 1st
• Scoring Average – 16th
• SG: Approach – 18th

This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup

Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only.  Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.

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Fantasy Golf Predictions – This Season (2023-2024)

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