Fantasy Golf Predictions

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2024 Grant Thornton Invitational

Published

1 year ago

December 10, 2024

Golficity

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Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2024 Grant Thornton Invitational

The Grant Thornton Invitational Fantasy Preview

Scottie Scheffler signed off on 2024 in much the same way he spent the prior 12 months: winning PGA TOUR events.

He successfully defended his Hero World Challenge trophy by a mammoth margin of six shots, accelerating away over the weekend to leave Tom Kim, Justin Thomas, and co eating his dust.

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Scheffler trialled a new claw-like putting grip, and to say it worked would be an understatement: he gained +0.96 strokes on the field putting, ranking third. When you combine that with his awesome tee-to-green ability… well, good luck to everyone else on the PGA TOUR in 2025.

The good news is that as the curtain falls on 2024 at this week’s Grant Thornton Invitational at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, Scheffler won’t be in the field.

Small mercies for everybody else…

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week’s top Sleeper Pick was Scottie Scheffler, a must have at 5/2.

We also had Tom Kim (2nd) and Justin Thomas (3rd) among our picks. Overall not a bad week in the Bahamas!

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The Grant Thornton Invitational Field

The Grant Thornton Invitational is a unique event, in which 16 pros from the PGA TOUR team up in pairs with their colleagues from the LPGA Tour.

The tournament was first held last year, and the reigning champions from that inaugural edition – Lydia Ko and Jason Day – return to try and defend their title.

Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners, who teamed up to finish in second place 12 months ago, return, as will Lexi Thompson and Rickie Fowler, who ended up in T6 last year.

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We are scheduled to see Nelly Korda in action, too. She’s slated to team up with Tony Finau, although his personal issues and knee injuries in 2024 – and his withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge – suggest we may have to wait and see about that.

Jeeno Thitikul, who won the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship in November at Tiburon Golf Course, teams up with Tom Kim.

The rest of the pairings are as follows:

Jennifer Kupcho & Akshay Bhatia
Mel Reid & Cameron Champ
Gabi Ruffels & Cameron Champ
Andrea Lee & Max Greyserman
Patty Tavatanakit & Jake Knapp
Megan Khang & Matt Kuchar
Lilia Vu & Luke List
Celine Boutier & Matthieu Pavon
Maja Stark & J.T. Poston
Allisen Corpuz & Sahith Theegala
Lauren Coughlin & Cameron Young

This Week’s Course Preview

Those who speak a little bit of Spanish may have already joined the dots about Tiburon Golf Club. Tiburon being the Spanish word for shark, and Greg ‘The Shark’ Norman on design duties.

Found in Naples, Florida, Tiburon’s Gold Course stretches to around 7,382 yards from the men’s tees and 6,595 yards from the ladies.

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It’s classic Greg Norman course design, with plenty of open spaces and a Links style feel, although the Gold Course does feature some sizable bunkers and lakes.

But the emphasis is on low scoring, which is assisted by the format of the tournament, and scores of -37 over 54 holes in the QBE Shootout held here speak volumes. Thitikul also won the CME Group Tour Championship here a few weeks ago in -22.

The only issue can be the wind, which always blows in Naples, but the players will have played plenty of Florida golf by now.

Weather Forecast for Naples, Florida

A warm and breezy start on Friday should give way to calmer conditions over the weekend in Naples.

We’re expecting wall to wall sunshine, which will be nice, and temperatures of between 75 and 78 degrees across the three days of action.

But this being Florida golf, the wind is a factor. On Friday, we’re expecting at least 16mph, before the breeze will drop to 12mph and then 8mph on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Last Year’s Results from the Grant Thornton Invitational

Nine teams broke 60 in the better ball segment in the first round last year, and one pairing to do so was Jason Day and Lydia Ko.

The difference between them and the rest is that they didn’t relent from there.

The Aussie and the Kiwi posted 66 in round two, which bettered every other pairing by at least two strokes.

And there was very little concern on the Sunday, with six birdies and zero bogeys carrying Day and Ko to a score of -26.

Madelene Sagstrom and Ludvig Aberg fired a remarkable 60 in the final round to finish third, while Brooke Henderson and Corey Conners could and perhaps should have forced a playoff… they only made par at the easy Par 5 eighteenth hole.

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Where to Play Fantasy Golf for this Week’s Grant Thornton Invitational

Of course, with only 16 teams to choose from, you can look at the Grant Thornton Invitational in two ways: yes, whales can play multiple lineups and cover much of the field, but your chance of drafting the optimal roster is higher than in the average week, too.

PGA $22k Drive the Green: Hopefully, it’s case of $5 in, $5k out if you can land the top prize in this contest.
PGA $60k Sand Trap: For an outlay of $25, you’ll get a smaller field to battle (2,823) but some sizable payouts into the bargain… the winner taking home $20k.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Grant Thornton Invitational

Before we dive into this week’s fantasy notes, it’s first worth considering the tournament’s format.

The Grant Thornton Invitational starts on Friday and is played across three rounds. The first round on Friday is better ball, so both players tee off before selecting which ball they want to play. Both will then play on from that spot, with the best score carded.

Saturday brings foursomes action, which is simply the alternate shot format, with the players taking it in turns to tee off.

And the final round on Sunday is modified four-balls. Both players tee off, but they then switch balls and play that one through to a conclusion, with the best score carded.

So, when you consider that format, one thing that leaps out is that you want to be drafting pairings where at least one, ideally both, of the players are strong off the tee. That way, they can maximize their value in all three rounds.

Here’s another consideration: the Florida angle. Jason Day, a former resident of Orlando, has won both the PLAYERS Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational in the state.

Lydia Ko, meanwhile, has also set up home in Orlando, and has previously twice won the LPGA Tour Championship at Tiburon, as well as two other LPGA events in the Sunshine State.

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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

Tom Kim (Odds: 6/1, FPPG: 67.2, Salary: $10,500) (with Jeeno Thitikul)

Sometimes, selections just fall into your lap.

Tom Kim was in sensational form at the Hero World Challenge, shaking off a first round 74 to then blitz Albany GC with middle rounds of 62 and 65. His game is, evidently, in great shape.

And then we have Jeeno Thitikul, who at the age of 21 has already won four times on the LPGA Tour – including the Tour Championship just a few weeks ago at Tiburon, has recorded seven straight top-ten finishes on the LPGA Tour, and is ranked fifth in the world.

With top-tens in all five women’s majors, Thitikul is one of the best players on the planet… she will be met in Florida by the best version of Tom Kim.

Key Stats:

Total Driving – 47th
SG: Approach – 49th
Birdie Average – 51st

Top Tier Pick #2

Sahith Theegala (Odds: 10/1, FPPG: 73.8, Salary: $8,900) (with Allisen Corpuz)

It’s interesting that Sahith Theegala, not always the straightest of drivers, is paired with Allisen Corpuz, who happens to be one of the best off the tee on the LPGA Tour.

Quite how that pans out on the course remains to be seen, but you suspect these second-year veterans of the Grant Thornton Invitational will benefit from having the other alongside them.

The story remains the same for Theegala, not the best driver on the PGA TOUR but solid on approach with an elite short game. Corpuz, meanwhile, has struggled to back up her win at the 2023 Women’s U.S. Open, but this format – and the presence of Theegala – may just be the catalyst for a return to former glories.

Key Stats:

Total Birdies – 13th
SG: Approach – 44th
SG: Putting – 48th

Mid-Tier Pick #1

Akshay Bhatia (Odds: 12/1, FPPG: 65.7, Salary: $8,700) (with Jennifer Kupcho)

Akshay Bhatia was there or thereabouts at the Hero World Challenge, posting two excellent opening rounds before finding the pace of Scottie Scheffler, Tom Kim, and Justin Thomas too hot to handle over the weekend.

His excellent all-round game will likely be supplemented by Jennifer Kupcho, the former major champion who ranked ninth this year on the LPGA Tour for the Ball Striking stat.

Kupcho’s short game might be an issue here, but in Bhatia she will be joined by a player that has improved markedly on the greens in the second half of 2024. Perhaps in combination, they will help to get the best out of one another.

Key Stats:

Total Driving – 27th
SG: Putting – 33rd
Total Birdies – 41st

Mid-Tier Pick #2

Max Greyserman (Odds: 11/1, FPPG: 70.3, Salary: $8,300) (with Andrea Lee)

It’s been a tremendous rookie year for Max Greyserman on the PGA TOUR, where his bombs-and-putts strategy took him to the TOUR Championship, while yielding four top-five finishes in his last six starts.

He will have to do much of the heavy lifting this week given that Andrea Lee has lost a little form, but it’s interesting that the best part of her game – approach play – is perhaps still Greyserman’s achilles heel.

They should be a good team then, and Greyserman’s elite form – and his desire to do well on his adopted Floridan home soil, could make them a duo to watch this week.

Key Stats:

SG: Putting – 2nd
Birdie Average – 7th
Total Driving – 31st

Low-Tier Pick

Matthieu Pavon (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 65.1, Salary: $7,700) (with Celine Boutier)

The French golfing contingent on the numerous tours around the world are notoriously supportive of one another, and you wonder if that might be the secret sauce that gets the best out of Matthieu Pavon this week.

His season has been strange to say the least, with highs – winning the Farmers Insurance Open and finishing top-five at the U.S. Open – and the lows of indifferent form in-between.

But he will be joined by his French compatriot Celine Boutier this week, and maybe that will spark something. Boutier brings plenty of form and class with her, having posted five finishes of T12 or better in as many starts on the LPGA Tour, including solo second at the BMW Ladies Championship.

Key Stats:

Proximity to Hole – 51st
Total Driving – 53rd
SG: Approach – 53rd

Sleeper Pick for the Grant Thornton Invitational

Matt Kuchar (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 52.2, Salary: $7,000) (with Megan Khang)

There’s something about pairs golf that seems to bring the best out of Matt Kuchar.

He won the QBE Shootout three times with Harris English – at Tiburon, no less, and has three other recognized pairs wins to his name.

Kooch has won the PLAYERS Championship and Honda Classic in Florida, while his current form – tailing off a little lately – was excellent in the summer.

Megan Khang has posted four LPGA Tour top-tens since the summer herself, and won three points from three games at the 2024 Solheim Cup. She ranks third on the LPGA Tour this season from tee-to-green, so if she or Kuchar can find some putts, they could be dark horses for the title.

Key Stats:

Driving Accuracy – 28th
SG: Putting – 29th
Bogey Avoidance – 50th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Grant Thornton Invitational

Cameron Young (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 73.8, Salary: $6,800) (with Lauren Coughlin)

It’s very rare that we get to draft Cameron Young in the sleeper slot!

These pairs formats are probably a good avenue for Young, whose ball striking was as strong as ever at the Hero World Challenge, but a poor show on the greens would yet again prove to be his downfall.

So step forward Lauren Coughlin, who certainly knows how to get the job done. She won twice on the LPGA Tour in the summer, and banked top-five finishes in two majors in 2024… including leading the Chevron Championship early on.

With her winning touch, and Young’s innate talent, it could be a match made in heaven.

Key Stats: