Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2016 Farmers Insurance Open

The Sleeper Report: Fantasy Golf Sleepers, Long Shots, and Undervalued Picks for the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open

2016 Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Sleeper Preview

The Farmers Insurance Open heads back to the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California this week while being spearheaded by the duo of defending champion Jason Day and OWGR No. 4 Rickie Fowler; winner of last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship.

This tournament first began in 1952 as the San Diego Open and has boasted some impressive winners over the years as many elite names have enjoyed taking a stab at the famous two-course setup in Cali.  The event features both the North Course, a par-72, 7,052-yard layout, and the South Course, also a par-72, but much longer at 7,698 yards.  Each of the final two rounds will be played on the South Course after splitting time between the two tracks to start off the week.

As previously mentioned, some huge names have etched their mark into the trophy at the Farmers Insurance Open with the top one being Tiger Woods who made Torrey Pines look like your local municipal course from the white tees with victories in seven different attempts (1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2013).  Phil Mickelson also was dominant here with a trio of wins (1993, 2000, and 2001) while the likes of Arnold Palmer (1957, 1961) and Tom Watson (1977, 1980) also topped the leaderboard more than once.

Last year it was current OWGR No. 2 Jason Day who showed what he had in store for the season as he grabbed his first of five victories in dramatic fashion.  He used his Friday 65 to get his total score to nine-under-par, putting him in a playoff with three other golfers (J.B. Holmes, Harris English, and Scott Stallings). Once there he was able to earn his third career PGA TOUR trophy on the second hole where he really showed off his improved play from the previous seasons.  Day was the first non-American to win this event since 2002 and his final score of nine-under tied with 2014 winner, Scott Stallings, as the worst to par since 1979.

Day will be back again to defend his title this year while another eight players from the top-30 will join him and the aforementioned Fowler.  Also, to no surprise, local boy and three-time winner, Phil Mickelson, will be on the entrants list for the 20th consecutive year while looking to build off an impressive tie for third last week.

The odds weigh heavily in the top players’ favor as Day, Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Snedeker, Rose, and Reed all go in as 18/1 or better, with Day of course leading the way with a 7/1 chance of taking the big check home.  Still, the field is not saturated with players from the top of the OWGR and therefore opportunities are available for some less heralded golfers to win this week.

Highlighted below are some of the names that may enjoy playing on the Pacific Coast this week while showing some impressive golf skills despite their long odds and “sleeper” status.

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2016 Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

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2016 Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Mix and match these players with your usual rosters (or play them separately) to get the most out of your picks this week.

Si Woo Kim – Vegas Odds 66/1: Kim is a Korean born professional who struggled mightily in his first go on the TOUR at the ripe ol’ age of 18 in 2013 when he participated in eight events that resulted in seven missed cuts and a withdrawal.  Since then he has paid his dues on the Web.Com Tour and was able to get to the weekend in 18-of-25 attempts (72%) while earning a victory in 2015.  With his improved game and maturity, Kim has had no issues competing at the highest level this year, and has already played in seven events on the young season.  He is 5-for-7 in cuts made over that stretch with two top-10s to his name.  Each of those impressive finishes has come over the last few weeks, capped off by a fourth place finish at the Sony Open followed by a tie for ninth just last weekend.  His hot streak has included a score of 68 or better in nine of his last 10 rounds thanks to gaining a total of 1.012 strokes on the field (32nd on TOUR).  Confidence is a big factor for such a young player and given his recent performances he should have all the confidence in the world heading to Torrey Pines this week.

Scott Piercy – Vegas Odds 66/1: Piercy looks poised to build off his career year in 2015 when he finished 22nd in the FedExCup standings while taking home his third career PGA TOUR win.  So far in his five events this season, the 37-year-old is a perfect 5-for-5 in cuts made and has finished in the top-25 in all but one of those occasions.  He’s also hit better than 73% of GIR in each week except when he tied for 35th and currently ranks in the top-50 in driving distance (300.2 yards per, 44th on TOUR), GIR percentage (74.72%, 47th on TOUR), and birdie average (4.70, 26th on TOUR).  Piercy should also feel comfortable here after having attended nearby San Diego University and some of that comfort has translated into results as evidenced by two top-20 performances at Torrey Pines over his last four tries.  With the impressive players coming to California this week, it may be tough for Piercy to get his fourth career win on TOUR, but his recent play and past showings here suggest a solid outing for the American.

Jamie Lovemark – Vegas Odds 66/1: Lovemark has yet to make much of a lasting impact on the TOUR in his 71 events since 2006, making the cut in just over 50% of his opportunities (37-of-69) while attending just two tournaments last year.  However, he did perform well on the Web.Com Tour, and has been able to finally get things going with the big dogs, going 5-for-7 in his tries this year; including making an appearance in the top-10 three times already this year.  Each of those great outings has come over his last three times teeing it up with two of those coming in the previous two weeks.  In that stretch he has gone over 70 just once and shot 15-under-par on par fives at the CareerBuilder Challenge last week en route to an impressive sixth place finish.  It is most likely just a matter of time before Lovemark falls back into obscurity as the fields deepen, but for now he should still be a viable play.

Keegan Bradley – Vegas Odds 100/1: Bradley has seen a steady decline over his past few years and easily had his worst season of his career in 2015 with a final FedExCup standing of 60th while failing to get a top-three finish for the first year in his time on the PGA TOUR.  While he was not able to get a top finish, he still was a consistent visitor to the weekend, making the cut in 20-of-24 tries (83%) and finishing with nine top-25s.  Bradley has the pedigree to be a top player on TOUR and is still plenty young enough at just 29-years-old.  Keegan has also seen plenty of success at Torey Pines; finding a top-25 performance in three of the past five years.

Lucas Glover – Vegas Odds 100/1: Glover has enjoyed this event in recent years and nearly was able to grab a win back in 2009 when he finished in third place.  Since then, Lucas has made it to the weekend in 4-of-5 attempts and was competitive in 2015 when he put together a week solid enough for 24th.  He is the third player on this list with three career wins, but he has not earned one since 2011, however, Glover did rebound with 15-of-26 cuts made (58%) last year after doing so in a meager 23-of-65 (35%) events between 2012-2014.  The good news is that he’s continued to show that he is back to being a competitive member of the TOUR in the early going of the current season with three top-25s in six tournaments, including a tie for 17th last week behind rounds of 66 on Thursday and 65 on Saturday.  This is by far one of the least sexy picks you can make, but if his return to being an above average golfer is for real, then these 100/1 odds seem too high to pass up.

Need a few more options to fill up your roster?  Remember to check out our new fantasy predictions stats page for Golficity Predicted Fantasy Points, Price Per Fantasy Point, and more info on every player in this week’s field!

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions?  Check out our full fantasy preview for the 2016 Farmers Insurance Open here.

Cover photo via Flickr