Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii

The Sleeper Report: Fantasy Golf Sleepers, Long Shots, and Undervalued Picks for the 2017 Sony Open

The 2017 Sony Open Sleeper Preview

The PGA TOUR will remain in beautiful Hawaii for the next leg of the season and the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.  The event has been a mainstay during the winter months since the early 1970’s and was first established as a stop for the players in 1965.

A par-70, 7,044-yard setting has allowed for some big names to win over the last decade and once again a solid group will be making their way to Honolulu thanks to the Tournament of Champions just coming to a conclusion.  Of those players, 22 will be making a start at the Sony Open, making this early-season tournament a must watch.

The big draw will be 23-year-old Jordan Spieth who is the top player out of the Official World Golf Rankings at No. 5.  He comes in on the heels of a tie for third at the Tournament of Champions and two victories last season.

Two-time champion, Jimmy Walker, will also be making another start here after putting together his first win in 2014 with a score of 17-under-par, defeating runner-up Chris Kirk by a single stroke.  He then joined Ernie Els (2003, 2004), Corey Pavin (1986, 1987), and Hubert Green (1978, 1979) as the fourth back-to-back champion with a nine-shot win over runner-up Scott Piercy; nearly matching the tournament record with 23 strokes under par.  Another six players from the top-25, including Hideki Matsuyama, will be in attendance along with defending champion Fabian Gomez.

Gomez was able to earn his second career PGA TOUR victory in a wild final day which saw him gain four strokes on Saturday leader Brandt Snedeker and force a playoff.  Accomplishing this was no easy feat as the Argentinean pounded in seven consecutive birdies on his way to a Sunday 62.  He then brought his big day into a playoff with the aforementioned Snedeker where he proceeded to get his 11^th birdie of the round on the second extra hole and take home the trophy.  His score of 20-under marked the third time in the past four years that the victor was able to get to at least that number and with the big names headlining the entrants list in the coming week; it would not be out of the question to see another low score.

Gomez is the perfect example of a sleeper coming through in an early season outing such as this one even though there is more elite talent out there than a typical winter event.  Below are some names that we believe could come out this week and make a splash despite their less than stellar odds out of Vegas.

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The 2017 Sony Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

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The 2017 Sony 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.

Keegan Bradely – Vegas Odds 66/1 – Bradley has seen his results really drop off since a career-best 18^th in the FedExCup standings back in 2013.  Since then, he has seen his position drop in each consecutive season; leading to his first year outside of the top-100 during 2015-16.  Well, the 2016-17 campaign has been much better thus far, and the 30-year-old has made each of his first four cuts while jumping into the top-10 at both the CIMB Classic and Shriners Open.  Of his 16 rounds played, he has scored in the 60s eleven times and is currently 21^st on Tour in total strokes gained (1.758).  Putting is still his weakness as he is 122^nd in strokes gained from his flat iron, but he looks poised to improve on his 13^th here from 2012 thanks to an impressive start to the new season.

Luke List – Vegas Odds 80/1 – List is a golfer to watch this season after his great first five outings in which he has two top-10s; including a runner-up finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship where he shot 16 shots under par.  Overall he has not done worse than 26^th on the year and has nailed over 73% of GIR in four of his five starts.  His improved results have come from a massive drive which has averaged 320.5 yards off the tee (2^nd on Tour) as he’s gained 1.984 strokes on the field on average (13^th on Tour).  Although he hasn’t done much in his first two professional seasons and has failed to make the cut in his first two attempts here, List is on fire as of late and should be able to continue playing at a high level in Hawaii.

Stewart Cink – Vegas Odds 80/1 – As a seasoned veteran with tons of accolades to his name, Cink should be able to stay afloat with chances at big finishes in any of these early season events.  He has done just that, too, and after missing the cut in the Safeway Open, he has rattled off a trio of top-15 performances thanks to his tremendous skills off the tee with 0.743 strokes gained on the field (16^th on Tour).  He has hit an amazing 79.76% of greens in regulation (9^th on Tour) and now gets to return to an event in which he has played each of the past five seasons.  His best finish in that time was 20^th and we don’t think it would be any surprise if he gets a top-15 for the fourth time on the year.

Zac Blair – Vegas Odds 100/1 – Last year, Blair was unable to replicate his 59^th in the FedExCup standings from his rookie year, falling outside of the top-100 after making 19-of-31 cuts (61%) with a mere three finishes in the top-25.  The failure to get into the top part of the leaderboard will scare many away, but he did make it to the weekend more often than not and had one of his two top-10s when visiting Honolulu.  His third place in the Sony Open last year was his second straight top-six start here and over the two outings he’s shot a 67 or better in 7-of-8 rounds while combining to go 31-under-par.  This is the perfect opportunity for the 26-year-old to get back on track and outplay his odds.

Cameron Smith – Vegas Odds 120/1 – Smith will likely sneak through the cracks for many as he is quite young and has played much of his golf in Australia.  He put together his first full season of events last year, making it to the weekend in 13-of-24 tournaments (54%) with three top-25s.  Smith has tons of potential as evidenced by a fifth-place finish in the 2015 U.S. Open and 25^th in the 2015 PGA Championship and it looks as if much of is inconsistencies come from inexperience.  Cameron looks to be on the edge of becoming a household name, though, after starting the 2016-17 season with four straight made cuts thanks to his putting; gaining 0.694 strokes on the greens (31^st on Tour).  It is possible that Smith disappoints, but it seems as if his talent has surpassed his inexperience and will lead to a win very soon.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the 2017 Sony Open here.

Cover photo via Instagram