Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2018 Farmers Insurance Open

The 2018 Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Sleeper Preview

As if we needed any further proof, Jon Rahm confirmed his status as one of the finest players in the world at last week’s CareerBuilder Challenge; outlasting Andrew Landry in a four-hole playoff to land an incredible fourth title in the past calendar year.

The Spaniard is now up to second in the Official World Golf Rankings; an almost unbelievable feat given that he was considered no more than a 60/1 outsider to win this Farmers Insurance Open 12 months ago….which he duly went on to do.

Rahm joins a list of winners at Torrey Pines which includes Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Bubba Watson and Jason Day….nice company!

Jon Rahm of Spain poses with his trophy on the 18th hole during the…

Jon Rahm of Spain poses with his trophy on the 18th hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South Golf Course on January 29, 2017 in San Diego, California. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

The Farmers is a mainstay on the PGA TOUR and that’s thanks in part to Torrey Pines: one of the most beautiful yet challenging complexes around. No wonder this event is a favorite with the players and spectators alike!

There are two courses for the players to decode, with the North Course hosting one of the opening pair of rounds while the South hosts the other and the final 36 holes exclusively.

The North layout enjoyed something of an overhaul from Tom Weiskopf in 2016, and the upshot of his redesign was a longer piece of real estate – up to 7,258 yards for its Par 72, and larger, easier to find Bentgrass greens. This is an easier course to play than its South counterpart….

….which is a beast, by all accounts. Measuring some 7,698 yards, the South stretch features smaller Poa Annua greens and fairways that are difficult to find. The last four winning scores here have been -13, -6, -9 and -9, which gives a flavor of what the players can expect this week.

So who are the key sleepers to watch this week?

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2018 Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

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The 2018 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.

Cameron Smith – Vegas Odds 50/1 – Ever since he teamed up with Jonas Blixt to win the Zurich Classic last April Cameron Smith’s career has gone on an upward trajectory.

The 24-year-old claimed the Australian PGA Championship in his homeland in December, and to put that performance into some kind of context he finished twelve shots clear of Sergio Garcia and four ahead of Marc Leishman.

Factor in some excellent performances elsewhere – T12 at the BMW Championship, T5 at the CIMB Classic, T3 at the CJ Cup – of late and all the signs point to a breakout season for Smith in 2018.

Other plus points for the Aussie this week is that he putts well on Poa Annua (15th for SG: Putting at Pebble Beach last year), can handle tough, grinding events (T6 at the Texas Open in 2017), and he is generally excellent off the tee (ranking 30th for Total Driving this season).

Charles Howell III – Vegas Odds 50/1 – Chucky Three-Sticks is a chalk pick at those tracks that suit him, and they don’t come much more suitable than Torrey Pines.

Thirteen visits to the track have yielded twelve cuts made, seven top-10 finishes with three of those being top-5s….and this is one of the toughest tests on Tour, remember.

He showed some good signs at La Quinta in his T20 finish last week, ad you would expect the metronomic ball-striker to improve on that in San Diego.

Excellent on Poa Annua and long and straight(ish) off the tee, the ingredients are there for another top-10 showing at Torrey Pines for Chucky.

Kyle Stanley – Vegas Odds 60/1 – Kyle Stanley won a long-awaited second PGA TOUR title at the Quicken Loans National last season, in which he really had to grind out his -7 winning mark in tough conditions.

That, allied to the fact he was T4 at THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, suggests he enjoys the sterner tests where his straight hitting is worth far more.

Second here in 2012, a few fallow years followed for Stanley (in-line with his overall form), but an upward trend since of 14-25-67-MC suggests that a decent tilt at the title beckons if you believe in these sorts of patterns.

Shane Lowry – Vegas Odds 66/1 – When it comes to playing attritional golf, Shane Lowry is one name that immediately springs to mind.

He came away from the 2016 US Open at Oakmont with huge credit – leading after 54 holes but succumbing to the pressure of Dustin Johnson in the end. But Lowry’s ability to scramble his way to the top of the leaderboard certainly caught the eye.

Victory at the WGC-Bridgestone had already confirmed the fact that the Irishman loves a grind, and that was a skill perhaps ingrained in him during his furtive years growing up on Links courses where scoring opportunities really are at a premium.

Lowry’s form is holding up too, with T7 in his last finish on US soil at the Wyndham Championship, and sandwiched around that were four consecutive top-12 finishes in just five weeks on the European Tour. The signs are good for the 30-year-old to return to the winner’s circle sooner rather than later.

Adam Hadwin – Vegas Odds 70/1 – Adam Hadwin played the Stadium Course in a combined -9 in the CareerBuilder Challenge – nobody went lower across their 36 holes at the tricky track.

All of which suggests that the Canadian is playing rather well at the moment – a T3 finish, backed by ranking seventh for GIR – is testament to that.

The naysayers would suggest he is a little short off the tee to contend at Torrey Pines, and while the overriding trends would suggest as such lest we forget that the likes of Brandt Snedeker (twice) and Scott Stallings have won here. And the fact he finished T6 at the not-short Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational last summer is also a useful guide.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2017-2018)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”2.00%” bar_text=”1 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”12.00%” bar_text=”6 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”38.00%” bar_text=”19 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 10 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”10.00%” bar_text=”1 out of 10 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”62.00″ bar_text=”31 out of 50 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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