Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2020 CJ CUP

The CJ CUP Fantasy Sleeper Report

Just when you thought the veterans of yesteryear had had their fill of winning on the PGA TOUR, along comes Martin Laird to leave bettors scratching their heads and thinking what the heck is going on.

The Scot ended a seven-and-a-half year trophy drought by downing Matthew Wolff and Austin Cook on the second play-off hole, and for sleeper play bettors it was music to their ears – 250/1 to anyone who backed the out-of-form pro.

Laird, Swafford, Cink, Herman, Sergio even? These are halcyon days for long-odds fanciers.

That run may just come to an end this week, however, with the CJ CUP, where Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and many more are vying for the trophy. There’s the return of Brooks Koepka, the multi-talented Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa and Tyrrell Hatton, who heads to Las Vegas on the back of arguably the biggest win of his career at the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship in England.

That wasn’t a slip, by the way, for anyone who loves Nine Bridges, the sumptuous South Korean course where the CJ CUP is usually held. Understandably what with everything that’s going on, the PGA TOUR want to keep everyone in North America where possible, and so for one year only the event has shifted to Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.

Embed from Getty Images

The name might be familiar. It hosted the ‘Showdown’ gimmick match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 2018, and while we didn’t learn much about the layout – which has made just that solitary televised appearance – it did look like the sort of venue that would reward long, straight hitters (which course doesn’t?).

The rough was quite long and tangly for the Showdown, and at more than 7,500 yards this will be something of a physical test as much as one of elite golf.

The Bentgrass greens are interesting too. If they are trimmed to their lowest, they could run as quickly as 14 on the stimpmeter which is Augusta-esque in its pace, and with some undulations it could be a very interesting week to watch the drama unfold.

Can a long-odds selection win the 2020 CJ CUP? We’ll have to wait and see, but hopefully these sleeper plays will give bettors an excellent run for their money.

[membership level=”0″]

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

[/membership]

[membership level=”1,2,3″]

The CJ CUP Fantasy Sleeper Report

Joaquin Niemann – 66/1 – We drafted the Chilean on our roster for the Shriners last week and he didn’t disappoint – a T13 finish, with no round worse than 68, tells its own story.

Niemann has shown quality in both his long and short game lately, as any player who shoots a 68 at Winged Foot must, and many of the rules that applied for his selection last week remain.

He simply loves it on Bentgrass, and with his considerable putting improvements coming to fruition if Niemann can find his outstanding best with irons in hand then he could be very dangerous this week.

Ian Poulter – 66/1 – A return to home soil has paid dividends for Poulter of late, with solo fifth and T6 at the BMW PGA Championship and Scottish Open respectively confirming a fine return to form.

A plyer with a catalogue of quality showings in the desert both in North America and the Middle East, the Englishman has the short game to really thrive while others fail in adverse conditions.

It seems that Poulter needs a bit of motivation to perform at his best, evidenced by his performances in those British flagship events and his top-25 at the PGA Championship, and so going toe-to-toe with many of the world’s best could bring the best out of him one more this week.

Brendon Todd – 70/1 – Every time you’re about to write Brendon Todd’s renaissance off, he comes along and produces an outstanding performance – often at courses which, on paper at least, don’t seem to suit his natural game.

Short and accurate, Todd still finds a way to hang with the modern day bombers and thrive, and his neat-and-tidy approach could yet yield dividends at Shadow Creek if these greens are hard to hold.

T8 at the BMW Championship and T23 at the U.S. Open, there’s enough recent form against elite opposition in the ledger to suggest that Todd can be a contender this week.

Bubba Watson – 100/1 – While something of a flight of fancy, Bubba has been playing some solid golf of late and will be looking forward to curling his way around these tree-lined fairways.

Top 20s at the Northern Trust and the BMW Championship are pleasing enough on the eye, as was T31 at the U.S. Open which was a rock-solid showing.

Super-fast Bentgrass greens….where does that remind you of? Yep, Bubba’s finest days at The Masters came on these surfaces, and Watson has also won twice on the Bentgrass of TOC River Highlands as well. So why not give him a try at three-figure odds this week….

Si-Woo Kim – 100/1 – Si-Woo keeps knocking on the door of an outstanding wining performance, and you wonder if the Korean will produce that at the least suspected moment.

T13 at the PGA Championship was followed by T3 at the Wyndham Championship – an event he really should have fun, and the good times kept rolling in his T8 at the Shriners last time out.

His iron game has been exemplary of late, and even when it isn’t – as was the case at TPC Summerlin – other departments have come to the fore. The Korean gained +0.89 off the tee and a whopping +1.29 around the green last week.

If all the ingredients come together at one time, Si Woo will have a recipe for success on his hands.

[/membership]

Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for CJ CUP here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 25 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “0%” bar_text=”0 out of 25 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”8.00%” bar_text=”2 out of 25 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=0%” bar_text=”0 out of 5 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”0%” bar_text=”0 out of 5 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”64%” bar_text=”16 out of 25 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

---

Cover photo via Instagram