Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 Hero World Challenge

2021 Hero World Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

After another tumultuous year on the PGA TOUR, the action comes to an end with the Hero World Challenge.

Only the select few have been given the invite, with 20 players in the mix to land the final title of the year.

This is Tiger’s play-thing, given that he and Ernie Els teamed up with a number of designers and architects to create the Albany course, where the event is played.

The Big Cat might not be in town, but there’s still bags of quality in the field, with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka just a small selection of those that will be teeing it up.

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There will be a party air in the sun on New Providence Island, and there should be plenty of good times out on the course too given that a score of around -20 will be required to clinch the spoils this week.

That shows you how malleable the Albany track is, because even though there’s few trees to protect from the ocean breeze, and even despite the huge amounts of sand on the layout as homage to the Australian inspiration, it’s still an easy course for the top pros.

To help push things forward on the scoring front, there’s five Par 5s to pick the bones of – plus a quintet of Par 3s, and so that is where the majority of the damage will be done on this Par 72 track.

Here’s something that might surprise you – the defending champion is Henrik Stenson (albeit from the 2019 edition), who does have something of a soft spot for Albany. That provides a clue in itself given the Swede’s punishingly low-ball flight, and its no surprise that those who have shone on the Links and in the desert have thrived at this course.

We have a catalogue of British Open champions that have already prevailed at Albany, as has those who have enjoyed success in Arizona for the Phoenix Open – another wind-affected test. Maybe there’s plenty in those comparisons….

It’s not the usual sleeper report this week, of course, given that there’s just 20 players in the field. Indeed, only one – the hopelessly out-of-form Stenson – is priced at sportsbook odds of 50/1 or longer.

But even so, we can perhaps dig a bit deeper in the market and identify those who could shine under the Bahaman sun.

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2021 Hero World Challenge Fantasy Sleeper Report

Xander Schauffele – A runner-up at both the British Open and the Phoenix Open, Xander Schauffele has exactly the kind of credentials we’re looking for this week.

His ability to keep his ball on a string even in high winds bodes nicely, and he’s also one of those players who seems to be able to make birdies no matter how relentless the conditions are. 

With two top-10s at Albany, Schauffele has had a couple of good looks at the course and may now be primed to go even better – as we would expect from the Olympic champion, despite his fairly low key season.

Daniel Berger – While he doesn’t get the same plaudits as many of his contemporaries, the evidence suggests that Daniel Berger is an elite wind player – very helpful down in the Bahamas.

A winner at Pebble Beach, T3 on Sea Island, top-10s at the US Open and British Open….the evidence is mounting for Berger as a sublime player in a breeze.

He’s fantastic from tee-to-green too, and you always feel that he might think he has something to prove….that determination alone will be a boost in this relaxed environment.

Tony Finau – Second place at the 2018 Hero World Challenge was one of a litany of runners-up finishes for Tony Finau, who finally ended his long wait for another PGA TOUR title at the NORTHERN TRUST.

A key performer at the Phoenix Open, Finau also has a T3 effort in the British Open to his name and has performed well in desert-like conditions in Saudi Arabia.

Able to let it all hang out at Albany, Finau could put his recent woes behind him in the Bahamas.

Tyrrell Hatton – The conditions at Albany are absolutely prime real estate for Tyrrell Hatton, a multiple-time winner on the Links and in the desert.

Bring up his profile page on the OWGR website, scroll down to best performances and you are besieged with quality efforts by the ocean and in the desert. 

It’s not been the best of times by his high standards, but Hatton played well last time out in Dubai and will be looking for further improvement this week.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Hero World Challenge here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2021-2022)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”4.44%” bar_text=”2 out of 45 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “22.22%” bar_text=”10 out of 45 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”20.o0%” bar_text=”9 out of 45 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=11.11%” bar_text=”1 out of 9 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”11.11%” bar_text=”1 out of 9 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”53.33%” bar_text=”24 out of 45 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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