Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 PGA Championship

 

The 2021 PGA Championship Fantasy Sleeper Report

Before placing any golf wagers, we consider many, many different variables, but sometimes it’s the ‘sleeper’ factors that inform an event winner.

K.H. Lee is an excellent golfer, make no mistake, but he hasn’t quite looked ready to win a PGA TOUR event prior to the weekend.

But the Korean had a secret weapon in his bag at TPC Craig Ranch last week – or should that be on his bag. Brett Waldren had played the course competitively, and so his insight into a layout making its TOUR bow would surely have been invaluable.

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And so it proved – Lee posted a mighty -25 to win by three at the AT&T Byron Nelson over a field that barely got close to him.

The youngster has therefore gate-crashed the year’s second major, the PGA Championship, which will unfold this week in dramatic conditions.

The Ocean Course, found on Kiawah Island, is one for the ages. Measuring 7,876 yards if played to its maximum, the Par 72 layout can also be battered by an Atlantic breeze that is either a head or tailwind.

You might think that adds enough complexity for a major, but then factor in the devilish design features implemented by the design team of Pete Dye and his wife Alice. There are forced carries over watery graves, shaved edges on the green complexes and false fronts.

And even if you get to the green in good order, you’ll then have to navigate the Paspalum surfaces – typically slower and grainier than traditional American variants, a whole new putting challenge will be afforded to the players.

Nine years ago, when Rory McIlroy lapped the field to win this very title, he was the only player close to breaking double-digits under par. David Lynn, in T2, finished on -5 and +6 made the cut!

At least the weather forecast is dry and warm, and the wind is forecast to *only* reach 13mph – as ever, that is subject to change so don’t just take our word for it.

You always feel that these tough conditions are a fantastic leveler, and the skillsets of the best players in the world will be sorely tested.

Perhaps, then, there is an opportunity for a sleeper pick to prevail, so let’s see which big-hitting wind players have made our sleeper shortlist for the 2021 PGA Championship.

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The 2021 PGA Championship Fantasy Sleeper Report

Will Zalatoris – 55/1 – It’s incredibly rare for a player to scoop their first PGA TOUR title at a major.

But it’s not impossible, and at least Will Zalatoris warmed up for his stint at the Ocean Course with a decent run in Dallas.

He ranked first at TPC Craig Ranch for SG: Approach and GIR, which shows that the rookie’s tee-to-green game remains in fine order – it was just weeks ago that he was solo second at The Masters.

A bet on Zalatoris is a bet on him cashing in on his undoubted potential sooner than might be expected, but this is a young man who you can trust with your money.

Abraham Ancer – 55/1 – In seven strokeplay starts, Abraham Ancer has finished no lower than T26 – that came at The Masters too.

The Mexican is trending towards the winning line too with solo second at the Wells Fargo Championship last time out following solo fifth at the Valspar Championship.

Ancer continues to impress with his all-round game, and despite yet getting off the mark on the PGA TOUR this is a young man with plenty of Paspalum and coastal track success under his belt.

Tyrrell Hatton – 60/1 – If he can keep a lid on his simmering emotions, Tyrrell Hatton looks to be a major champion in the making.

The Brit has now compiled seven wins worldwide, and that ability to get over the line in all manner of conditions will bode very nicely for him now and in the future.

A two-time champion of the Alfred Dunhill Links in Scotland, Hatton does not fear the wind – indeed, exposed conditions are where he thrives.

Paspalum will be quite new to him as it will be for many, but from tee-to-green Hatton has the game to navigate the long and windy Ocean Course.

Marc Leishman – 75/1 – The Australian had a chance to win the British Open back in 2015, and that shows that a) he has major pedigree and b) thrives in typically breezy, Links-style conditions.

Since then, Leishman has won five times on the PGA TOUR – including a Paspalum-based win at the CIMB Classic in 2018 – and in the ball-strikers shootout at the Farmers Insurance Open.

An excellent wind player, Leishman finished T5 at The Masters just a matter of weeks ago, and so he is primed to go well here.

Gary Woodland – 100/1 – Blessed with knowing what it takes to win a major, Gary Woodland’s tiptoeing back to form has come at an excellent time.

Pebble Beach, the scene of his U.S. Open triumph in 2019, shares plenty of characteristics with the Ocean Course, and it’s noteworthy too that Woodland has solo second places on the ledger at the coastal Tournament of Champions and at the CIMB Classic – played on Paspalum, of course.

Solo fifth at the Wells Fargo Championship and T6 at the Texas Open, Woodland has been talking positively about his game of late – could he cash in this week?

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the 2021 PGA Championship here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”1.42%” bar_text=”2 out of 150 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “9.28%” bar_text=”13 out of 150 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”25.71%” bar_text=”36 out of 150 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=0%” bar_text=”0 out of 30 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”7.14%” bar_text=”2 out of 30 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”70.00%” bar_text=”98 out of 150 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram