Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 Shriners Children’s Open

2021 Shriners Children’s Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Another week on the PGA TOUR, and more confirmation – if any were needed – that golf is in great hands right now.

Just seven days after 30-year-old Max Homa took down the Fortinet Championship, along came 25-year-old Sam Burns to prevail in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

He delivered a ball-striking masterclass along the way, and had the quality to see off young upstarts Cameron Young (24), Hayden Buckley (25) and, ahem, Nick Watney (40). It’s the second title of what is fast becoming a very impressive young career indeed.

Burns will be looking to become the first back-to-back winner on the PGA TOUR since Brendon Todd completed the feat with his Bermuda-Mayakoba double, and given how well he played who would write off his chances at the Shriners Children’s Open?

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To do so he’ll have to make hay in the sunshine in Nevada, with TPC Summerlin once again on hosting duties. This is one of the most unique courses on the PGA TOUR rotation, sitting 2000ft above sea level and lying smack bang in the desert – club selection, and having a smart caddie on the bag, is key on a layout with elevation changes and strong crosswinds.

That’s one of the reasons why previous course form is favored at this Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller track, which also features rather largen Bentgrass greens that are scarcely protected by sand, water or even tree – this is a layout where, if the wind stays down, sinning scores of -23 are possible….as was the case for Martin Laird 12 months ago.

Even with such a low score in the bag, the Scot still needed a playoff to see off the threat of Matt Wolff and Austin Cook, so already you have an idea of how readily TPC Summerlin can be dismantled.

As such, all eyes will be on the weather forecast to see how TPC Summerlin will play, and the early indications are that conditions will be benign enough for the players to prosper. It’s Nevada so that means warm sunny spells, naturally, but those winds – which can be excessive – are sitting at around 11mph in the predictions. If those stand, a winning mark of around -20 will be required once again.

But who will get there? It’s shaping up to be a pretty good field at the Shriners, with Brooks Koepka headlining a line-up that includes Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, Viktor Hovland, Harris English, Webb Simpson and many more besides.

Shortlisting picks for our Shriners Children’s Open requires a balancing act of current and course form, so with that in mind here’s five players that we believe can contend in the Nevada desert.

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2021 Shriners Children’s Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Matthew Wolff – 50/1 – A wager on Matt Wolff is very much at the speculative end of the risk/reward spectrum right now, but there have been bright moments of late for a player with plenty of talent.

A marked improvement from tee-to-green swept him to a T17 finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and that confidence – allied to the belief that he is much better on Bentgrass greens – gives plenty of reasons for his supporters to be optimistic.

Fond(ish) memories of finishing second here in a playoff to Laird 12 months ago will also offer encouragement, so maybe TPC Summerlin will be the venue for Wolff’s long-awaited ‘comeback’ as an elite player.

Brian Harman – 60/1 – While not conditions you’d necessarily expect Brian Harman to thrive in, he has served up a trio of top-20s at TPC Summerlin in his last three visits, and that’s a handy starting point.

His 2020-21 season may have fizzled out towards the end, but in some ways it was a breakout year for the left-hander – T3 at the PLAYERS Championship, three top-20s in the majors and a stack of other impressive form.

If he can bring that sort of pedigree this week, Harman can go very nicely at a track he has shown a penchant for in the past.

Marc Leishman – 66/1 – These days, you never quite seem to know what to expect from Marc Leishman, but as a five-time PGA TOUR winner and a very-nearly major champion he has to be expected.

We don’t have a great deal of TPC Summerlin form to fall back on for the Aussie, but in theory he should like this track – comfortable on courses with elevation changes, he is also a noted wind player who seems to thrive in the heat.

With little to worry about off the tee, Leishman can throw the kitchen sink at it this week….could a repeat of his T4 at the Fortinet Championship, or better, be in the offing?

Mito Pereira – 66/1 – While it’s a leap into the unknown for Mito Pereira at TPC Summerlin, it’s hard not to be hugely impressed by what he is bringing to the party right now.

A formidable presence on the Korn Ferry Tour, as a ‘senior’ pro Pereira has already almost won an Olympic medal and has recorded his first top-three finish on the PGA TOUR at the Fortinet Championship.

His iron play is so, so good, and while he clearly lacks a bit of finesse on the greens the Chilean looks to be a TOUR winner in waiting.

Joseph Bramlett – 150/1 – While his best performances have largely been kept for Korn Ferry Tour and weak field PGA TOUR events so far, there’s no doubt that Joseph Bramlett has the ability to kick on and become an established figure at the elite level.

His ball striking is often exemplary, and while his timeline of results is not that inspiring – a victory in the KFT Tour Championship aside – typically that process of tee-to-green excellence will deliver in the end.

Bramlett has already had a couple of looks at TPC Summerlin and produced solid if unspectacular results, but the time just feels right for him to kick on to a higher level.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2021-2022)

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Cover photo via Instagram