Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 U.S. Open

The 2021 U.S. Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

A sport not shy of emerging young talents, golf may just have another gem on its hands in Garrick Higgo.

This is a guy who, at the tender age of 22, has won five times worldwide in his last 27 starts – the last of those coming at the Palmetto Championship at the weekend.

He’s the first player since 1988 to win a PGA TOUR event in just his second start, and that is a measure of how far the South African has come in a startlingly short space of time.

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Chesson Hadley won’t want reminding of how the Palmetto concluded – he tossed away a three-shot lead with just a trio of holes to play, but for Higgo it could prove to be the day his life changed forever.

Perks including a TOUR card and a spot in The Masters are on the horizon, but for now the 22-year-old can enjoy a first spin in the U.S. Open this week.

We say enjoy, but that term might need to be adjusted as we get a closer look at the South Course at Torrey Pines. You know this course already – it hosts 54 of the 72 holes at the Farmers Insurance Open each year, but it features on the U.S. Open rotation because it can be modified to come up to the USGA’s devilish standards.

So, we know that the layout is already long, but it can be made longer – tee boxes, at their tips, can equate to a Par 72 measure of 7,698 yards.

The fairways are already skinny on the South Course, and they could be squeezed even further if the USGA demands it – rough could be as long as four inches in some parts of the course.

There’s lots of bunkering and tiny greens too – these are Poa Annua in nature and will run slick. Indeed, they are fast in January….so you have to expect them to be glassy come June.

The majors are always interesting for long odds backers. Ordinarily, we expect the best in the world to do the business on the big stage, but there are some quality players available at sportsbook odds of 50/1 or greater….and that is an appetizing proposition.

Ideally we’re looking for grinders this week – those who will hit fairways or make amends when they don’t. You could take the Bryson route – hitting 350-yard bombs into the rough, and while that worked in his triumphant run at Winged Foot last year, it might not have the same successful result this time around.

So with all of the above taken into consideration, who features on our sleeper shortlist for the 2021 U.S. Open?

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The 2021 U.S. Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Paul Casey – 50/1 – If he gets to the end of his career without a major to his name, Paul Casey will be mightily disappointed.

He has the game, as we’ve seen countless times at Augusta, to lift the sport’s most prized trophies, and it’s actually at venues like Torrey Pines where we expect his best chance to lie.

Casey has the ability to grind out scores and anything under double digits under par will suit him – he has the course management to attack scoreable holes and then defend on those where par is the sole aim.

An excellent driver with the ability to rally from the rough, Casey is a hot putter away from contending at yet another major.

Daniel Berger – 50/1 – It would be hard for 2021 to have gone any better for Daniel Berger than it has already.

A winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach, Berger also finished T9 at THE PLAYERS Championship and has a stash of other top-10s – so a major trophy would be the icing on the cake.

He has plenty of previous on the West Coast and on Poa Annua greens, and the beefed up Torrey Pines will play even more into his skillset than it would for the Farmers.

Justin Rose – 66/1 – Few players in the field can boast a South Course resumé quite like Justin Rose, and with confidence coursing through his veins the timing has come together nicely.

The Brit is a former Farmers Insurance Open champion, and has a stack of other top-10s at the venue to savor good vibes from.

After months in the doldrums, Rose’s game is returning too – top-10s at The Masters and PGA Championship in his last four starts suggest a man not bereft of confidence right now.

Charley Hoffman – 100/1 – We’ve been expecting Charley Hoffman to win for a good few weeks now, but it hasn’t quite happened….yet.

However, the Hoff loves golf in California and has proven his fondness for Poa Annua on more than one occasion, and given how well he’s been striking the ball lately he has to be of interest at this triple-digit price.

Top-threes in the Texas Open and Charles Schwab Challenge show how close Hoffman has come to ending his trophy wait, and now the question is whether or not he can convert in high-class company.

Max Homa – 110/1 – If you look at Max Homa’s career from a purely geographical perspective, his record on the West Coast is outstanding.

And that, by consequence, means he has previous on Poa Annua greens, and so he’s an interesting consideration this week.

Probably hitting less than driver, Homa is comfy hitting long irons into greens and has an excellent short game too, so any missed greens won’t be a major issue.

With lots of recent good form in the tank, Homa is an interesting three-digit wager this week.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”2.35%” bar_text=”4 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “10.00%” bar_text=”17 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”24.70%” bar_text=”42 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=2.94%” bar_text=”1 out of 34 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”5.89%” bar_text=”2 out of 34 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”64.70%” bar_text=”110 out of 170 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram