Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 Valero Texas Open

The 2021 Valero Texas Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

While it looked to be a bit of a dud week on the schedule, both the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play and the Corales Puntacana served up plenty of enjoyable golf to surprise us all.

In the Match Play, a possible star of the present and future emerged in Victor Perez, while Scottie Scheffler proved once again that he will – surely – go on to become a multiple-time winner on the PGA TOUR.

But it was the presence of two veterans in Billy Horschel and Matt Kuchar that really seemed to grab the attention – particularly in a Ryder Cup year. Kooch, something of a match play specialist it seems, fell at the final hurdle, but Horschel went on to lift the trophy after a week of granite tough tee-to-green perseverance and some monster clutch putts.

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In a team that will be dominated by Bryson, Brooks and co, wouldn’t it be amazing to see plodders like Billy-Ho and Kooch in the mix as well!?

Meanwhile in the Dominican Republic, Joel Dahmen outlasted the field in the breeziest of conditions to win the Corales – an emotional victory that’s been a long-time coming for a supremely talented player and something of a fan favorite. A brief wobble on the back nine opened the door for local hero Rafael Campos, but Dahmen held firm and his leap into the air when the winning putt landed was a sign of just how much it meant to him.

What’s better than winning the Corales? The Masters, of course, and in just over a week’s time we’ll find out who will be the next recipient of the green jacket. In the meantime, we have the Valero Texas Open to try and unravel.

A week prior to the jaunt to Augusta National you’d expect a weak field, but some big names will be teeing up at the TPC San Antonio to try and find some much-needed form – Dustin Johnson, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama and co.

Of course, there’s one place in the Masters field available to the winner of the Texas Open – that helps to focus the mind too, and so even though some will be going through the motions there is lots at stake for others.

There could be plenty on the line for bettors too, with Andrew Landry and Corey Conners winning the last two renewals of this event at sportsbook odds of 170/1 and 200/1 respectively. Certainly something to chew on anyway!

So what are we looking for in our picks at TPC San Antonio? The history books tell us it’s all about lovely ball striking and particularly iron play – Corey Conners ranked second for SG: Approach in 2019, a ranking many former champions had aped, and given the large greens hitting irons close and making putts is very much the order of the day.

The wind will blow too, of course, so those comfortable in a breeze are also on the shortlist, as are those with an affinity to the south – Texas does seem to suit some more than others.

So, with all that in mind in mind, who makes our sleeper shortlist for the Valero Texas Open 2021?

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The 2021 Valero Texas Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Zach Johnson – 55/1 – While you don’t want to be spraying your ball all over the place, the key to TPC San Antonio is that it is something of a ‘pitch and putt’ contest – hit your irons close and then sink plenty of short and medium range putts.

This makes us think of Zach Johnson, who has that profile and whose course form of 5-MC-29-20-6 should not come as a surprise as a consequence.

While not in the form that earned him two majors, ZJ has served up top-10s at the Honda Classic and the RSM Classic and hasn’t missed a cut since the PGA Championship last year. In this weak company, he can thrive at this layout once more.

Lanto Griffin – 55/1 – Regular readers of our columns will know that we’re pretty sweet on Lanto Griffin, and once again he’s a lock this week.

With four top-30s in his last five starts, Griffin always seems to give good value and he will surely relish the return t the Lonestar state, where he won the Houston Open in 2020.

Another whose strengths are approach play and putting, Griffin’s occasionally wild drives won’t be too badly punished at a soft TPC San Antonio so the clues are there for another strong week.

Denny McCarthy – 80/1 – A great improvement last time out saw Denny McCarthy finish T3 at the Honda Classic, and ahead of a return to his beloved south that bodes very nicely.

Some of his best days as a golfer have come in this part of the country, with a catalogue of top-10s in the Sanderson Farms and Houston Open.

His T3 at the Honda and his victory at the Web.com TOUR Championship back in 2018 came in Florida, and so all of this points to one factor – the switch to Bermuda is right up his street.

With a top-20 to his name at TPC San Antonio, McCarthy is shaping up nicely.

Andrew Putnam – 90/1 – Prior to a missed cut at the PLAYERS Championship, Andrew Putnam banked consecutive top-fives at the Arnold Palmer and the Puerto Rico Open.

So sportsbook odds of 90/1 are generous enough, and particularly so for a player whose tee-to-green game has clearly improved in the midst of that successful run.

Solo second at Colonial CC and T3 at TPC Southwind in the past, Putnam has a penchant for Deep South golf and given his current form he has to be respected.

Branden Grace – 90/1 – Winning the Puerto Rico Open is hardly going to send shockwaves through the world of golf, but it was a reminder that the South African is a relative force to be reckoned with when the wind blows.

A winner of the RBC Heritage and numerous breezy events on the European Tour, Grace’s low bullets are particularly effective in high winds and his success is representative of that.

With back-to-back top-10s at TPC San Antonio, this layout clearly suits his eye so why not take a chance on a recent winner at a venue he enjoys?

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”1.67%” bar_text=”2 out of 120 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “10.00%” bar_text=”12 out of 120 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”26.67%” bar_text=”32 out of 120 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=0%” bar_text=”0 out of 24 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”8.33%” bar_text=”2 out of 24 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”71.67%” bar_text=”86 out of 120 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram