Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

The 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

A welcome break from PGA TOUR action saw Xander Schauffele strike gold for himself and the two countries he represents.

Adorned with the red, white and blue, Schauffele’s mother is from Asia and so it was no great surprise that many around the course in Japan were rooting for him.

He looked solid throughout and never once seemed to let the pressure faze him – ironic, really, given that at times when in contention in TOUR events he has looked flustered, and in the end Schauffele was a comfortable and deserving winner.

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Hands up if you predicted that Rory Sabbatini would win an Olympic silver medal and C.T. Pan a bronze? That’s the way the unlikeliest of podiums looked – the Chinaman booking his third-place finish from an extraordinary seven-man playoff.

As brilliant and as exhilarating as the Games were, it’s good to be back in more traditional surroundings this week for the WGC FedEx St Jude Invitational.

We’re looking at a miniscule 66-man field, with a few withdrawals and non-interested parties preventing a more comprehensive feel. That said, 48 of the world’s top 50 players will be in Memphis, so it’s not as if we’re shy on talent.

TPC Southwind is the host course, and this is a quintessential layout that really is one of the unrecognized jewels in the PGA TOUR’s crown. The track is a fair test that is neither rock solid nor a birdie shootout, and it rewards those players that are strong in every facet of the game – Justin Thomas, the defending champion, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Daniel Berger the most recent winners here.

The complexities of hitting approaches into small, hard and fast Bermuda greens will be aided by a weather forecast that is predicting that the mercury could hit a sweat-inducing 92˚F, and with wind speeds potentially peaking in the double figures over the weekend it could be very tricky indeed to hold Southwind’s greens.

A nice bit of short game mastery will be key to making par, and then also in taking advantage of the scorable holes when they come around, but as a 7,237-yard Par 70 those do not come along all that often. In the past five years, the winning score has ranged from -10 to -19 in this event, although we’re predicting something nearer the former this time around.

This parklands layout, from the mind of Ron Pritchard, is a joy to behold and even more fun to watch the best players in the world try to figure out.

The beauty of stacked, albeit small, fields is that we can back plenty of quality operators at juicy odds, and so the lure of betting on a few outsiders at this event is very hard to ignore.

So, with that positivity in mind, let’s take a look at our WGC FedEx St Jude sleeper shortlist.

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The 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

Sergio Garcia – 70/1 – As ever, Sergio Garcia is a good week with the putter away from contending once more.

His ball-striking is as strong as ever – he ranks tenth on TOUR for SG: Tee-to-Green, but the Spaniard is only ever going to perform as well as his flat stick lets him.

But if we analyze his recent efforts, those putting numbers are improving – as a consequence, he’s delivered four consecutive top-25 finishes….two of those at majors. Everything seems to be coming together for Garcia right now.

Marc Leishman – 80/1 – To maximize your value in tiny field events, you have to go against the grain somewhat.

His recent form may not scream potential tournament winner, but the fast and firm conditions will be right up the Australian’s street – this is an environment where he can flourish.

Leishman has a T3 finish at TPC Southwind to his name, and the hotter and windier it gets the happier he will be – not every player in the field can say that.

Sam Burns – 90/1 – After winning the Valspar Championship and following up with solo second at the Byron Nelson a week later, it has been slim pickings for Sam Burns.

But the Louisianan will be back in a part of the world he knows very well this week, and the hope is that sparks a better run of form.

His ball-striking will certainly be an asset at TPC Southwind, and while there are doubts about his chipping he can still make the game work for him even when conditions don’t suit.

A much more solid performer on Bermuda, let’s hope Burns can go under the radar to something big this week.

Lee Westwood – 120/1 – While his recent formline is not suggestive of a win anytime soon, Lee Westwood’s longer-range form has been encouraging.

He’s still got that hunger for a scrap, as he showed in solo second efforts at the PLAYERS and the Arnold Palmer, and that is an attribute that will come in handy this week.

The Englishman’s approach-and-putting can work at this layout, and even if the wind gets up he will feel at home in the fast conditions.

KH Lee – 200/1 – With an elite chipping game in his repertoire, KH Lee has a habit of marking the card of the observant when his ball-striking improves.

And it did to some tune at the 3M Open, where a cold putter was all that prevented him from improving on a T6 finish.

A steady away driver, Lee seems to save his best putting for Bermuda greens, and with all of those variables in the mix there’s no reason why the Korean can’t make a mockery of these throwaway odds.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the 2021 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”2.50%” bar_text=”5 out of 200 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent= “10.00%” bar_text=”20 out of 200 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”24.00%” bar_text=”48 out of 200 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=5.00%” bar_text=”2 out of 40 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”5.00%” bar_text=”2 out of 40 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”61.50%” bar_text=”123 out of 200 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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