Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2023 Open Championship

2023 Open Championship Fantasy Sleeper Report

Even though it didn’t secure him that elusive major that he craves, Rory McIlroy delivered one of the shots of his career at the Scottish Open on Sunday. Faced with a headwind and needing a birdie to win outright, the Irishman uncorked his 2-iron and hit a curling stinger to barely ten-feet from the cup – a clutch putt securing a 24th PGA TOUR title.

It’s ironic that when Rory replays his best ever shots at the end of his career, this one will be front and center in his mind – how he would like to replace it with another shot that secures him a first major title in a decade.The irony of ironies continue when we note that McIlroy’s last major came at the Royal Liverpool club in England, or Hoylake as it’s colloquially known. And it’s that very venue that we return to this week for the British Open.

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The world has changed in many ways since 2014, Royal Liverpool has largely remained the same apart from some new bunkers being added, a couple of green rebuilds (wait until you see the new 17th, with its green sitting 12ft above the surrounding area) and new routing which has transformed the tenth hole into a 500+ yard Par 4, rather than the Par 5 it played as nine years ago.

A decent slog at 7,383 yards for its Par 71, wind speeds of around 10-14 mph are, while not as fierce as they could be in this part of the world, sizable enough to cause players a few headaches when it comes to course management and club selection.

So, as is typically the case in this two-week UK jaunt, Links specialists should thrive this week, which explains why Rory has broken clear of Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm at the head of the betting market, with LIV flagbearer (and defending British Open champion) Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka not far behind. Otherwise, as you’d expect, it’s a who’s who in the field this week, which makes identifying a potential sleeper champion difficult.

But the tougher the conditions, the more of a leveller it tends to be, so it’s not impossible that if the rain does down heavy in Merseyside this week and the wind picks up, those underdogs and outsiders priced at 50/1 or higher with the sportsbooks might just come into their own.In that spirit, let’s take a look at our sleeper picks for the 2023 British Open.

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Tom Kim – 50/1 – But for the brilliance of McIlroy, Tom Kim might have been celebrating victory at the Scottish Open on Sunday – the second time that the Korean has shown nicely on the Scottish Links.

It’s a change of country for the British Open but similar conditions, and the continuity in Kim’s game – he was T8 in the U.S. Open and T16 in The Masters – confirms he’s both in form and a major player.

A brilliant ball-striker who makes plenty of birdies, sleeper picks rarely come along as lively as Tom Kim’s chances at the British Open.

Wyndham Clark – 55/1 – Odds of 55/1 are incredibly dismissive of a player crowned U.S. Open champion barely a month ago.

His is a game built around destructive driving power and a top-class short game, but improvements in his approach play have made 2023 a breakthrough year for Clark.

He gained +1.97 strokes on the field with his ball-striking at the Scottish Open, where his normally immaculate short game was below par. But if that department returns to its mean level and Clark’s ball-striking epiphany remains, he could challenge for the Claret Jug this week and no mistake.

Max Homa – 55/1 – With six PGA TOUR titles to his name in a relatively short space of time, Max Homa certainly knows how to take care of business.

Although he doesn’t have a huge bank of Links form to call upon, Homa did finish T12 at the Scottish Open last week – an effort that could have been far greater but for a +2 last 18 holes.

But that was a handy sighter for a player comfortable in the wind thanks to his Californian upbringing, and if he gets into contention we know that Homa is made of the right stuff to convert victories.

Ryan Fox – 90/1 – Ryan Fox simply loves life out on the Links.

The 2022 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner has stacks of form on similar courses around the UK and Ireland, and T12 at last week’s Scottish Open was the latest addition to his collection.

With T23 and T26 finishes at the PGA Championship and The Masters, 2023 has been a breakthrough year for Fox – the next step in his journey will be to contend in a major. If he’s going to do it anywhere, it will surely be on the Links when he does.

Corey Conners – 90/1 – A two-time Texas Open champion, it goes without saying that Corey Conners doesn’t mind it when the wind blows.

So he should feel right at home at the British Open this week, where a breezy and rainy forecast looks set to be in the offing.

The Canadian was amongst the very best players in the field on Sunday at the Scottish Open, carding a round of -4 while all around him were making bogeys at every turn. A round of 65 on Friday also highlighted his fondness for Links golf, and like Fox he’s another whose logical next step is to be a serious player in a major.

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

Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2023-2023)

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