Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2024 Genesis Scottish Open

2024 Genesis Scottish Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

The future is looking bright on the PGA TOUR – as proven by the leaderboard at the John Deere Classic come the end of Sunday.

The 25-year-old Davis Thompson appears to be maturing into the player most thought he would be when going toe-to-toe and shot-for-shot with Jon Rahm at the American Express a few years ago, and his decimation of TPC Deere Run was a long time in the making.

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Thompson’s score of -28 was, unsurprisingly, enough to hold off the rest of the field while tying the record-low tally in the event – potential became a reality for Thompson as he clinched a maiden PGA TOUR title in Illinois.

Behind him on the leaderboard were two similarly-sprightly challengers. Michael Thorbjornsen was making just his third professional start – his T2 on Sunday was an early career high, while Luke Clanton, still an amateur, followed up a cut made at the U.S. Open and T10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a T2 of his own at TPC Deere Run.

The future’s bright indeed….

Thorbjornsen and Clanton will continue on their journeys at this week’s alternate event, the ISCO Championship, but preference of course is for the British Open pipe-opener at the Scottish Open, where Thompson has played his way into a high-quality field.

Rory McIlroy will emerge for the first time since his U.S. Open meltdown – the Irishman taking his place as the defending champion in the field having held off home favorite Robert MacIntyre here at the Renaissance Club in Scotland 12 months ago.

Other big names in the field with Links pedigree include former British Open champion Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, who won this event in 2022, while various PGA TOUR and DP World Tour stars will align for a sanctioned tournament played in such unique conditions.

The Renaissance Club in North Berwick has hosted this event since 2019, first as a DP World Tour exclusive and then, since 2022, when the PGA TOUR came on board to make it a co-sanctioned event.

This is quintessential Links, to some extent, with super-fast and firm fairways and greens that are tricky to hold. But the rough is generally kept down, so missing the short stuff isn’t as disastrous as it might be in a week’s time at Royal Troon.

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But even so, it’s likely that Links protagonists will come to the fore – particularly when you consider the weather forecast, which is showing equal parts chilly temperatures, high winds, and heavy rain. Not a week for the faint hearted, then, especially a few days shy of the final major of the year.

It’s quite possible that we’ll see a long odds winner this week, considering the conditions and scheduling, so who makes the grade in our sleeper shortlist for the 2024 Scottish Open?

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Robert MacIntyre – 55/1 – Agonizingly close here 12 months ago, Robert MacIntyre has since kicked on and is now a PGA TOUR winner.

That triumph at the Canadian Open didn’t come entirely out of the blue, with a T8 turn at the PGA Championship just prior, and the left-hander therefore packs up some excellent form with him as he heads home to Scotland.

With a pair of top-10s to his name in the British Open, MacIntyre has the game to compete with the very best on the Links – and how he would love to lift this trophy on home soil this week.

Thomas Detry – 80/1 – With T2 and T10 finishes to his name, Links golf at the Renaissance Club presents a fine opportunity for Thomas Detry.

He’s been showing up nicely on the PGA TOUR in recent months, with T2 at the Houston Open followed by T4 at the PGA Championship and T14 at the U.S. Open.

Detry is evidently capable of elite golf, and it’s in these conditions where we expect the very best of the Belgian – T13 at the 2023 British Open at Royal Liverpool further proof of his Links prowess.

Tom McKibbin – 90/1 – Although his might be a new name to many this week, Tom McKibbin has the credentials to pull off the win in Scotland.

Three top-10s in a row on the DP World Tour set the scene nicely, but perhaps even more appealing was McKibbin’s T41 at the U.S. Open – he shot a first round of 74, before recovering in outstanding fashion on the Friday to make the cut, before kicking on from there.

That was one of the Irishman’s first tastes of truly elite golf, and he no doubt enjoyed what he saw. His ball-striking is such that he can hang in this company, of that there’s no doubt.

Erik van Rooyen – 90/1 – With top-10s in the Scottish Open, Irish Open, and RBC Heritage to his name, as well as T17 at the British Open, Erik van Rooyen’s Links credentials are not in doubt.

The South African is long off the tee and handy in that longer 150-200 yard range on approach, and while doubts about his game around the green remain in place, he does seem to have made strides in that department in recent times.

Curiously, Van Rooyen lost strokes to the field on approach last time out at the Rocket Mortgage Classic – rare for him – and yet still finished T6, which shows how well he performed on the greens there.

If his GIR count is high at the Renaissance Club, EVR could outperform these odds to some tune….

Matt Wallace – 125/1 – Matt Wallace is so good around the greens he’ll be hoping the wind blows and the rain stays away in Scotland this week!

If it does, his excellent chipping and scrambling came will likely come to the fore – a skillset often required on the Links, which could be matched by recent gains made on approach….that extra clarity with iron and wedge has guided Wallace to some decent results of late; T4 at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson being the pick of them.

Previously solo second at the Scottish Championship and T6 at the Alfred Dunhill Links, Wallace simply loves his golf in Scotland.

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

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