Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – AT&T Byron Nelson

2019 AT&T Byron Nelson Fantasy Sleeper Report

Soon enough, attention will turn to the PGA Championship, which tees off from the sprawling Bethpage Black layout in New York on May 16.

But sports bettors should not overlook this week’s event, the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest in Dallas, as there are opportunities to profit.

Aaron Wise was available at long odds 12 months ago when he took down this title at -23 to claim his maiden PGA TOUR triumph. He would go on to claim the Rookie of the Year prize too, although this victory was tough to predict – as was Max Homa’s at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship.

The 28-year-old hadn’t shown any signs of winning this season, and making cuts has been a task enough in itself.

But Homa showed that when things click out on the course anything is possible for these pro players, and the 300/1 man outlasted a stellar cast including Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler to land his first win at PGA TOUR level.

Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain plays his shot from the eighth tee during…

Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain plays his shot from the eighth tee during the third round of the 2019 RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on April 20, 2019 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

He will attempt to double-up in Dallas this week in a field which has that pre-major feel to it. Mind you, the likes of Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson would love a strong run prior to the test at Bethpage Black, while Brooks Koepka will be looking to hone his own game ahead of his trophy defense.

The field can expect an enjoyable enough assignment at Trinity Forest, at which 31 players finished double-digits under par a year ago and where the cut line came at -4. This is an out-and-out birdie fest with a Links-style feel; the designers, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, have mentioned the classic Links layouts of Britain as inspiration for this track.

It’s quite a long layout at 7,380 yards for its Par 71, and with rain also featuring predominantly in the forecast it could play even longer with soft surfaces. The rough is that tangly fescue stuff you see on Links tracks, but the fairways are so wide it is a surprise when they are missed.

The Bermuda greens are large and receptive too, and while some are undulating it’s worth remembering that these should be easy to hold if that rain does come.

Simply put, power your drive down the fairway, avoid the pot bunkers and make birdie: sounds easy, doesn’t it!?

With those concepts fresh in our minds, let’s take a look who makes our list of AT&T Byron Nelson sleepers.

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AT&T Byron Nelson Fantasy Sleeper Report

Rafa Cabrera-Bello – 50/1 – He’s not a prolific winner by any stretch of the imagination, but the profile of Rafa Cabrera-Bello stacks up nicely this week.

The Spaniard is a Scottish Open winner who also has a top-five to his name in the British Open, so comfort levels on the Links are high.

He seems to be getting more and more comfortable on US soil too, and in his last eight strokeplay starts on the PGA TOUR he’s notched six top-25 finishes including T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational ad T16 at the RBC Heritage last time out.

An expert tee-to-green merchant who ranks fourth this season for Par 4 Birdie or Better Leaders, RCB could well contend in Dallas.

Scott Piercy – 60/1 – Take a look at Piercy’s resumé, and some of his best performances have come at layouts that nod to Trinity Forest in look or design: Waialae (solo second), Harbour Town (T3), Nine Bridges (T5).

So Links-esque courses have a habit of suiting his eye, and this prolific birdie maker – T13 for Total Birdies, T31 for Birdie Average – should feel right at home in Dallas this week.

A noted tee-to-green ball striker, Piercy has been putting slightly better of late too, and that ensured his best performance of the season – T3 at the RBC Heritage – came last time out.

Lucas Bjerregaard – 66/1 – The Dane has a stack of good form on the Links in European Tour events, and with his form holding up Stateside he looks worthy of a follow this week.

Bjerregaard won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last season, and has banked top-10s in events like the Sicilian Open and Italian Open; two more tournaments where the wind blows and trees are notably absent.

His run to the semi-finals at the WGC-Dell Match Play was continuation of his decent start on the PGA TOUR (T12 at the Honda Classic, T30 at the PLAYERS), and his T21 last time out in the Masters franks that consistency.

On a layout that perhaps will bring the best out of him, Bjerregaard can shine once more this week.

Thorbjorn Olesen – 66/1 – Like a number of golfers worldwide, Thorbjorn Olesen appears to be most at home on Links inspired layouts, and so the look and feel of Trinity Forest should suit his eye.

The Dane is a former Alfred Dunhill Links and Sicilian Open champion, who also has a top-ten in a British Open to his name among other achievements on tree-less tracks with a traditional vibe.

American audiences are yet to see the best from him, but Olesen’s T21 at Augusta offered a glimpse of how he has matured into a fine all-round golfer in recent years. This week’s assignment appears to be one he is perfectly suited to.

Seamus Power – 80/1 – When you anticipate a birdie fest is in the offing, it makes sense just to draft in-form players and then watch them (hopefully) fly.

Power has been in good nick of late with T6 and T13 finishes at the RBC Heritage and Wells Fargo respectively; two events where he has made stacks of birdies into the bargain.

The key aspect of the Irishman’s game is that he tends to be excellent around and on the greens, and any weaknesses in his tee-to-green play will be mitigated at Trinity Forest, which last year at least was a walk in the park for the players.

A golfing education in Ireland aids his abilities on the Links, but this is a man whose formative years have been spent honing his craft in the US. Could he follow in the footsteps of Adam Long and Max Homa and breakout here?

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the AT&T Byron Nelson here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”4.87%” bar_text=”6 out of 123 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”14.63%” bar_text=”18 out of 123 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”34.95%” bar_text=”43 out of 123 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”4.00%” bar_text=”1 out of 25 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”16.00%” bar_text=”4 out of 25 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”64.22%” bar_text=”79 out of 123 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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