Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The Greenbrier Classic

The Sleeper Report: Fantasy Golf Sleepers, Long Shots, and Undervalued Picks for The 2017 Greenbrier Classic

The Greenbrier Classic Fantasy Sleeper Preview

The countdown to the British Open is on. Royal Birkdale is the location with the players taking to the tee on July 20, and once again we are expecting a classic renewal of arguably the most historic major on the planet.

But we still have a pair of tournaments to go before then, and first up is the welcome return of the Greenbrier Classic.

Cancelled in 2016 due to severe flooding which caused widespread damage and devastation in the area, host course The Old White TPC has been patched up and restored to its former glory. The result is a strong test of ball striking at 7,287 yards (Par 70), with generous fairways and larger than average Bentgrass greens.

But, and here’s the rub, the early weather forecasts suggest there is plenty of rain around in West Virginia this week. How that will manifest itself – and when – is anybody’s guess – but keep your eyes peeled to the forecasts to see if any early or late draw advantages are likely.

The reigning champion from 2015 is Danny Lee, who beat our three competitors in Kevin Kisner, Robert Streb, and David Hearn to clinch his second PGA TOUR title. What was the main takeaway point from his win? The need to play well from tee to green, but to putt well into the bargain. Very helpful for devising a betting strategy.

The good news for sportsbook punters is that this tournament has thrown up a myriad of weird and wonderful winners down the years, from Angel Cabrera in 2014 to Ted Potter in 2012. Remember, there are British Open places up for grabs here, so expect the unexpected!

As such, who are we expecting to put in a strong ‘sleeper’ showing this week? Let’s take a look.

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The Greenbrier Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

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The Greenbrier Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

Mix and match these players with your usual rosters (or play them separately) to get the most out of your picks this week.

Xander Schauffele – Vegas Odds 60/1 – It has been a stiff learning curve for Schauffele this year on the PGA TOUR in his first full season, but just lately he has shown some real signs of quality.

A top-five performance in the US Open was just desserts for his hard work, and he has continued his fine form (sort of) with T14 at the Travelers Championship and T35 at the Quicken Loans National, where he ended nicely with a round of 68.

A number of Schauffele’s fellow Web.com graduates have won this year, and he must fancy his chances of following suit this week.

Sean O’Hair – Vegas Odds 75/1 – Looking down this field there are probably 20-25 guys who have a legitimate chance of winning this event, however remote that chance might be, and Sean O’Hair is certainly one of those.

His form in our correlating events this year – T11 in the Sony Open and T2 at the Dean & Deluca – is pleasing, as is a run of 13 cuts made in 17 starts.

O’Hair is one of those players that is capable of winning an event like this where the field is thin, and by finishing T13 on this track in 2015 and T7 three years earlier he served notice of his potential for glory in this neck of the woods.

Johnson Wagner – Vegas Odds 110/1 – There have been signs of life of late from the Virginia Tech graduate, and that bodes well ahead of a trip to a course he clearly loves.

An opening round of 64 at the Travelers served notice of his improved ball-striking, and boy did he back that up at the Quicken Loans: gaining at least a stroke on the field from tee to green and with his putter to finish T5.

Second here in 2013, Wagner has played Old White stacks of times. Heading there with renewed confidence will be a recipe for success, won’t it?

Ricky Barnes – Vegas Odds 120/1 – There have been a number of ‘shock’ winners of this event through the years, and one common strand connecting them is a bit of form heading into the tournament.

Ricky Barnes’ run of 17-35-MC-22-18 might not appear mind-blowing on paper but it is better than most in this field have to offer, and with five of his last six rounds being in the 60s the form is strong enough to mount an assault in West Virginia.

Barnes is yet to break his PGA TOUR duck, but has 17 top-ten’s and four top-five’s to his name. Can he add to the list this week?

Jonas Blixt – Vegas Odds 125/1 – A winner here in 2013, Blixt is another one of those players who wouldn’t raise that many eyebrows if he were to win one of the PGA TOUR’s lesser events.

The Swede is a three-time Tour winner – the last of which was at the Zurich Classic this year, and that’s thanks to his ability to go on low scoring sprees: he ranks very nicely on tour for Birdie Average and Total Birdies.

Blixt isn’t very good off the tee but as we’ve mentioned that isn’t as important around this stretch, and instead his short game and exceptional putting could well elevate him to the business places on the leaderboard.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for The Greenbrier Classic here.

Cover photo via Instagram