Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The Honda Classic

2019 Honda Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

You can discuss world rankings, FedExCups and all that sort of thing, but really we all know that when he’s motivated, nobody in world golf can touch Dustin Johnson.

His ability to combine beastly drives with beautiful touch and feel on and around the greens is an irresistible combination, and once again he proved that when the world’s best collide – as they did in the WGC-Mexico Championship – DJ can come out on top.

Nobody really got near him as he won by five strokes, and it remains a mystery as to why he has just one major title to his name. Perhaps that will change in 2019?

Dustin Johnson of the United States plays a shot during the final…

Dustin Johnson of the United States plays a shot during the final round of World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec on February 24, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

The PGA TOUR rolls around to its Florida Swing, with four back-to-back events on the East Coast opened up by the Honda Classic this week.

If it’s an event that sets bells ringing in your mind that might be because of the host venue, the PGA National, and its infamous ‘Bear Trap’ of holes from fifteen through seventeen.

Designed by the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, himself, this trio of holes combines a devilish Par 3 with a monstrous Par 4 that leaves players with an almighty approach shot and another Par 4 with one of the smallest greens you will see on the PGA TOUR rotation.

Usually the players can expect a stiff breeze too – that has contributed to only one winning score of double digits under par in five years, although the early forecast suggests that conditions might be rather more benign this time around.

Generally, the classier sorts tend to thrive here, but there have been sleeper winners with the likes of Russell Henley, Padraig Harrington and Michael Thompson not exactly fancied before the off.

As such, we can have confidence in the sleepers this week, and so here’s half-dozen to savor for the Honda Classic.

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The Honda Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

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The Honda Classic Fantasy Sleeper Report

Luke List – Vegas Odds 50/1 – Despite the difficulty attached to PGA National, List seems to make things work here with a pair of top-10s within his last three visits.

He’s a long, albeit not particularly straight hitter, but he has a habit of still making things happen: he finds 71% of greens from 55% of fairways, according to his season-long stats, which shows just how well he scrambles.

List is a much tidier player than his driving accuracy stats suggest, and decent runs here and at the Genesis Open and Arnold Palmer Invitational confirm that sterner tests won’t faze him.

Michael Thompson – Vegas Odds 60/1 – It’s been six long years since Thompson claimed his sole PGA TOUR victory; and that came at the Honda Classic, ironically.

Four consecutive top-20 finishes in recent weeks have given a suggestion that he might be ready to return to the winner’s circle again, and at a venue he clearly likes why not here?

What is most impressive about the 33-year-old’s form is that he has done the business at all kinds of courses: from the deserts of California to the coast and back inland to the tree-lined fairways of Riviera.

That versatility confirms that Thompson is high on confidence and able to tackle any challenge right now.

Lucas Glover – Vegas Odds 66/1 – A sole missed cut at the Phoenix Open is the sole aberration on Lucas Glover’s recent formline, with seven top-20s in eight starts.

You would think that he will enjoy this challenge as a former US Open champion, with grinding golf something of a speciality.

A T17 and T21 return in the last two years at PGA National is encouragement enough, and that’s no great surprise given that the 39-year-old’s neat and tidy style at least affords him the opportunity to play from the short grass.

Scott Piercy – Vegas Odds 66/1 – Some of Scott Piercy’s most lucrative paydays have come at tricky courses – T2 at the US Open in 2016, for example, and solo third at the BMW Championship in 2015 – so grinding golf holds no fear.

He’s also adept in the wind should the forecasts have got things wrong this week, and his formline is outstanding: in his last eight outings there have been four top-10s and a pair of other top-20s.

Excellent from tee-to-green, Piercy only needs a few putts to drop to be a contender this week.

Charl Schwartzel – Vegas Odds 70/1 – One swallow doesn’t make a summer, of course, but a top-ten finish at the Puerto Rico Open might just spur Schwartzel on to greater things.

Even just making the trip to the island shows how determined he is to recapture his best form, and that motivation in a major champion should not be underestimated.

We’ve written about the likelihood of the best players in the field rising to the top at PGA National, and while Schwartzel’s poor form backdates quite some time he cannot be overlooked as a premium quality ball striker when the mood takes him.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”3.85%” bar_text=”3 out of 78 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”12.82%” bar_text=”10 out of 78 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”39.74%” bar_text=”31 out of 78 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”6.25%” bar_text=”1 out of 16 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”6.25%” bar_text=”1 out of 16 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”66.67%” bar_text=”52 out of 78 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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