Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – Houston Open

2019 Houston Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

It’s adieu, for now at least, to PGA TOUR events on American soil.

At the culmination of the Houston Open this week the players pack up their bags and head off to see what the Asian Swing brings in the lead-up to the holiday season.

Trips to South Korea, Japan, Bermuda and China are all on the horizon, before a return to this part of the world for the WGC event in Mexico.

So in that respect there’s plenty to play for this week, especially as many involved in the field will only get an invite out to the Far East if they perform admirably in Texas.

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Our host this week, the Golf Club of Houston, will also say its goodbyes to Tour life as it is replaced by Memorial Park going forward.

Sadly, not many of golf’s leading lights are queuing up to say goodbye to this piece of real estate, and there is a notable absence of OWGR top 50 figures in the field.

That’s a shame, because they will miss out on a final trip to what is a nice Rees Jones layout where the challenge element is kept to a minimum. The Par 72 layout at the GC of Houston measures 7,441 yards but length off the tee historically has not been a factor here, and really it’s a set-up that rewards those who can get their approaches as close to the pin as possible.

In the old days, the Houston Open was scheduled a week prior to the Masters, and partly the reason for that was because the Bermuda greens here could be quickened to replicate those at Augusta.

A shift in the schedule from the spring to the fall will likely see the greens slowed considerably, but even so some level of comfort in putting on fast greens will help.

Otherwise, there is nothing to fear from what is one of the most generous layouts on the Tour, and the only concern is what is a rather beastly-looking wind in the forecast. That breeze could exceed 15 mph, and that will certainly be a factor in who lifts the trophy and who falls short.

Looking at this weakened field, the Houston Open is ripe for a sleeper-style winner. So here is our shortlist of potential champions this week at some exotic odds.

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Houston Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

Keegan Bradley – In a field this lacking in quality, premium performers like Keegan Bradley come to prominence.

This is a four-time PGA TOUR winner that has a major to his name as well as a WGC and a FedExCup event triumph, and so if he turns up in Houston he surely has an excellent chance.

The signs are that he isn’t too far away either, as this perennial flusher has been showing a better touch with the putter of late.

Bradley has a T5 and T15 finish to his name at GC of Houston, and given his improvement at the Shriners he could even kick on higher than that in this weak company.

Nick Taylor – What a start to the season it has been for Nick Taylor, who ha found himself at the business end of the leaderboard in both the Shriners and the Safeway Open in recent weeks.

The Canadian is a former PGA TOUR winner, but he doesn’t have a huge bank of big finishes to his name. However, something has clearly clicked of late, as displayed by his forays into the final pairings in outings of late.

That ‘thing’ might well be his money-making shots, i.e. chipping from around the green and putting, and confidence in those areas could be a difference-maker at the GC of Houston given that there isn’t much danger from tee-to-green. 

Bronson Burgoon – There is a small number of players expected to make some kind of ‘break out’ this season, and Bronson Burgoon features on that list.

The Texan will surely fancy the job on home soil, especially given that his recent form has been excellent.

T19 at the Greenbrier and T6 at the Sanderson Farms shows his fine start, and while he missed the cut at the Safeway Open he did fire second round of 69 in that effort.

More form shown at Shriners confirms the theme, and Burgoon could be a real danger on Texan soil this week.

Patton Kizzire – There is a danger of Patton Kizzire becoming something of a forgotten man on the PGA TOUR.

Why? Because he has missed stacks and stacks of missed cuts lately, and so there isn’t any real motivation to hype up his game.

However, there have been green shoots of recovery, and his eye-catching display at the Shriners renews faith in a player that has won at the similarly windy Waialae and Chapultepec in recent years.

Robby Shelton – A solid enough start to the season from Robby Shelton has caught the eye, and that’s particularly intriguing this week given how well the Texan tends to play in this part of the world.

A winner in Nashville and Knoxville on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, Shelton also played nicely in Mississippi at the Sanderson Farms Championship just a few weeks ago.

Home comforts can have a positive effect on a player, and the record of Shelton suggests he is someone who really thrives when in familiar surroundings. Will that get him back into the winner’s circle in the South this week?

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2019-2020)

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