Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The American Express

2020 American Express Fantasy Sleeper Report

This fascinating start to the new golfing year continued at the Sony Open with another nerve-jangling playoff finish.

This time, Cameron Smith got the better off Brendan Steele at Waialae in a sudden death shootout, and it was a truly emotional moment for a player whose family has been personally touched by the bushfire tragedy in Australia.

It was also, finally, a first solo strokeplay event win for a player we have backed countless times in this column – we’re annoyed to miss out here, but at least it confirms we’re on the right lines with our picks.

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It’s onwards we go back to the US mainland for The American Express, which you may have known in its previous incarnations such as the Bob Hope, the CareerBuilder Challenge, the Desert Classic and so on.

We’re in California, La Quinta to be precise, to watch a field of pros, celebrities and shankers with plenty of spare cash take to the three host courses.

These are played on rotation from Thursday-Saturday, and while there are some unique characteristics to each the bottom line is that La Quinta CC, the PGA TOURnament and the PGA West courses are all easy enough to conquer – hence Adam Long’s winning mark of -26 last year.

La Quinta is an absolute doddle: taken for a 59 by Adam Hadwin a couple of years ago, if our picks don’t do the business here we’re bang in trouble. Generous off the tee, with huge greens, the job here is to make some putts and walk away happy.

The PGA TOURnament course was put together by Jack Nicklaus, who described it as a ball-striker’s test, and it really is a test of iron play: club players would struggle to miss these fairways, however the greens are well protected.

The PGA West layout hosts the final round as well, and this is the jewel in the crown. Designed by the now sadly-departed Pete Dye, this track features many of his trademarks: small greens protected by deep bunkers and run-off areas, as well as cleverly located water hazards to gobble up errant shots.

But still, remember, this is a pro-am event, and the PGA TOUR does not aim to embarrass the non-pros.

All in all, with a warming weather forecast it should be a relaxing, low key tournament this week, and our sleeper picks for The American Express need to reflect that!

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American Express Fantasy Sleeper Report

Lucas Glover – 60/1 – As a renowned ball-striker, it’s no surprise that Lucas Glover has fared well on arguably the most famous Pete Dye track, TPC Sawgrass, on numerous occasions.

And that has been fairly represented by his efforts in this tournament too, with three top-20s in five visits to this event showing an excellent platform to build on.

With four top-10s and another top-20 in his last 13 outings, Glover is trending nicely and as somebody who has performed well in pro-am and split course events he can be relied upon to play his best no matter how unique the conditions.

Kevin Na – 66/1 – A two-time winner in the desert, Kevin Na also has form on Pete Dye tracks in the locker and that’s a double-header that could work quite nicely this week.

He’s won twice in under a year, which is finally testament to his undoubted talent, because at his best Na really is a premium golfer.

Three top-10s in this event, including a pair of top-fives, get the juices flowing yet further. Na should not be these odds in a sparse field in a tournament he enjoys.

Harris English – 66/1 – It’s not all that long ago that Harris English went on a staggering run of form reading 5-4-33-6-3.

A missed cut followed at the RSM Classic, but one swallow doesn’t make a summer and the underlying improvements in English’s game have to be given respect.

With top-10s at the Shriners and the Phoenix Open, he has proven his worth in the desert and hasn’t missed a cut in seven trips here – with three top-20s into the bargain.

One thing we can be sure of is that English has not been in this good form heading to California in quite some time.

Henrik Norlander – 110/1 – The Swede is building some of a reputation for playing well at short, coastal tracks, with back-to-back top-10s in the RSM Classic and the Sony Open the proof in the pudding.

There will be a different vibe this week, but one of his best PGA TOUR paydays came at another Pete Dye layout, TPC River Highlands, so there’s no reason he can’t thrive here as long as he makes hay on La Quinta and co.

With the form he’s in, birdies should not be in short supply for Norlander this week, and given how well he putted at Waialae he has the ingredients to go very well indeed.

Bo Hoag – 175/1 – Getting his first real go at the PGA TOUR at the age of 31, Hoag is making it count.

T11 at the Bermuda Championship, he has followed up by connecting T20 at the Mayakoba with T9 at the Sony Open, and he continues to putt well on Bermuda surfaces.

A winner of the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, there is pedigree to go with Hoag’s formline and so we’re excited to see where he can go at these lofty odds.

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

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2019-2020)

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