Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – The Fort Worth Invitational

2018 Fort Worth Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

Another week on the PGA TOUR and another outstanding young talent enters the winner’s circle.

Aaron Wise has looked to be the real deal at many points this season, not least in his last start when he took home a T2 at the Wells Fargo Championship.

It’s debatable whether many thought his maiden triumph would come at a British inspired Links course, however, but that’s exactly what happened when the 21-year-old won the AT&T Byron Nelson last week ahead of grizzled Links veterans like Marc Leishman, Branden Grace and Kevin Na.

Wise broke the tournament scoring record in his triumph, and so if you are marking your card for future superstars of the game then this young man should be somewhere near the top of your list.

Aaron Wise poses with the trophy after winning the AT&T Byron Nelson…

Aaron Wise poses with the trophy after winning the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest Golf Club on May 20, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

We don’t have a new course to analyse this week; far from it. Colonial Country Club, home to the Fort Worth Invitational (Dean & Deluca/Crowne Plaza/delete as applicable), is the longest standing, non-major venue on the circuit, with this event enjoying a 60-year run down in this part of Texas.

It’s a tough stretch that has all the hallmarks of a former US Open layout, with power absolutely no advantage here. Doglegs, carefully placed hazards and tree-lined fairways bump up the complexity, although if the traditional Texan winds stay down, as has been predicted, then the players will at least enjoy some respite.

They will have to play some pretty long approach shots into occasionally elevated Bentgrass greens, and with driver rarely taken out of the bag it could become a war of attrition in the quest for the plaid jacket, which isn’t as prestigious as the green jacket but arguably a touch more fashionable.

Jordan Spieth will be looking to find some form with the putter ahead of major season, and he headlines a field that also includes Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and recent PLAYERS Championship winner Webb Simpson.

But we’re interested in the sleepers; those outsiders that may just slip under the radar and land us a handsome winner – Wise was 55/1 last week after all!

So who is on our shortlist this week?

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Fort Worth Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

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Fort Worth Invitational Fantasy Sleeper Report

Emiliano Grillo – Vegas Odds 55/1 – If it’s straight hitting that you are after then they don’ come much more reliable than Grillo, who ranks 17th and 18th for Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation respectively.

His current form is such that a title challenge is not out of the question, with three top-10s in seven starts on the PGA TOUR and another at the European Tour’s Indian Open which he probably should have won given the commanding early lead he opened up.

The Argentine has a top-five finish on Texan soil to his name (T3 at this year’s Houston Open), and was T11 at THE PLAYERS Championship last year, and so there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the chances of this young South American in Fort Worth.

Adam Hadwin – Vegas Odds 60/1 – The Canadian won one of our correlating events, the Valspar Championship, in 2017, and a top-five here in 2015 does little to switch us off his chances.

Add into the mix a T6 finish at this year’s Genesis Open and it is fair to say that Hadwin is ticking quite a few boxes for us this week.

In his last trio of starts the 30-year-old has posted a top-30 at Augusta, a top-20 in the Wells Fargo Championship and served up three rounds of par or better at Sawgrass, and so his claims at Colonial speak for themselves.

Nick Watney – Vegas Odds 80/1 – There is no doubt that Watney is edging back to the kind of form that saw him win five times on Tour between 2007-12; a haul which included a WGC and a FedExCup event win.

Injuries and a loss of confidence took their toll on the 37-year-old, but the signs are positive that he is back somewhere near his best: T2 in the Wells Fargo in his penultimate start is confirmation of that.

Indeed, he’s made the cut in each of his last eleven starts, with T20 at the Texas Open and a final round of 67 at Sawgrass the eye-catchers for us in the context of this week’s set up.

Danny Lee – Vegas Odds 90/1 – There was a rather eye-catching return to form for Danny Lee at THE PLAYERS Championship, where he was second heading into his final round before settling for a finish of T7.

That is interesting for the Kiwi given that he tends to enjoy life at Colonial – a formline of 6-22-10 is testament to that.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, as the old saying goes, so it is wise to take Lee’s revival with a pinch of salt until he has shown sustained good form. But he is a supremely talented player, and when he gets on a roll he is capable of repeated strong showings.

Si-Woo Kim – Vegas Odds 90/1 – If we use Sawgrass form as our guide this week, then the 2017 PLAYERS Championship winner has to be in our thoughts.

He couldn’t follow up that heroic effort this year, although he did open with a round of 67, but all-in-all Si-Woo has continued to show himself to be a strong performer in breezy conditions: top-three finishes this term at the OHL Classic and RBC Heritage confirm that point.

The Korean actually lives in Dallas these days, so will be perfectly familiar with the Texan conditions, and having won on the Tour in both 2016 and 2017 it is fair to say he is one of the more likely champions of this event at this sort of price point.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for Fort Worth Invitational here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2017-2018)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”1.53%” bar_text=”2 out of 130 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”9.23%” bar_text=”12 out of 130 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”26.92%” bar_text=”35 out of 130 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”3.84%” bar_text=”1 out of 26 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”3.84%” bar_text=”1 out of 26 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”62.31″ bar_text=”81 out of 130 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram