Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Fantasy Sleeper Report

Stop the press: Paul Casey is a prolific PGA TOUR winner!

The Englishman has now gone back-to-back at the Valspar Championship, and while his 2018 triumph could be classed as fortuitous, in some senses, because he came off the pace, this year he showed some almighty stones to take care of business.

Tracked by major winners in Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen, Casey just about held his nerve at a really difficult Innisbrook layout, despite bogeying the seventeenth, to win by one shot from the South African and Jason Kokrak.

Paul Casey of England celebrates with the winner’s trophy after the…

Paul Casey of England celebrates with the winner’s trophy after the final round of the Valspar Championship on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook Golf Resort on March 24, 2019 in Palm Harbor,… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

With The Masters now firmly on the horizon, the PGA TOUR departs on its rapid-fire Texan Swing.

First up is this week’s WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, one of the few times we get to see the world’s best going man-to-man and toe-to-toe in what is a refreshing and welcome format.

Okay, you could argue that there are too many games cramped into too little time at the Austin Country Club, but the bracket stage in particular often makes for highly entertaining viewing.

And why not, because this is a golf course set up perfectly for the rigors of the match play version of the sport.

Firstly, there are the typical Pete and Alice Dye hazards and dangers: big old lakes, dee pot bunkers and greens shaved ominously closely around their perimeter.

As if that wasn’t enough, the first nine holes take place up in the hills, so there’s also club selection and course management to factor in as well.

But there’s plenty of niceties too, including a trio of Par 5s that can be reached in two by most in the field, as well as a drivable Par 4.

Without strokes to lose, players tend to take more risks in this match play format, and the entertainment aspect goes through the roof as a result.

The small Bermuda greens at least run super-smooth and true, and all in all this is a fun place to play and watch golf; aided by the unique match play setting as well, of course.

So who makes our sleeper shortlist for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play? Let’s take a look.

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WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Fantasy Sleeper Report

Louis Oosthuizen – Vegas Odds 50/1 – We talk about ‘horses for courses’ in golf, but if we were to change that to the admittedly less catchy ‘horses for formats’ then Louis Oosthuizen ticks the box as far as match play is concerned.

The South African has a decent enough record in this competition, having lost in the final of 2016 and reaching the last 16, both at Austin CC, and making the quarter-finals twice at Harding Park and Dove Mountain.

Oosthuizen was also the Rest of the World’s leading points scorer in the President’s Cup of 2017, and notched 4.5 points in 2015 as well.

That T2 in the Valspar last week continues his excellent recent form, which has brought a win in the South African Open and a top-five in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in the past couple of months.

Matt Kuchar – Vegas Odds 55/1 – Experienced, accurate and a wily operator, it’s no wonder that Matt Kuchar has enjoyed this tournament in the past.

Kooch won the lot in 2013, besting Hunter Mahan in the final, and otherwise he has a semi-final, a quarter-final and three trips to the last 16 on his resumé.

His renaissance in the 2019 season is timely and hints at a new found confidence long absent from his game; perhaps Kuchar will stamp his authority on proceedings here with a typically classy display?

Webb Simpson – Vegas Odds 55/1 – Throwaway odds from the sportsbooks are available on a former major winner who has won at a Pete Dye layout in the past.

Webb Simpson’s triumph at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2018 was remarkable, and confirmation that he is at home in the upper echelons of the sport.

And while his form in this event isn’t much to write home about, we’re still unwilling to give up on a self-confessed Bermuda fanatic who tends to thrive on assignments where quality ball-striking is at a premium.

Anybody who watched his win over Justin Rose in the singles at the Ryder Cup will know that Simpson is no match play mug either.

Henrik Stenson – Vegas Odds 70/1 – It’s been a long and largely fruit-less couple of years on the Tour for Henrik Stenson, who is without a win since the Wyndham Championship of 2017.

His form seems to come and go in the blink of an eye, but the Swede has been playing much better recently and so perhaps he is ready to hit the heights again.

The former British Open winner ranked very nicely for a number of Strokes Gained metrics at the Valspar Championship, and that was his second top-25 finish in three starts on the Florida Swing.

Stenson produced the perfect three-from-three record at the Ryder Cup, and his metronomic ability to find fairways clearly stands him up as a useful match play participant.

Billy Horschel – Vegas Odds 80/1 – It was a strange old Florida Swing for local native Billy Horschel, who was knocking at the door in both the Honda Classic (T16) and THE PLAYERS Championship (T26) without getting particularly close to the trophy.

But it consolidates his love for Bermuda golf, and at least there is form on the ledger ahead of a return to Texas; a state he loves playing his golf in.

He has a T2 to his name at the Houston Open and a pair of T3s at the Texas Open too, so clearly there’s something in the air for B-Ho in this part of the country.

A fondness for Pete Dye tracks, prove at Sawgrass and Harbour Town (T5 in 2018) suggests Horschel should be considered this week, as does the ability of a man to put together streaks of birdies; a handy skill in the match play arena.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2018-2019)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”4.08%” bar_text=”4 out of 98 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”14.28%” bar_text=”14 out of 98 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”41.84%” bar_text=”41 out of 98 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”5.00%” bar_text=”1 out of 20 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”10.00%” bar_text=”2 out of 20 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”67.74%” bar_text=”63 out of 98 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

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Cover photo via Instagram