US Women’s Open – 5 Fantasy Sleepers

Check out these 5 sleeper picks for your LPGA and Ladies Dream Golf fantasy lineups.

Last year when the US Women’s Open field teed it up at Lancaster Country Club all eyes were on Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, and Stacy Lewis. KLPGA star In Gee Chun wasn’t on anybody’s radar. She wasn’t even listed in potential fantasy golf lineups. When she capped off 72 holes with a fist-full of birdies and hoisted the Championship trophy we began speculating about her future on golf’s big stage.

Chun has not disappointed. Her victory was no fluke. The LPGA rookie is coming to her title defense with six top-10 finishes on her 2016 resume, three of them runner-ups. She’s the 6th ranked player in the world and with good reason. In Gee Chun is bringing a quietly controlled game to CordeValle, the kind of game that could again take her to the top of the leaderboard. She one of the top-seeded players in the field at the 71st US Women’s Open and she’s right up there at 20 tokens in the LPGA fantasy lineup.

Is there another In Gee Chun, a player who’s bringing a championship-level game to CordeValle but who hasn’t yet notched the win that will put her on our radar? I think there are several sleepers in the CordeValle field. Let’s take a look.

Nicole Broche Larsen

The 23-year old Dane will be making her US Women’s Open debut at CordeValle. Larsen notched her first pro win at the 2015 Helsingborg Open and was the Ladies European Tour 2015 Player of the Year.

CordeValle will be Larsen’s third major championship. She finished T24 at the 2015 Women’s British Open and T11 at the 2015 Evian Championship. With the exception of the RACV Ladies Masters, where she finished T3, Larsen hasn’t had a particularly impressive 2016 season, but if she can dig deep into her bag and retrieve that game she was delivering last year, she could be getting a look at the top of the board come Sunday at CordeValle.

Because she plays on the LET Larsen isn’t a listed player choice for the LPGA fantasy golf game this week, but she is available for your Ladies Dream Golf team (Group 3).

Beth Allen

For Californian Beth Allen, current leader in the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit, CordeValle is a homecoming of sorts. In 2015, Allen clinched her first LET title at the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters. It was a remarkable victory, and it was transformative.

With European Solheim Cup star Sophie Gustafson on her bag Allen edged out Leona Maguire by one shot, ending that long wait for her first win. Allen went on from Buckinghamshire to record five additional top 10 finishes including T4th in New Zealand and Sanya to end the season ranked fifth on the LET Order of Merit.

It has been 13 years since Beth Allen teed it up at a US Women’s Open. She’s coming to the tee brimming with self confidence and two top-5 finishes this season.

Like Nicole Broch Larsen, Beth Allen isn’t included in the field for the LPGA fantasy golf game, but she would also make a solid pick from Group 3 for your Ladies Dream Golf team.

Madelene Sagstrom

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If you’re looking for an emerging star in women’s golf you need to give Madelene Sagstrom a long, careful look. This standout Swede who played her collegiate golf at LSU is in the process of transitioning from the Symetra Tour to the LPGA and she’s doing it at warp speed. Playing her rookie year on the Symetra Tour she’s notched 2 victories and 3 runner-up finishes and broken the all-time Symetra Tour earnings record. She’s the only player in the Tour’s history to cross the $100K mark, and it’s only July!

You can’t put her on your LPGA fantasy golf team – she’s not a member of the Tour yet – but you can snatch her up from Group 4 for your Ladies Dream Golf team, and that would be a very smart pick. I’m looking for the big Swede with the powerful drive to play her way well up the CordeValle leaderboard.

Megan Khang

This Tour rookie absolutely fascinates me. This will be the 18-year old rookie’s 4th US Women’s Open appearance, her first playing as a pro. She took low amateur honors last year at Lancaster.

Khang has has an up and down rookie season – 11 starts, 6 missed cuts, 3 finishes of 11th place or better with an impressive T4 in Phoenix at the Founders Cup. The rookie has a solid long game – she’s ranked 55th on the Tour in distance off the tee and 45th in driving accuracy – and a slightly better than average short game. Still, she earned her CordeValle tee time at the Twin Hills sectional qualifier where she outshot Solheim Cup players to snag her spot.

You can put Megan Khang to work on both your LPGA and Ladies Dream Golf fantasy teams. Given her US Women’s Open experience and her potential, she’s coming in at a bargain basement price – 5 tokens for the LPGA team and Group 3 for Ladies Dream Golf.

Austin Ernst

This will be Austin Ernst’s 3rd US Women’s Open appearance. She made the cut and finished inside the top 50 in both previous appearances, so we can assume she knows her way around the stress and pressure of the event.

Ernst has made 15 starts this season, her third year playing on the Tour. She missed two cuts and withdrew from one event, but she’s been consistently playing the weekend and collecting a check. Her single pro victory came in 2014 at the Cambia Portland Classic and she’s recorded two top-10s this season.

Ernst will cost you 10 tokens if you want her for your LPGA fantasy team and she’s another Group 3 option for your Ladies Dream Golf team. At 10 tokens, I think she may be a bit overpriced for the LPGA game, but I also think you can depend on her to figure out the CordeValle track and deliver 36 holes of golf that will get her into the weekend competition.

If you’re still looking for bargains to fill out your LPGA fantasy team, you might consider Jaye Marie Green, Lee Lopez, Alena Sharp, and Julieta Granada. They’re all available for 5 tokens and I think they’re all good bets to make the cut and play the weekend.

More US Women’s Open Coverage

• Amateurs in the US Women’s Open Field
• The “Big Four” in the US Women’s Open Field
• The Challenge of CordeValle – What to Look for From the Top Players
• 1st Round Marquee Groups

Cover Photo via Flickr