2022 American Express Fantasy Sleeper Report
With a success rate of 20% in converting 54-hole leads to tournament victories, you could almost sense the unease in the loins of Russell Henley heading into the final round of the Sony Open.
Surprisingly, the conversion rate is only round 40% TOUR wide, and so the numbers were stacked against the 2013 Sony champion before a ball was even hit on Sunday.
And like all good sharks, Hideki Matsuyama sensed blood.
The Japanese ace wouldn’t sink his teeth into Henley until the back nine, however, as the leader belied his status as a poor closer by going on a birdie rampage on the front nine.
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But it wasn’t long before the old frailties emerged, and Matsuyama quietly began accumulating birdies to reel in his playing partner.
A missed putt on the 72nd green seemed to confirm Henley’s fate, and if he felt that the golfing gods were against him, he’d have been convinced of it when Matsuyama walloped a three-wood to within three feet on the first playoff hole.
The Japanese superstar has enjoyed a year in which he has been crowned Masters champion, won on home soil in front of his adoring faithful in Japan and now cleaned up at the Sony Open – for Henley, the hunt for a long-awaited win goes on.
Who knows….maybe it will come at The American Express this week? Henley loves Bermuda greens, which is what will be waiting for him at the event’s three host courses, and perhaps the laidback vibes of a pro-am contest are exactly what he needs to stumble over the line.
Mind you, he’ll have to see off a field that includes former champion Jon Rahm, last year’s runner-up Patrick Cantlay and a host of other talented stars including Patrick Reed, Tony Finau and Corey Conners. Throw into the mix defending champion Si-Woo Kim, plus ever-popular host Phil Mickelson, and a field of 156 will take some topping.
There’s the relentless pressure of making birdie after birdie too – Andrew Landry made 31 of them on his way to victory in 2020, which is the last time this event had the three-rotation of courses. PGA West’s Stadium and Nicklaus courses are short Par 72s that can be defeated, don’t let the fact that the former is designed by Pete Dye put you off, while La Quinta has yielded not once but twice to rounds of 59.
It should be an action-packed week then, albeit with lengthy amateur-laden rounds. But who will prevail? Let’s see if we can find a winner or two in our 2022 American Express Sleeper Report.
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Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2021-2022)
Total Top 3s
Total Top 10s
Total Top 25s
Total Winners Picked
Total Runners-Up Picked
Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)
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