2024 Valspar Championship Fantasy Sleeper Report

TPC Sawgrass proved to be a pain in the neck for Scottie Scheffler and an army of stars hoping to wrestle THE PLAYERS Championship trophy from his grasp.

Scheffler suffered a neck injury early on, receiving massages and treatment out on the course and even in-between shots. That looked to have derailed his title defense, but roll on Sunday and his round of 64 – neck complained suitably soothed – put him in contention. 

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But if the others at the top of the leaderboard had played their part, he might not have gotten to take the trophy back home. Xander Schauffele misfired under pressure again, Wyndham Clark – despite a rousing finish which included a lip-out putt on the 72nd hole – left himself too much to do, while Brian Harman’s opening round of 72 ultimately cost him the title.

Scheffler wins. In a year of chaos and unpredictability so far, there’s a nice ring to the world number one winning in back-to-back weeks.

He won’t score a hat-trick this week at the Valspar Championship – he’s not in the field. But Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Tony Finau are as they up their Masters prep, while Schauffele and Harman will be looking to go to the well once more.

They’ll be looking to strip Taylor Moore of his title, which he won so impressively 12 months ago. While those around him lost their heads – and/or suffered bad luck – in the Copperhead Course’s famed ‘Snake Pit’ stretch of holes 16-18, Moore made serene progress to go bogey-free and pick up his maiden PGA TOUR win.

This could be, whisper it, the first of the Florida Swing courses to play like its true self. After rain and good-natured officials made Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass a whole bunch easier than normal, the early signs are that Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course will play as devilishly as ever.

Doglegging fairways, thick rough, small greens, and some welcoming water hazards are just some of the water hazards awaiting the players, while five Par 3s – many of them well in excess of 200 yards – test the very fabric of their long iron play.

The rough at the Copperhead Course has been left up in past years, and with some strong winds in Palm Harbour, this hasn’t always been the easiest nut to crack – Moore went round in -10 a year ago, while Paul Casey won with -8 in 2019.

A Florida Swing course playing in a challenging fashion? Now we’re talking!

The unique conditions at the Copperhead Course, as well as the ills of many of those at the head of the betting market, perhaps opens the door for an unlikely winner this week – in that spirit, here’s our sleeper shortlist for the 2024 Valspar Championship.

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

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