Sleepers: DEAN & DELUCA Invitational

Rob Bolton lists five against-the-grain fantasy selections for this week’s event at Colonial CC. Kyle Reifers … He’s survived 11 of 20 cuts this season but still ranks just 138th in the FedExCup standings. However, he was 160th prior to a T20 at the AT&T Byron Nelson where he ranked T10 in greens in regulation and second in proximity to the hole. It was his second-best result in 10 months. His best finish of 2015-16 occurred at Colonial. En route to that solo fifth, he led the field in both GIR and proximity to the hole. He also ranked T2 in conversion percentage inside 10 feet, going 66-for-69. All of that speaks to his comfort level on the classic track as he’s perfect in four trips since 2012. Sung Kang … For some, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans presented an opportunity to put FedExCup points on the board amid a dry spell. For him, it wound up as a disruption, albeit a blip. Since his runner-up performance at the Shell Houston Open on the first Sunday in April, the 29-year-old is perfect in individual competition with four top 20s and sits 29th in the FedExCup standings. He displayed a characteristically strong short game en route to a T20 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. For the season, he’s T46 in greens in regulation, 34th in strokes gained: putting and 26th in adjusted scoring. This is his third appearance at Colonial. Blayne Barber … Arguably one of the four forgotten also-rans who Mackenzie Hughes outlasted in the playoff at The RSM Classic, it was nonetheless a career-best finish for Barber. Alas, it didn’t portend a hot restart after the holiday break as he missed his first four cuts of 2017. He then went without a top 25 until a T16 in his last start at THE PLAYERS. True to form, he led the field in proximity to the hole, strokes gained: putting and average distance of putts made. For the season, he ranks a respective T12, 12th and first in those categories. Not a stranger to Colonial, either. He placed T34 in his debut here last year. Ben Martin … Since the wraparound schedule was introduced in 2013-14, when a golfer wins an event in the fall portion, it immediately feels like his exemption is longer than any other golfer who wins later in the season, but standard two-year exemptions earned in the same season expire at the same time. His exemption for capturing the 2014 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open ends in three months, which means that he still has this period of time to save his PGA TOUR card. The 29-year-old is 144th in the FedExCup standings with only two top 25s on the season (both are T18s). If he just goes about his business as he has in every prior appearance at Colonial where he’s 3-for-3 with a T21 in 2014 and a T10 in 2015, he’ll relieve some of the pressure. Chris Stroud … The Texan has been limited to 10 starts due to conditional status and he’s missed six cuts, but he’s just inside the top 150 of the FedExCup standings thanks to a trio of top-15 finishes. The veteran of 282 PGA TOUR starts understands more than many the value of every opportunity, especially since he’s still chasing his first trophy. Colonial is a course where it would make sense to happen, at least if you base it on his past experience. He’s logged top 15s in four of the last five editions during which his scoring average is 68.83. Leads the circuit in par-3 scoring.

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