Sleeper Picks: Valspar Championship

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Harold Varner III … All you ever needed to know about his spirit was realized in the wake of a closing 81 at the PGA Championship where he settled for a share of 36th place but admitted enjoying just being on the scene for the experience. In the context of the opportunity lost, it didn’t hurt that his 2019-20 card was locked up months ago. Currently 85th in points, his most recent of eight top 25s this season was a T21 at the Travelers Championship where he ranked seventh strokes gained: putting and fifth in scrambling. Amid a heater en route to a solo sixth at last year’s JDC, he missed on only three of 71 attempts inside 10 feet. Vaughn Taylor … Continues to flourish at 43 years of age. He’s 6-for-6 with three top 20s since the Wells Fargo Championship. Finished fourth three weeks ago at TPC River Highlands where he paced the field in proximity to the hole and ranked second in putting: birdies-or-better. Sits T9 on TOUR in proximity, fifth in strokes gained: putting, fifth in red numbers (49) and T4 in sub-70s (T37). And since his debut at TPC Deere Run in 2004, he’s 8-for-12 with four top 20s. His scoring average in his last eight loops around the track is 68.125. J.T. Poston … Still having trouble finding the handle in final rounds, but the third-year talent out of Western Carolina University puts himself in position often enough that he’s bound to connect at some point. His most recent bit of unfinished business stung him in his last start at the Rocket Mortgage Classic two weeks ago. After sitting alone in second place through 54 holes, he stumbled home in 73 to finish T11. In his two previous appearances at TPC Deere Run, he’s beaten par in each of the first three rounds but closed with 73 both times. One of these days, something he throws against the wall is going to stick and it might as well be a spot where he keeps coming back for more. Dominic Bozzelli … Because he’s navigating just his third season on the PGA TOUR, the 28-year-old can’t be labeled as a horse for a course just yet, but TPC Deere Run is first in line if he reaches the stable. Both of his appearances resulted in top 25s and his scoring average in those eight rounds is 68.00. The only other event at which he’s recorded multiple top 25s (of seven others in all) is the Desert Classic where he has a pair of fifth-place finishes. And why not? The correlation between the two events is a shootout and he can roll it with the best of ’em. Currently ninth on TOUR in strokes gained: putting and 12th in putting: birdies-or better. Dylan Frittelli … The 29-year-old has been feeling the heat all season. While 153rd in the FedExCup and under pressure to secure conditional status as a safety net for next season, there have been rumblings of late that he’s ready to pop. After a T46 in Detroit, he sat T9 entering the final round in Minnesota, only to plummet to another T46 with a Sunday 73 due to a tee-to-green game that abandoned him. Yet, he ranked 13th in strokes gained: tee-to-green for the week and he’s 41st on TOUR in the stat this season. So, he might be close and he has the bonus of being able to tap into the experience of a pair of European Tour victories just two years ago. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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Each week during the fall, PGATOUR.COM will highlight one of the rookies playing on the PGA TOUR during the 2019-20 season. This week: Kristoffer Ventura, who’s in this week’s field at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Age: 24 Birthplace: Puebla, Mexico Resides: Norway; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida College: Oklahoma State TOUR card gained by: Finishing 8th in the Korn Ferry Tour regular season standings. TOUR starts/Best finish: 9 (including five this season). Best finish was T18 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open this fall. Has made three of five cuts this season. Pro highlights: Began last season with no status on Korn Ferry Tour but got sponsor exemption and finished T3 at BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation. … Shot a final-round 65 and beat Joshua Creel on third playoff hole at last season’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank, his first victory on the Korn Ferry Tour. … After two straight missed cuts, notched second victory at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Chevrolet, giving him two wins in just four weeks and his PGA TOUR card for this season. … Followed Pinnacle Bank win with a solo third at WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz. … His first top-20 of his career was a T18 this fall at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, as he shot four rounds in the 60s to finish at 15 under. Amateur highlights: Along with fellow newly minted TOUR pros Matthew Wolfe and Viktor Hovland, Ventura was a member of the Oklahoma State team that won the 2018 NCAA national championship. … Played for losing European team in the Junior Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2010, when Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas played for the U.S. squad. Interesting tidbits: Started playing golf at age 2 when he received a set of plastic clubs for Christmas. … Estimates he won 25 consecutive junior events from age 6-11 in Mexico. … Father is Mexican, mother is Norwegian, and the family moved from Mexico to Norway when he was 12 to help with his golf development. … When he broke through at the Utah Championship, it was only his fifth career start on the Korn Ferry Tour and third of 2019. … Needed appendectomy just days before Q School last fall and wound up missing his Korn Ferry Tour card, necessitating Monday qualifiers. … Speaks three languages fluently (English, Spanish, Norwegian). Ventura says: “Everything we did in Mexico came out of my parents’ own pockets. They really sacrificed a lot. In Norway, those supporting me took me under their wing and I was able to travel the world and develop. Without that, I wouldn’t have played college golf. I wouldn’t be here.� For more on Kristoffer Ventura, click here.

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