NOTE: Sleeper Picks first appeared in "The Early Card" newsletter on Tuesday. To get these before everyone else, subscribe and get them straight to your inbox one day ahead. These did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.

Outright

Sam Stevens and Zach Bauchou (+3200) ... After a couple of spins with Max McGreevy (MC, T24) and one with Paul Barjon (T4) at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Stevens finally aligns with a former teammate at Oklahoma State University in Bauchou. Both Cowboys are off to what can be described as successful starts to the season relative to their careers. Stevens is 10-for-11 with a pair of top 10s. He also placed T24 at the Masters to go six-for-six in the majors. On top of his course knowledge of TPC Louisiana, he’s exceptionally balanced throughout his bag. Bauchou is holding his own among his rookie class with three top 25s among eight paydays in 10 starts. While not as strong across the board as Stevens, he’s similarly even. Consider Stillwater properly represented.

Top 5

Max McGreevy and Kevin Roy (+530) ... Sincerely debated swapping these guys for the tandem in the Top 10 market below, in part because McGreevy and Roy still are +240 on that board, but I prefer some course experience and a few years of a career under the belt over the titillation of wunderkinds. I suspect that’s how DraftKings sees it, too. While both of these guys have appeared at TPC Louisiana multiple times, this is the first time that they’ve joined forces, and it’s arguably the best time for both. They’re a combined 14-for-20 with four top 20s on the season. While I prefer collaborations that consist of similar skill sets, many participants over the years have cited how their teammate compensates for a weakness, and how that lifts the aggregate confidence. That dynamic likely would need to be in play to fulfill this bet as McGreevy is a machine from tee to green, while the more balanced Roy provides a reliable short game.

Top 10

Blades Brown and Luke Clanton (+390) ... If you’re good enough, there’s a pathway to the PGA TOUR. Clanton proved this via PGA TOUR University Accelerated. Brown is blazing his own trail via the non-member route this season. With no worse than a two-way T3 this week, he’ll qualify for Special Temporary Membership, but the 18-year-old also is 10th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, thanks most recently to a pair of podium finishes on that circuit. Clanton’s lone bright spot this season is a T5 at the Puerto Rico Open, but most of all, this has the potential of a potent combination among first-time participants for whom I thought these odds were going to be shorter due to their appeal. If you’re feeling frisky, they’re +910 in the Top 5 market.

Top 20

Mark Hubbard and Ryan Brehm (+240) ... There are countless examples of how this tournament can serve as an injection of confidence because of the baked-in insurance of the format of not having to hit every shot. Both of these guys could use it right now. Furthermore, as much as this investment requires you to ignore the absence of recent noise among them, when you’re going to dabble this deep on the board, it’s shrewd to target partnerships that have done it before and with success. This is their fourth go as a team at TPC Louisiana, and they finished T14 in 2022 and third in 2024.

Odds were sourced at DraftKings.

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