PGA Tour: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open preview and pick

The PGA Tour moves from Napa to Las Vegas this weekend for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin. This year it takes place four weeks earlier than a year ago, and since the Presidents Cup is in the not-too-distant future, it probably has a better field than one might expect this time of year. Among those making their 2019-2020 season bow is world No. 1 Brooks Koepka, who will make his first appearance at the Shriners since he finished second in 2016.

Odds to win the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

This tournament was once played over 90 holes and done so on several different courses. Since 2004, however, it has been at the normal 72-hole total and at Summerlin, and the scorecard reads par 71, 7,255 yards.

In the years to come, something regarding this event will make an excellent trivia question if it doesn’t already. In which tournament did Tiger Woods record his first PGA Tour win? The correct answer is right here, in 1996.

The Shriners provided a great ending in 2010, when Jonathan Byrd made a dramatic ace in a sudden-death playoff to clinch the win over Martin Laird and Cameron Percy.

Dylan Frittelli is peaking at the right time

As for this year, one entrant who is playing well at the moment is South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli, who has showed promising form in top 10 finishes at the Sanderson Farms Championship and Safeway Open. Born in Johannesburg and a member of the NCAA championship-winning University of Texas squad in 2012, Frittelli became better known to American golf fans with his impressive win last summer at the John Deere Classic. I will consider him for the win at +4000 and in each way wagering.

Keep an eye on Scottie Scheffler

One young player I see having an impact here and in a big way in the years to come is Scottie Scheffler. Like Frittelli, Scheffler also is a Texas Longhorn but just turned pro recently and is 23.

He’s finished in a tie for seventh at the Greenbrier Classic and in a tie for 16th at the Sanderson Farms. Scheffler showed back in the 2017 U.S. Open that he may be one to watch. He was low amateur that year and tied for 27th to edge out last week’s Safeway winner Cameron Champ for that honor. At +4500, Scheffler has a very promising future.

Cantlay is an appealing pick

A number of players already in the Presidents Cup will be playing, including Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith and Abraham Ancer. Among these, though his odds are low at +1200, Cantlay is who I fancy the most. In two appearance in this event, he’s finished first and second. That won’t be much for value, but his past form is hard to ignore.

DeChambeau is the defending Shriners champion, but he faded badly last week at Safeway, so I’ll pass for now. Simpson is a past champion of this tournament and definitely worth a play for each-way and match-play scenarios.

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