Damien Kayat previews the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open.
2022/2023 US PGA Tour
Shriner’s Children’s Open
TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
12th-15th October
Last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship turned out to be a real doozy, with Luke List emerging victorious in the first five-man playoff since 2021. It was an insane playoff that featured Swedish Ryder Cup sensation Ludvig Aberg. But veteran Luke List ultimately got the job done, nailing a 45-foot monster putt on the 18th to secure a hugely dramatic win. It was a brilliant climax that helped legitimize the new FedEx Cup Fall Series.
The tour moves to Sin City this week for the Shriner’s Children’s Open. This event began life as pro-am in 1983 and used to take place over five painstaking days. It also used to take place over multiple courses (much like the recently completed Alfred Dunhill Links). The unwieldy format grew more and more unpopular over time and the US PGA Tour made some alterations. The tour wisely decided to reduce the event to 72-holes in 2004. They also made TPC Summerlin the exclusive host of this event in 2008.
Designed in 1992 by Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller, TPC Summerlin is a relatively simple desert track that perfectly accentuates the rugged look of the terrain. It is traditionally one of the most free-scoring courses on the entire tour. Located at 2,700 yards above sea level, TPC Summerlin plays nowhere near as long as the 7,255 yardage suggests. The Bermuda fairways are comically wide and the huge Bentgrass greens are nigh-on impossible to miss.
Eight of the last ten winning scores have been 20-under or better. But there’s no clear blueprint for success this week. Winners such as Cantlay and DeChambeau suggest power from the tee box will be hugely important. But the likes of Webb Simpson and Kevin Na have shown that TPC Summerlin doesn’t need to be massacred. I always find it interesting when a course opens itself up to multiple avenues of attack.
This week’s relativity poor field is one of the drawbacks of this new fall setup. There’s really no inducement for the top 50 guys to play with their 2024 status secured. In any event, defending champ Tom Kim blitzed this course last year and he makes for a very credible favourite. European rookie sensation Ludvig Aberg will likely be the main draw this week.
Isn’t it amazing that he still hasn’t competed in a Major championship? He is fresh off a runner-up finish and it’s only a matter of time until he joins the winner’s circle. Aberg won’t be the only European Ryder Cup star in action this week, as Nicolai Hojgaard tees it up for the first time since Rome. Elsewhere, the likes of Eric Cole and Si Woo Kim will be looking to plunder TPC Summerlin this week.
Oh, and Lexi Thompson has received a sponsor’s exemption this week, becoming just the 7th woman in history to compete in a full-field US PG Tour event.
Past Winners
2022: Tom Kim (-24)
2021: Sungjae Im (-24)
2020: Martin Laird (-23) *playoff
2019: Kevin Na (-23) *playoff
2018: Bryson DeChambeau (-21)
Betting Favourites (To Win)
Tom Kim (12/1), Ludvig Aberg (14/1), Cameron Davies (22/1), Si Woo Kim (25/1), Eric Cole (30/1)
Value Bets
Adam Hadwin- To Win (45/1)
I think Adam Hadwin represents great value in this decimated field. Hadwin missed the cut in three straight events from the end of July to the beginning of August. But he broke that streak with top 20 finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Hadwin currently ranks in the top 35 on tour for driving accuracy. This is going to be a birdie-fest and that often pouts a premium on putting. Hadwin is currently ranked inside the top 25 for strokes gained putting. He secured a top six finish here last season and he looks great value at 45/1.
S.H. Kim- To Win (45/1)
S.H. Kim is a mercurial young South Korean talent who has the ability to go really low. In fact, the 2021 Japan PGA Champion shot a final round of 58 at the Golf Partner Pro-Am tournament in 2021. Sure, he comes into this off the back of a missed cut in Mississippi. But he did finish in a tie or 2nd at the Fortinet Championship prior to that. Also, Kim finished in a tie for 4th here last year and he looks like a solid bet to make it three consecutive South Korean of this event.
The Man to Beat- Ludvig Aberg- To Win (14/1)
The sky is really the limit for 23-year-old Swede Ludvig Aberg. The rookie never showed any signs of a Ryder Cup hangover last week, flying from Rome to Mississippi to make the epic five-man playoff. Aberg has now accumulated five consecutive worldwide top 15 finishes. That includes a victory and a runner-up finish (not to mention his notable performance at Marco Simone).
