The Shriners Children Open has long been a fixture on the PGA Tour with the tournament first being played back in 1983.
Having been won by some of the greats of the PGA Tour including Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Davis Love III, over the last few years the tournament has had a South Korean feel as the last three iterations of the event have been won by Sungjae Im and Tom Kim twice.
Following his exploits at the Presidents Cup, Kim returns looking to become the second man to win this tournament three times and he is looking to become only the twelfth man in PGA Tour history to have won a PGA tournament for three consecutive years. The last time the feat was achieved was back in 2011 when Steve Stricker completed a hat-trick of John Deere victories.
Set to be hosted at TPC Summerlin which is fixed right in the heart of the Nevada desert, we can expect plenty of birdies this week as some of the best players in the world prepare to tear the course apart.
Ahead of what is a pivotal week on the FedEx Fall Series, here is everything that you need to know.
The course
TPC Summerlin is one of the most exclusive courses in Nevada and attracts thousands of visitors all year round.
Measuring at just over 7250 yards, the course is at a slight altitude so it is ready to be exploited for birdies by the vast majority of the field. With two driveable par 4’s and three par5’s there are birdie and eagle opportunities at every corner. With the rough minimal and the fairways wide, the only defence of the course are the runoff areas by the greens and the deep bunkers which are strategically dotted around the course.
Victory this week is likely to come down to who can scramble and putt the best. If a player can get the flat stick firing, their chances for outright success will be high.
The favourites
The star name in the field is Tom Kim. Still just 22, Kim has won three times on the PGA Tour, with two of those victories coming at this tournament. Yet to taste defeat or anything other than topping the leaderboard, the superstar trajectory that Kim looked to be on has cooled this year and the South Korean would have been disappointed that his season came to an end after the first FedEx Playoff event, the St Jude.
Due to his early elimination from the Playoffs, Kim has been able to enjoy plenty of rest and his Presidents Cup exploits aside, he will be hoping to get his career back on track and win his first title of the year.
Clearly a fan of how the course is laid out, Kim has been able to win this tournament in each of the last two seasons thanks to his superior iron play. Showing signs at the Presidents Cup that he is rounding himself back into form, the return to a scene where he has enjoyed such good memories rightly places Kim as the man to beat this week.
Looking to deny Kim and his chance of joining the esteemed ranks of players who have won a title for three consecutive years is Kim’s international teammate, Taylor Pendrith.
Having enjoyed a stellar year, the Canadian has moved into the top 50 of the world rankings for the first time and he was also able to win his first PGA title when holding his nerve to capture the 2024 Byron Nelson.
Working his way through the FedEx Playoffs, Pendrith was able to reach the season ending Tour Championships for the very first time in his career and he will be looking to build on those efforts here.
With two top ten finishes in his last four starts and having played well when making his Presidents Cup bow, Pendrith is one of the longest hitters in the field and should be giving himself plenty of birdie looks. As he showed in the Internationals Presidents Cup defeat, when his putter is working he looks like he belongs with the very best players in the world and he could certainly go close this week.
Where can the value be found this week?
As the very best players on the PGA Tour continue to enjoy their time off, the Shriners is wide open and there are a host of players who look to have a real chance of victory this week.
Like Pendrith, Stephan Jaegar has enjoyed a brilliant year. A winner of the Texas Open, Jaeger has steadily climbed the rankings and just fell short of reaching the season ending Tour Championships.
Looking to cement his position as one of the Tour’s most improved players, Jaeger showed his class once again when finishing as the runner up at last week’s Black Desert Championship.
Unable to make the crucial putts when they mattered most, Jaeger will hope that he can get the flat stick to fire. If he can, his chances can’t be discounted.
At a price of 40/1 J.J Spaun could be worth considering. Having enjoyed a rough start to the season, slowly but surely Spaun has been able to get his game in gear and he will head to the desert with two top tens in his last five starts. His third at the 2024 Wyndham Championship consisted of some brilliant approach play and the holing of several crucial putts. One of the best putters on Tour when playing well, if this week turns into a shootout, he could be a great player to side with.
One of the few positives of the divide that is engulfing men’s golf at the moment is that an absence of players who now tee it up at LIV has meant several young American stars have been able to shine this season. Nick Dunlap and most recently Matt McCarty have been able to get their hands on a PGA title and one man who will hope to join them is Neil Shipley.
Having just turned professional Shipley will be looking to rise up the ranks quickly but he certainly has the class to do exactly that. The winner of the Amateur prizes at both the Masters and U.S Open this season. Shipley looks like he could have the talents to go right to the top of the game and it will be fascinating to see how he handles this weekend.
Shriners Children Open Betting
If you want to place a bet this week on the Shriners Children Open, here is how the top ten in the betting currently looks.
Tom Kim - 12/1
Taylor Pendrith - 22/1
Davis Thompson - 25/1
Seamus Power - 28/1
Kurt Kitayama - 28/1
Tom Hoge - 28/1
Beau Hossler - 28/1
Cam Davis - 30/1
Eric Cole - 30/1
Stephan Jaegar - 30/1
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
