Winless since his big 2017 Masters Victory, Sergio Garcia (60/1) got the job done at the Sanderson Farms Open. Garcia stuck his last approach shot of the day to within a couple of feet to edge out former winner Peter Malnati by a stroke. The talented Spaniard finished the week at 19-under-par in his first-ever appearance at the event. Garcia is the only player with a win in each year between 2011-2020.
The PGA Tour heads out west for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. A regular stop on Tour, the Shriners will be played at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. Once again, this will be a full 144 man field, with the top-65 with ties making the weekend. After a couple of weak-field events, this one is filled with great talent with several top players returning to action.
U.S. Open winner, Bryson DeChambeau headlines the field in Vegas. This will be his first start since that major victory and he goes to a place where he has had tremendous success at. A two-time winner in 2019/20, Webb Simpson will also be making his first start since the U.S. Open. the field is rounded out by course-horse Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama, and Collin Morikawa.
Here are the past five winners of the event:
- 2019 Kevin Na (-23)
- 2018 Bryson DeChambeau (-21)
- 2017 Patrick Cantlay (-9)
- 2016 Rod Pampling (-20)
- 2015 Smylie Kaufman (-16)
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Course Preview
The Shriners will be played at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 10th year in a row. Playing as a Par 71 and measuring at just 7,255 yards, this course has the makings for a birdie-fest. All three of the Par 5s on the scorecard are reachable in two due to the altitude and carry of the golf ball here. Golfers will be making the switch to Bentgrass greens. They tend to play as very receptive, flat and are large in nature. TPC Summerlin consistently ranks as the top-10 easiest tracks on the circuit.
This is the type of course where any type of golfer can come in and dominate. We saw the short-hitting Kevin Na win last year solely due to a scorching hot putter. Na did however state how crucial it is to keep the ball in the fairway to control the spin on approaches here. Driving accuracy is a stat to keep in mind this week. Strategically placed bunkers are everywhere on the course to also encourage golfer’s to think their way around each hole.
Key Stats
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Driving Accuracy
- Opportunities Gained
- Performance on Bentgrass Greens
- Course History
Favorite Cash Game Plays
Bryson DeChambeau ($11,800)
The season’s first Major winner also has the best course history at TPC Summerlin. His last four starts at this event include a win, T4, T7, and T36. Over the last 50 rounds in the field, he ranks first in DraftKings points, first in ball-striking, and second in strokes in gained: tee-to-green.
Patrick Cantlay ($10,400)
Despite his lack of great form, Cantlay’s success at this course can’t go overlooked. With two runner-ups and a win in his last three times teeing it up at TPC Summerlin, Cantlay is a true cash game gem. It’s often better to go off of long term results rather than recent success. Over the past 50 rounds on Bentgrass greens, Cantlay ranks number one in Draftkings points.
Harris English ($9,700)
Priced up this week, but reasonably so. English has been on a very impressive stretch of golf. In his last nine times teeing it up, he has never recorded a finish worse than 40th. Second at the Northern Trust, fourth at the U.S. Open, and 12th at the Tour Championship, English shows up in strong fields. He also has a T4 and T36 here.
Denny McCarthy ($7,700)
McCarthy has been the best putter on Tour over the last couple of seasons. His ball-striking and approach game is improving now. He is coming off of T6 at the Sanderson Farms Championship and also had a ninth place at the Wyndham Championship in August. McCarthy has a T9 and T15 his last two times out at TPC Summerlin.
Kristoffer Ventura ($7,100)
The young Norweigan has made five straight cuts and has a T6, T7 over the course of his last three events. He is a tremendous putter who is also very strong off the tee. Ventura has seen this course before, placing T18 in 2019. Over the last 24 rounds, Ventura ranks second in DraftKings points.
Favorite GPP Plays
Webb Simpson ($11,000)
Simpson has the ideal combination of driving accuracy, iron play, and putting to go well at TPC Summerlin. It’s no surprise to see that he has three straight top-20s at this event, including a T7 in 2019. He should come in at a decent ownership number.
Collin Morikawa ($9,800)
A tremendous ball-striker who has some of the best irons in the game, Morikawa should not go overlooked this week. Despite a mediocre T42 finish here in 2019, Morikawa has made great strides in his short game and putting. He piles up birdies with the best of them, as in the past 50 rounds, he ranks third in the field in birdie-or-better gained.
Rickie Fowler ($9,000)
I do not expect Fowler to be very highly owned this week. His recent form has been very mediocre as has failed to reach the top-15 in any event since July. However, Fowler has a T4 and T25 his last two times out at TPC Summerlin. He remains one of the best putters in the game and tends to score very well on short Par 4s.
Joaquin Niemann ($8,100)
The Chilean had a very impressive end to his 2019/20 season. In three very stacked fields, Niemann placed third at the BMW Championship, 27th at the Tour Championship, and 23rd at the U.S. Open. He now goes to TPC Summerlin where he gets to putt on his best surface (Bentgrass) and placed 10th at in 2018.
Harold Varner III ($7,500)
Varner III sneakily ranks eighth in opportunities gained over the last 50 rounds. He is a great ball-striker who has an excellent short-iron game, a combo that should bode well here. Varner has made his last four cuts here and has finished as high as T15. As always, it all depends on how well the putter cooperates.
Pat Perez ($7,000)
Perez is coming off of a missed cut, and this should help drag down his ownership. He is in a good position to shake this off, as he has placed third and seventh at TPC Summerlin his last two times out. Perez is a great putter on Bentgrass and tends to play very well on easy courses.
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Nic Turner is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nic, check out his archive and follow him @sportzbandit.