The two tournament swing through Las Vegas has some of the bigger names on the PGA Tour resurfacing for this week’s Shriners Children’s Open. The destination location will see several players who competed recently at the Ryder Cup with others taking their first swings in the new season. The stop in the Nevada desert concludes the following week with the CJ CUP. A trio of golfers hit the board as betting favorites with Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Louis Oosthuizen positioned as the players to beat at TPC Summerlin. Martin Laird is back to defend his title and can match the tournament record of three wins with a repeat. Ironically, the past two winners, Laird and Kevin Na, each scored 23-under and won in a playoff. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Shriners Children’s Open
Viktor Hovland +1802
Scottie Scheffler +1802
Louis Oosthuizen +1802
Brooks Koepka +2002
Abraham Ancer +2002
Sam Burns +2002
Kevin Na +2202
Webb Simpson +2502
Will Zalatoris +2502
Hideki Matsuyama +2502
Sungjae Im +2804
Harris English +2804
Corey Conners +2804
Patrick Reed +3506
Paul Casey +3506
Si Woo Kim +4000
Matthew Wolff +4000
Adam Scott +4500
Cameron Tringale +4500
Joaquin Niemann +4500
Erik Van Rooyen +4550
Brian Harman +4800
Jason Kokrak +5000
Maverick Mcnealy +5000
Mito Pereira +5000
Charley Hoffman +5500
Marc Leishman +6500
Russell Henley +6500
Kevin Streelman +6500
Aaron Wise +7000
Talor Gooch +7500
Odds Analysis
Kevin Na +2202
A crappy second round in Napa sent Na home early and I’m looking for a strong rebound from a guy who comes close to owning this tournament. He’s a two-time winner here and also has a runner-up making him the second-highest money winner. And being a resident of Vegas it’s practically a home game. Na finished last season in good form with a playoff loss in the Wyndham Championship, a T2 in the Deere Classic and solo third in the TOUR Championship covering his last seven starts. It’s his play at Summerlin that has me backing him, though.
Joaquin Niemann +4500
It’s about time Niemann makes some noise. For a guy who missed only one cut all last season, you’d expect more fanfare, but that hasn’t been the case. You have to be a solid golfer to play the weekend in nearly every event and the young Chilean came close in a trio of starts finishing as runner-up. This event and course fit his game and he’s shown that in three previous starts with a T10 and T13 while scoring in the 60s in all 10 rounds. I had to go further down the odds board and Niemann stands out with a decent price.
Louis Oosthuizen +1802
The odds suggest a wide open field and the betting favorite hasn’t always won here. But I still marvel over what Oosthuizen did last season on the game’s biggest stage and I can see that transferring over to this event. If anybody deserves to win it’s Oosthuizen, who played magnificent golf with a pair of runner-up finishes and two third-place showings in major championships. And he was pretty good in the others, too.
Matthew Wolff +4000
What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago Wolff was climbing the ladder with a nifty 61 and a playoff loss in this tournament. He dealt with personal issues that took him away from the game mentally, but returned toward the end of the season claiming he’s in a better spot. He showed signs of a return to form with a T17 in the Sanderson Farms Championship last week and I have a feeling he’s ready for a breakthrough.
Will Zalatoris +2502
I’m going to keep backing Zalatoris or go broke trying. He’s done just about everything during his short stint except win. He earned permanent Tour status by wowing the socks off just about everybody last season and has been on the cusp in two starts as an official Tour member. He set a course record at Jackson CC with a 61 to earn a share of 14th and opened the season with a T11 in Napa. It’s hard not to back him on a course that he should devour, and he did in his debut with a pair of 64s for a T5 last year.
Course: TPC Summerlin – 7,255 yards, Par 71
TPC Summerlin has been associated with this event since 1992 and took over as solo host in 2008. There isn’t much in terms of difficulty on this layout, a straight forward track that measures 7,255 yards with wide fairways and few hazards. The only defense is the weather and when the desert winds start to howl they can play havoc with a golf ball. In tame conditions the pros can ace this course and they have. The past three winners all finished at 21-under or better with three of the previous four editions requiring extra holes to determine a winner. Situated roughly 2,000 feet above sea level altitude comes into play shortening the track and leveling the playing field. We are likely to see more irons with an emphasis put on placement over power. Still, that won’t stop the big hitters from exploding off the tee.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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