Shriners Children’s Open 2024 Tips: Seamus to Power his way to another tour win

There are just five ranking events remaining on the PGA Tour calendar this year, which means that time is fast running out for players to secure their status for 2025. It’s to Japan for the ZOZO Championship next week, but first the players will head southwest from the deserts of Utah to the similarly-sandy setting of Nevada, for the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin.

As always, here are Jamie Worsley's Shriners Children’s Open Tips, as well as his usual comprehensive preview.

Back in July, Matt McCarty was still winless in his three-year professional career. Fast forward three months and having earned an automatic upgrade to the PGA Tour following three swift successes on the Korn Ferry Tour, he completed a meteoric rise in the game by winning last week’s inaugural Black Desert Championship on just his second ever PGA Tour start.

McCarty showed plenty of character in Sunday’s final round in Utah. He entered with a two-shot lead, though saw that advantage reduced to one after a bogey on the 12^th. The response to that was brilliant, as he shot 3-under for his last five holes – including an eagle on the par 4 14^th – to eventually run out a three-shot winner over Stephan Jaeger.

He is only the second player to achieve this – winning three times on the Korn Ferry Tour and then picking up a trophy on the PGA Tour in the same season – after Jason Gore accomplished the same feat in 2005. It will be fascinating to see where his career goes from here.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Shriners Children’s Open was first played in 1983 and was originally a multi-course event played over five rounds. It was switched to four rounds in 2004 and in 2008, current host, TPC Summerlin became the exclusive home of the tournament.

This event was the scene of a 20-year-old Tiger Woods’ first victory on the PGA Tour in 1996. However, it is recent winning Presidents Cup captain, Jim Furyk who has enjoyed the most success, winning three times in 1995, 1998 and 1999.

There have been a further three multi-winners in the following years: Martin Laird (2009, 2020), Kevin Na (2011, 2019) and Tom Kim (2022, 2023).

Last five winners:

• 2023 – Winner: Tom Kim (-20); runner-up: Adam Hadwin (-19)
• 2022 – Winner: Tom Kim (-24); runners-up: Patrick Cantlay, Matthew NeSmith (-21)
• 2021 – Winner: Sungjae Im (-24); runner-up: Matthew Wolff (-20)
• 2020 – Winner: Martin Laird (-23, playoff); runners-up: Matthew Wolff, Austin Cook (-23)
• 2019 – Winner: Kevin Na (-23, playoff); runner-up: Patrick Cantlay (-23)

Last year, Tom Kim became only the second player to successfully defend the title, 24 years after Jim Furyk completed the same achievement. The Korean is back again this week, aiming to add his name to the exclusive list of six players to have won the same event three years in a row. Something that was most recently accomplished by Steve Stricker in the 2011 John Deere Classic.

THE COURSE

TPC Summerlin had been part of the multi-course setup several times from 1992, before becoming the sole host of the event in 2008. It was designed in 1991 by Bobby Weed, with Fuzzy Zoeller – the winner of the inaugural edition of this event in 1983 – acting as a consultant on the project.

This par 71 course measures 7255 yards, though due to being situated at around 3500ft above sea level, the ball travels close to 4% further and results in it playing like a sub-7000 yard setup. It possesses 11x par 4s (341-492 yards), 4x par 3s (168-239 yards) and 3x par 5s (560-606 yards).

TPC Summerlin is a spacious, largely flat and fairly straightforward desert course. It is usually susceptible to low scoring, with 13 of the 16 renewals since 2008 won in a score of -20 or better, and it averages a winning score of exactly -20 over the last 10 years, which includes Patrick Cantlay winning with a score of -9 in windy conditions in 2017.

The bermudagrass fairways are invitingly wide. With the rough not punishing, there’s no real deterrent for wayward driving, resulting in TPC Summerlin ranking as the fifth-least penal driving course on the PGA Tour.

The large and typically slow bentgrass greens are the fourth-easiest to hit on tour, and the only gentle undulations on them don’t cause too many problems. That being said, they do provide a stiff challenge should you miss, with the abundant, deep bunkers and short-grass chipping areas combining to make it rank among the 20 toughest scrambling challenges on the calendar.

The majority of the course lacks excitement but it does come alive over the final four holes.

The par 4 15^th begins this closing stretch and measures in at a drivable 341 yards. Players will be tempted to reach for the driver into a narrow, elevated green that is surrounded by five deep greenside bunkers.

The field then moves on to the first of three holes guarded by water, the 560-yard risk/reward par 5 16^th. The fairway here is one of the narrowest on the course and this week’s contenders will need to find it if wanting to confidently go for the shallow green in two, which is protected to the front by water.

Our final par 3 is the 196-yard 17^th. The hole plays downhill and whilst the putting surface is large, water hugs it to the left and two bunkers sit to the right. Leaving an unenviable shot back towards the water should a player find themselves right of the green.

We close out the round with the 444-yard par 4 18^th. Most players should have no trouble finding the very generous fairway, but the pressure all comes in approach. The long, narrow green is surrounded by bunkers, with water again hugging the left-hand side.

This typical TPC finish ensures excitement at the very end and with wind forecast to play a part in Nevada, these holes should provide us with plenty of drama.

THE WEATHER

Dry, warm and bright weather is predicted throughout the week, though temperatures will cool a touch from Friday onwards.

The opening three rounds are forecast to be accompanied by some strong, gusting winds of up to 30mph, which will certainly make things challenging. Though they do disappear for the final round, which would guarantee a low-scoring shootout to decide the event on Sunday.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach
• Greens-in-Regulation
• Proximity from 125-175 yards

Strong iron play is usually a must if wanting to contend at TPC Summerlin and we should expect this area to again be key this week.

Tom Kim has led home approach-heavy leaderboards in the last two years. In 2023, he ranked 3^rd in approach when taking the title, with six of those to finish 10^th or better ranking inside the top 10, whilst in 2022 he ranked 5^th, with seven of the top 10 ranking inside the top 10 in approach.

Sungjae Im ranked 6^th when winning in 2021, Martin Laird was 4^th in approach in 2020, Bryson DeChambeau ranked 3^rd with his irons when coming out on top in 2018 and Rod Pampling was 2^nd in 2016.

In addition, short-mid irons between 125-175 yards make up the highest percentage of approach distance here, and those stronger winds could well enhance the importance of simply finding putting surfaces this week.

• SG: Putting (bentgrass)

This is a course that usually gives everyone a chance off-the-tee; therefore I’ll instead lean on strong bentgrass putters next.

Tom Kim has combined quality in approach and on the greens in the last two years, ranking 4^th with the flat stick in 2023 and 3^rd in 2022.

Sungjae Im was 9^th in putting in 2021, Kevin Na led the field in 2019, and Ben Martin ranked 4^th when claiming the trophy in 2014.

• SG: Around-the-Greens
• Scrambling

Top-quality play around the greens wouldn’t usually be an area in which I’d pay too much focus at TPC Summerlin. However, with those potentially difficult gusts, fewer greens than normal may be hit, which will then require players to limit the damage in these demanding areas around the greens.

It has proven vital for several winners in recent years, with Sungjae Im ranking 1^st in scrambling in 2021, Kevin Na ranking 2^nd in 2019 and Bryson DeChambeau ranking 1^st in 2018.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Travelers Championship (TPC River Highland)

TPC River Highlands serves up a very similar tee-to-green challenge as at TPC Summerlin, with the generous fairways and bentgrass greens easy to find, though showcases a difficult scrambling test. Also a TPC layout with a drivable par 4 and risk/reward par 5, it should act as a helpful comp this week.

Notable correlating form:

Tom Kim:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st) / Travelers (2^nd)

Ryan Moore:

Shriners (1^st) / Travelers (2^nd, 2^nd)

Sungjae Im:

Shriners (1^st) / Travelers (3^rd)

Kevin Na:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st, 2^nd) / Travelers (5^th, 9^th)

Kevin Streelman:

Shriners (2^nd) / Travelers (1^st, 2^nd)

J.T. Poston:

Shriners (3^rd, 4^th) / Travelers (2^nd)

Abraham Ancer:

Shriners (4^th, 4^th) / Travelers (4^th, 8^th)

Chesson Hadley:

Shriners (4^th, 5^th) / Travelers (5^th)

Tom Hoge:

Shriners (4^th, 7^th) / Travelers (3^rd)

Beau Hossler:

Shriners (7^th, 7^th) / Travelers (2^nd)

3M Open (TPC Twin Cities)

Due to its generous fairways, large bentgrass greens and a demanding scrambling challenge, the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities has developed strong form-ties with this week’s event.

Notable correlating form:

Martin Laird:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st, 2^nd) / 3M Open (2^nd)

Sungjae Im:

Shriners (1^st) / 3M Open (2^nd)

Matthew Wolff:

Shriners (2^nd, 2^nd) / 3M Open (1^st)

Kevin Streelman:

Shriners (2^nd) / 3M Open (2^nd)

Cameron Tringale:

Shriners (2^nd) / 3M Open (3^rd)

Adam Hadwin:

Shriners (2^nd, 4^th) / 3M Open (4^th, 6^th)

J.T. Poston:

Shriners (3^rd, 4^th) / 3M Open (2^nd)

Alex Noren:

Shriners (3^rd) / 3M Open (3^rd)

Taylor Pendrith:

Shriners (3^rd) / 3M Open (5^th)

Tom Hoge:

Shriners (4^th, 7^th) / 3M Open (4^th)

John Deere Classic (TPC Deere Run)

TPC Deere Run and TPC Summerlin rank very closely to each other in most aspects, providing players with generous ball-striking tests and are somewhat challenging around the greens. In addition, they require a comparable collection of approach distances into the bentgrass greens.

Notable correlating form:

Ryan Moore:

Shriners (1^st) / John Deere (1^st, 2^nd)

Kevin Na:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st, 2^nd) / John Deere (2^nd)

Ben Martin:

Shriners (1^st) / John Deere (2^nd)

Alex Cejka:

Shriners (2^nd, 2^nd) / John Deere (3^rd)

Meenwhee Kim:

Shriners (2^nd) / John Deere (3^rd)

J.T. Poston:

Shriners (3^rd, 4^th) / John Deere (1^st)

Lucas Glover:

Shriners (3^rd, 7^th, 9^th) / John Deere (1^st)

Sam Ryder:

Shriners (3^rd) / John Deere (3^rd)

Adam Schenk:

Shriners (3^rd) / John Deere (4^th, 4^th)

ISCO Championship (Keene Trace Golf Club)

Keene Trace Golf Club provides players with a ball-striking test that is similarly gentle to what they’ll be faced with this week. Furthermore, with the bentgrass greens ranking closely to TPC Summerlin in terms of putting difficulty, there are plenty of reasons to expect these two courses to tie in with one another.

Notable correlating form:

Matthew NeSmith:

Shriners (2^nd) / ISCO (2^nd)

Kevin Streelman:

Shriners (2^nd) / ISCO (2^nd)

Austin Cook:

Shriners (2^nd) / ISCO (4^th)

J.T. Poston:

Shriners (3^rd, 4^th) / ISCO (2^nd, 5^th)

Sam Ryder:

Shriners (3^rd) / ISCO (3^rd)

Lucas Glover:

Shriners (3^rd, 7^th, 9^th) / ISCO (5^th)

Taylor Pendrith:

Shriners (3^rd) / ISCO (6^th)

Wyndham Championship (Sedgefield Country Club)

Sedgefield Country Club asks similar questions to TPC Summerlin in approach, with greens-in-regulation percentages high and prompting players to hit their irons from a comparable selection of yardages.

Notable correlating form:

Tom Kim:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st) / Wyndham (1^st)

Ryan Moore:

Shriners (1^st) / Wyndham (1^st)

Sungjae Im:

Shriners (1^st) / Wyndham (2^nd)

Kevin Na:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st, 2^nd) / Wyndham (2^nd, 4^th)

Martin Laird:

Shriners (1^st, 1^st, 2^nd) / Wyndham (4^th)

Jason Bohn:

Shriners (2^nd, 2^nd) / Wyndham (2^nd)

Brett Stegmaier:

Shriners (2^nd) / Wyndham (5^th)

J.T. Poston:

Shriners (3^rd, 4^th) / Wyndham (1^st)

Lucas Glover:

Shriners (3^rd, 7^th, 9^th) / Wyndham (1^st)

CJ CUP Byron Nelson (TPC Craig Ranch)

Low scores are the order of the day at TPC Craig Ranch, which possesses one the least-penal driving exams on the PGA Tour. Combined with large and simple-to-putt bentgrass greens, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson can provide with some clues as to who may go well this week.

Notable correlating form:

Patton Kizzire:

Shriners (2^nd, 4^th) / Byron Nelson (3^rd)

Taylor Pendrith:

Shriners (3^rd) / Byron Nelson (1^st)

Alex Noren:

Shriners (3^rd) / Byron Nelson (3^rd)

S.H. Kim:

Shriners (4^th) / Byron Nelson (4^th)

THE FIELD

Our winner here for the last two years, Tom Kim is the highest-ranked players in the field at #25. He is joined by a further five players from the top 50: Davis Thompson (#40), Cam Davis (#43), Stephan Jaeger (#45), Taylor Pendrith (#46) and last week’s incredible winner, Matt McCarty, up to a career-high #47.

Alongside Kim, there are just an additional three former winners in attendance: Martin Laird (2020, 2009), Webb Simpson (2013) and Ryan Moore (2012).

Former world #1 amateur, Christo Lamprecht of South Africa, will make his professional PGA Tour debut this week. Also, watch out for a pair of youngsters who have ties to the area, in the shape of Nevada-born and current #11 amateur, Ian Gilligan and University of Nevada attendee, Caden Fioroni, who ranks as the #60 amateur in the world.

Shriners Children's Open Odds

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SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Tom Kim 12/1, Taylor Pendrith 22/1, Davis Thompson 22/1, Tom Hoge 25/1, Keith Mitchell 28/1, Beau Hossler 28/1, Seamus Power 28/1

Tom Kim returns as an unsurprisingly strong favourite, though is easy enough to oppose having not played a regular stroke play event for two months.

Taylor Pendrith was of interest, he’s continuing to play well and finished 3^rd here last year, though he himself hasn’t played on tour since the beginning of September.

My preference is for someone who is liable to be a little sharper than the aforementioned duo and having finished 11^th in the last two FedExCup Fall events, Seamus Power is this week’s headline selection.

1.75 pts Seamus Power each-way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 30/1 

Power has been in fine form over the last four months, having not missed a cut across his last nine starts. Five of those have resulted in top-20 finishes, including the last two weeks, as he finished 11^th in the Sanderson Farms Championship and 11^th in the Black Desert Championship.

He’s been doing everything well across this period, though I’ve been particularly encouraged by his approach play in the last two weeks. He was especially good in Utah, ranking 6^th and he excels with those short-mid irons, ranking 33^rd from 125-150 yards and 19^th from 150-175 this season. As a strong 22^nd in scrambling and consistently impressive on bentgrass greens, he ticks most boxes from a statistical point of view.

Residing in Vegas, Power is no stranger to TPC Summerlin and regularly practices here. That hasn’t led to success in this event as yet, with a 21^st-place finish in 2021 his best effort in five attempts, though he does possess a win in the correlating ISCO Championship and with the game looking in such positive shape, he can improve his Shriners Open record this week.

1.25 pts J.J Spaun each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 40/1 

Having withdrawn from the Sanderson Farms Championship two weeks ago, J.J. Spaun showed little sign of any issues last week, as he hit the ball well on his way to a 25^th-place finish. Possessing a positive record in this event and potentially appreciating the more difficult, windy conditions, he can go close.

Spaun had done nothing of note over the opening months of the season, but finally hit form at the end of June. He recorded his first top 10 of the season in the Rocket Mortgage Classic nine starts ago and hasn’t missed a cut since (excluding his withdrawal in Jackson), recording four further top 25s, including a best of 3^rd in the Wyndham Championship.

His iron play has been key to this run of form, ranking 19^th in approach and 20^th in GIR this season, with the added bonus of him ranking 23^rd from 125-150 yards. He’d also been putting well prior to his last couple of starts and can rediscover that form on greens on which he’s previously performed strongly.

Spaun has played TPC Summerlin seven times and missed just two cuts, recording three top 20s when 10^th in 2017, 15^th in 2018 and 15^th in 2022. His 3^rd-place finish in the Wyndham four starts ago also bodes well and having recorded his solo PGA Tour win on a similar desert-come-parkland course in the Texas Open, he should be confident in his surroundings.

1 pt Alex Smalley each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1

Alex Smalley has finally warmed up his approach play to compliment his continued strength off-the-tee, which has led to some positive results in recent starts. Currently positioned at #117 in the FedExCup Fall, he needs to keep this going to stay inside the top 125 and retain his playing privileges for next season. He can go a long way towards achieving that this week.

Smalley has blown hot and cold throughout the year, but he is currently enjoying his best run of golf of the season. He’s only missed the cut twice across his last seven starts, recording three top-25 finishes. This includes a best-of-the-season 5^th in the Sanderson Farms Championship two weeks ago, before finishing 25^th last week.

He’s ranked 4^th and 17^th in ball-striking in those last two starts respectively. The driving comes as no surprise, as it’s an area in which he ranks 27^th for the season but the approach play is hugely encouraging, as he’s failed to fire for much of the season in this area. He’s now turned that around, gaining strokes in four of his last six starts and ranking 23^rd from 150-175 yards, he can keep up that improved level at TPC Summerlin.

Smalley has made the cut on each of his previous visits to this course, finishing 47^th in 2021 and 61^st last year. A 2^nd-place finish in the John Deere Classic suggests he can drastically enhance that record this week, as do top-15 finishes in the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Travelers Championship and 3M Open.

1 pt Nick Taylor each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1

Nick Taylor was among our selections last week and though not managing to yield any returns, there was enough positivity in his 25^th-place finish that tempted me into giving him another shot in the Shriners Open.

Taylor has been out of form since winning in the desert in the Phoenix Open, but I commented last week on how he’d maintained a good standard in approach. He was a little off in this area in Utah, though he did continue to look much better with driver and appearing comfortable on the greens over the last three rounds, he was able to record his first top 25 since March.

Approach play has been his biggest asset this season, ranking 64^th and it has been especially good of late, ranking top 20 in this field over his last 20 rounds. As a predominantly reliable short-game player, he also has the ability to scramble well if that wind arrives and makes this year’s edition tougher than usual.

Taylor has been to TPC Summerlin 10 times and only missed two cuts, recording his best ever finish of 13^th in 2023. He has rarely arrived here in as strong form with his irons as he is currently enjoying, and as a player who has mostly putted these greens well, he can go even better this year.

1 pt Nick Hardy each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 70/1

Nick Hardy has been hitting the ball well in 2024, though due to enduring struggles with his short game, he’s been unable to threaten the top of the leaderboard too often. He had been looking better on the greens prior to last week and improving again there in Utah, he was able to record his first top-10 finish of the year. I’m hoping he can keep the putter hot and pick up a first solo PGA Tour win this week.

The strength of Hardy’s ball-striking means he’s only missed two cuts across his last eleven starts, though he hadn’t recorded a single top 25 since April until last week, when he finished 8^th. He hit the ball well again there, ranking 2^nd in greens-in-regulation, 18^th off-the-tee and 31^st in approach, though the better-quality result was no doubt due to his top-20 ranking on the greens – his best putting performance since March following four weeks of noteworthy improvements.

He is a player who has looked competent on the greens throughout much of his PGA Tour career and I’m expecting him to maintain this now he’s found his touch again. His ball-striking, on the other hand, has been top-class all season, ranking 9^th in greens-in-regulation and he ranks 8^th in this field in approach over the last three months.

Hardy missed the cut here on debut in 2018, though has gone on to make each of his last two, with the course appearing to suit his eye from the fairways. A top-10 finish in the Travelers Championship, along with other solid efforts in the 3M Open and John Deere Classic, imply further his suitability for this test and if the putter holds up, he’ll be a danger this week.

1 pt Lee Hodges each way (1/5 - 8 places) @ 100/1

Lee Hodges produced one of his best ball-striking performances of the year to finish 8^th in the Black Desert Championship and looks a big price to be in the mix again this week.

Hodges was playing some consistent golf from February to the end of June, missing only four cuts in 15 events and recording five top 25s, including a 12^th-place finish in the PGA Championship. However, he arrived in Utah having missed four of his previous seven cuts and failing to record a single finish inside the top 40 during that time.

He improved his recent results considerably there, firing rounds of 65, 66 and 67 to finish 8^th. Though he’d been hitting the ball well in previous weeks, he stepped that part of his game up hugely, ranking 3^rd in the field in ball-striking and he was especially strong with his irons, ranking 5^th in approach and 6^th in greens-in-regulation. This is the area in which he’s excelled most this year, ranking 32^nd for the season and looking a little better on the greens than he had in prior starts, this PGA Tour winner looks good value in Vegas.

Hodges putted these greens well when finishing 27^th on his Shriners Open debut in 2021, before missing the cut on his most recent visit in 2022. That being said, he still opened with a round of 67 there, again showing an ability to perform well at the course. With his only PGA Tour win coming courtesy of a seven-shot demolition in the 3M Open last year, he also has a piece of comp form that strengthens his case  as a fit for this challenge.