Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 Shriners Children’s Open
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open
Shriners Children’s Open Fantasy Preview
The golfing community is often obsessed with granular detail – strokes gained data, swing planes, club head speed and that sort of thing.
And yet, the irony is that the space between the ears is usually the most telling when it comes to elite golf, and Mackenzie Hughes was proof positive of that at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
The Canadian admitted he was disappointed to miss out on selection for the International team at the Presidents Cup, and hell rarely hath fury like a golfer scorned – with the bit between his teeth, Hughes suddenly found a new level of motivation to improve.
He’s added yards off the tee, like so many others, but his approach play in Jackson was better than it has been for some time – that, allied to his always exemplary short game, was improvement enough to end a six-year wait for a PGA TOUR victory.
There was still plenty of work to be done on Sunday, and clubhouse leader Sepp Straka probably felt good about his chances when Hughes dumped his tee shot on the 72nd hole way left.
The Canadian muscled his way to the fringe of the green, but he had to two-putt from around 100ft to force a playoff. Happily for him, his first stroke was outstanding, and a four-footer took the event into overtime.
A tie on the first extra hole gave way to birdie chances for both Hughes and Straka on the second – the Austrian missed his, but Hughes would make no mistake to convert an emotional win.
It’s viva Las Vegas this week….well, kinda. The PGA TOUR is off for its annual jaunt to Nevada for the Shriners Children’s Open.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Last week’s horse pick was Scott Stallings, a name that trended hard leading into the TOUR Championship and he didn’t play too bad last week.
Stallings shot three rounds of 69 or better before struggling with a 73 in his final round on Sunday.
In the end, it was the sleeper Hughes who dominated the fantasy slate!
Shriners Children’s Open Field
There’s a heavyweight trio leading the way in Nevada, with defending champion Sungjae Im joined by former Shriners winner Patrick Cantlay and recent Fortinet Championship victor Max Homa.
A stack of Presidents Cup representatives are in town – Tom Kim, Si-Woo Kim, Taylor Pendrith and Cameron Davis to name just four, and there will be plenty of local interest in Taylor Montgomery. The University of Nevada grad has banked back-to-back top-10 finishes this season.
A stack of sponsor exemptions are headlined by Thomas Detry, who held the lead at the Sanderson Farms for a time, and local favorite Charley Hoffman.
This Week’s Course Preview
Although the early going of a new PGA TOUR season tends to be dominated by putting shootouts in forgiving conditions, there’s a little more to TPC Summerlin that meets the eye.
Located in the Nevada desert, this layout is buffeted by cross winds and sits about 2,700ft above sea level – that extra altitude can add as much as 5% onto the golf shots in terms of yards gained through the thin air.
Some additional elevation changes add to the conundrum, and while TPC Summerlin isn’t a hard stretch by any means – the rough is typically down, and the green complexes large, flattish and medium paced – there’s still some puzzles to solve.
This Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller design also features an outstanding closing set of holes. Fifteen is a drivable Par 4, sixteen is a ‘should I or shouldn’t I go for it in two?’ Par 5, seventeen is a tricky Par 3 played into crosswinds and the final hole, a Par 4, ranked as the sixteenth-toughest on the estate last year.
Weather Forecast for Jackson, MS
One of the reasons that the PGA TOUR heads to Nevada in October is the glorious weather.
And the sun should be shining in NV this week too. In fact, the forecast just has big yellow balls of sunshine for all four days, with the temperatures tickling a very pleasing 91˚F.
There’s little chance of rain, according to the predictions, while the wind speeds will settle at around 6-8 mph….that’s about as benign as it gets around this venue.
Last Year’s Results from the Shriners Children’s Open
The unlikely pairing of Matthew Wolff and Adam Schenk looked the most likely heading into the final round of last year’s Shriners, but that discounted the epic talents of Sungjae Im.
Only countryman Sung Kang fired a better round than Im’s 62 all week, but so much of golf is timing and Im’s ability to unleash a world of pressure on Wolff and Schenk ultimately proved telling.
At one point, Im made seven birdies in eight holes around the turn, and that kind of firepower is almost impossible to stop – so it proved, with the Korean waltzing to a four-shot win over Wolff.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Shriners Children’s Open this Week
For those not in the know, there will be a temptation to play the zeitgeist picks this week and talented young bucks, but TPC Summerlin is a layout where nous and experience count for plenty. So, this could be one of those week’s where your knowhow will reap rewards.
- PGA $10k Drive the Green: The $5 entry fee for this contest allows for multi-lineup options to be explored, and so you can increase your chances of winning the $2k jackpot with every extra entry you make.
- PGA $300k Pitch & Putt: There’s an opportunity here in this $20 entry contest to land a big prize of $100,000, and the $300,000 total pool is enough to secure handsome payouts for those further down the leaderboard too.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes
Every player in the field will gain around 20 yards off the tee at TPC Summerlin thanks to the altitude, and what that does is afford opportunities for even the shorter hitters to have a chance of attacking greens and making birdies.
The fact that Kevin Na is a two-time winner here is indicative, and so there’s no distance-related grounds upon which to shortlist the field this week – everyone has a shot.
The large green complexes also ensure that GIR is high for all and sundry, so – you guessed it – it’s something of a putting contest once more in Nevada.
Mind you, we have dug out some correlating courses that can add more context to our draft. TPC Scottsdale is another desert course with similar typical approach distances, while TPC San Antonio is another firm and bouncy layout that features elevation changes.
And how about this for correlation, which on paper has no rhyme nor reason: among the last six winners of the Shriners, four have enjoyed qualified success at Arnold Palmer’ Bay Hill – Martin Laird and Rod Pampling have won at both venues, Na has finished T2 at Arnie’s place and Im solo third.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Shriners Children’s Open
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Shriners Children’s Open
Top Tier Pick #1
Sungjae Im (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 78.2, GPFP: 66.44 Salary: $10,400)
One of the PGA TOUR’s hardest workers, Sungjae Im’s ascent to the top of world golf continues.
The Korean is ranked 19 in the OWGR, and you suspect he will be hoping to break into the top-10 this season – his all-round game gives him chances everywhere he goes to add more silverware to his collection.
But there’s evidently something about TPC Summerlin that floats Im’s boat, as a formline of 1-13-15 reveals his improving record at the track.
He ticks all of the boxes, with excellent tee-to-green prowess matched by a real fondness for Bentgrass greens – he has been one of the best performers on these surfaces in the past 18 months, and with form at our correlating courses and a decent turn at the Presidents Cup to his name recently, it’s hard to look past Im this week.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 9th
- Greens in Regulation – 9th
- Birdie Average – 35th
Top Tier Pick #2
Tom Hoge (Odds: 45/1, FPPG: 61.2, Salary: $9,000)
Somewhat unfashionable, Tom Hoge is one of those players that is often hard done by the sportsbooks – there are players ranked far below him in the world that are considered more likely winners of this tournament by the odds-makers.
No matter. We’re happy to be on board with a player who played well in his seasonal opener at the Fortinet Championship (T12), whose ball-striking has been on song in recent weeks and who has previous at TPC Summerlin (14-24-MC-7).
With strong showings at TPC Scottsdale and Bay Hill, Hoge has all the ingredients for a big week in Nevada.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 11th
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 33rd
- Birdie Average – 42nd
Mid-Tier Pick #1
Si-Woo Kim (Odds: 50/1, FPPG: 62.5, GPFP: 49.98 Salary: $8,600)
When you watched the Presidents Cup on TV, it was evident how much it meant to the players involved.
Si-Woo Kim’s singles victory over Justin Thomas was one of the most watchable pieces of golfing theater in some time, and you wonder if the Korean will parlay that into something more substantial as an individual competitor in the weeks to come.
If he is too, perhaps TPC Summerlin is as likely a venue as any. Si-Woo has a pair of top-20s to his name here (including T8 in 2020), has a decent short-range approach game and undoubtedly has the ability to become a multiple-time PGA TOUR winner.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 38th
- Approaches from 125-150 yards – 50th
- Birdie Average – 53rd
Mid-Tier Pick #2
Rickie Fowler (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 52.2, GPFP: 48.06 Salary: $7,800)
The Presidents Cup proved to be a fruitful source of inspiration for Mackenzie Hughes, and you wonder if guys like Rickie Fowler – a former Ryder Cupper, no less – might have been watching on with interest too.
He’s a million miles away from being welcomed back into the Team USA fold, of course, but at 33 he’s far from a busted flush, and T6 at the Fortinet Championship was a reminder of his talents.
TPC Summerlin is a good fit for a player that has won at TPC Scottsdale and who has also performed well at TPC San Antonio and Bay Hill, and if you were being particularly glass half-full you’d argue that there are players that have won on the PGA TOUR in recent times that are nowhere near as talented as Rickie at his best.
Key Stats:
- Driving Distance – 27th
- Approaches from 125-150 yards – 43rd
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 62nd
Low-Tier Pick
James Hahn (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 59.8, GPFP: 50.82 Salary: $6,700)
Another player who ticks our boxes this week is James Hahn, and we’re happy to see the 40-year-old largely overlooked by the sportsbooks and DFS salary-makers.
He was excellent from tee-to-green at the Fortinet Championship, but a poor putting display completely derailed his chances. But Hahn tends to have a much surer hand on Bentgrass greens, and so hopefully both elements of his game will come together at TPC Summerlin.
His record at the Nevada venue is something of a mixed bag, but T5 in 2020 reveals the potential upside that Hahn brings to the table.
Key Stats:
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 45th
- Par 4 Scoring Average – 58th
- Approaches from 125-150 yards – 64th
Sleeper Pick for the Shriners Children’s Open
Charley Hoffman (Odds: 175/1, FPPG: 56.4, GPFP: 45.01 Salary: $6,700)
Whether it’s to reflect on good memories or simply because he likes the layout, University of Nevada graduate Charley Hoffman barely misses a trip to TPC Summerlin.
That’s not a guarantor of success, and he does have a mixed record in the event, but few will know the unique conditions of TPC Summerlin quite like Hoffman.
Having played well on a few occasions at Bay Hill and in Texas, there are a few reasons to be cheerful about Hoffman’s chances, and his T10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic was recent enough to consider the 45-year-old to have some form in the locker.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 51st
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 58th
- Approaches from 125-150 yards – 76th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Shriners Children’s Open
Peter Malnati (Odds: 200/1, FPPG: 51.8, GPFP: 45.38 Salary: $6,400)
There’s one good thing about drafting Peter Malnati – he definitely won’t be the chalk pick of the week.
In fact, you may be a member of the 1% club if you draft the jovial Malnati, but there’s some evidence to suggest he’s a solid sleeper play this week.
He’s finished inside the top-20 in two of his last four visits to TPC Summerlin – including T5 in 2020, and if you look at his 2020-21 stats Malnati was a veritable birdie-machine, and whose approach play in the 75-125 yard corridor was exemplary.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 26th
- Birdie Average – 41st
- SG: Putting – 57th
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions Last Season (2021-2022)
Tourneys Played '21 -'22
Season Earnings YTD
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