Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2022 Shriners Children Open

2022 Shriners Children Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

It’s amazing what a bout of motivation can do to even the most average of players.

That’s not to disrespect Mackenzie Hughes, who possesses an outstanding short game, it’s just that his ball-striking has been below-par for some time. He’s also gone six years without a PGA TOUR victory.

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But the Canadian put that record to bed in fine fashion at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and would later reveal that the fuel of missing out on Presidents Cup selection was what inspired him to work harder on his game.

And it showed. Hughes has added length off the tee, but it was the quality of his iron play – he ranked eleventh for the week for the SG: Approach – that ultimately laid the foundation for his reliable putting stroke to thrive.

He and Mark Hubbard shared the 54-hole lead, and while they would both run into trouble on Sunday it was Hughes that righted himself the quickest – a couple of clutch putts on the 72nd hole securing his place in a playoff against the impressive Sepp Straka.

They couldn’t be separated on the first extra hole, but another exquisite approach shot into the second setup an eight-foot birdie for Hughes and ended his long wait for a trophy….and what a trophy the Sanderson Farms Championship offers courtesy of that big bronze chicken.

The jaunt to Mississippi will be followed this week with a return to the western half of the country as the PGA TOUR takes its customary stop in Nevada for the Sanderson Farms Championship.

It’s an event laced with complications for debutants and youngsters. Las Vegas is close enough to become a major distraction, while TPC Summerlin itself can be a tough nut to crack – sitting 2,700’ above sea level, balls travel further here and require some robust course management and club selection.

That’s not to call defending champion Sungjae Im a wizened old soul by any means, but he’s been around the block and had two top-20s to his name at TPC Summerlin prior to his victory.

There’s little else to say about a 7,255 yard, Par 71 stretch that features three Par 5s, a veritable absence of trees and, thanks to being in the desert, a sizable count of 92 bunkers, albeit ones that are typically easy to play out of.

The winning score in this event is routinely -20 or lower, and it’s only during the last four holes that the action really picks up pace. There’s a drivable Par 4, a risk-and-reward Par 5, a watery Par 3 and a closing Par 4 that is regularly one of the toughest holes on the circuit. Dance a victory jig early at your peril at TPC Summerlin!

Im will be joined in the field by another former Shriners champion in Patrick Cantlay, while Max Homa – fresh from winning the Fortinet Championship and putting in a huge performance during the Presidents Cup – is another who will catch the eye.

But who knows….maybe the unique conditions at TPC Summerlin lend themselves to a sleeper winner? Here’s five that we believe can thrive at lengthy sportsbook odds:

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Emiliano Grillo – 50/1 – How about this for a portent of what might be to come: Emiliano Grillo has now gained strokes on the field with the putter in each of his last six starts.

That is largely unheard of from a player who has long been heralded as a ball-striking machine who lacks a bit of finesse on the greens.

The Argentine racked up T2 finishes at the John Deere Classic and 3M Open on the back of his flat stick improvement, and T5 at the Sanderson Farms Championship – where he gained a staggering +3.64 strokes putting on Sunday – was further confirmation that Grillo is knocking on the door of a second PGA TOUR victory.

Adam Hadwin – 66/1 – Although we can all debate the merits of course history all day long, the truth is that there is some relevance to it at TPC Summerlin.

That’s to do with the altitude and the unique winds that blow across this desert venue, and so there’s no harm in having a few ‘course horses’ on board this week.

To that end, we can get excited by Adam Hadwin’s record at TPC Summerlin – three top-10s in six trips, and also reflect on the fact we can back an excellent player at meaty odds of 66/1. 

Matt Kuchar – 66/1 – The likes of Kevin Na and Martin Laird have won this event twice in the past, and that goes to show there’s plenty of scope for street-smart veterans to get the job done at TPC Summerlin.

Matt Kuchar will enjoy the sun on his back in Nevada, and will relish the chance to play at altitude – it’s one of the few times he can compete off the tee given the extra yards that come with playing at being a long way above sea level.

Although not a regular visitor to TPC Summerlin, Kooch has done the business at TPC San Antonio and TPC Scottsdale in the past, and his pedigree as a short game supremo is such that he can contend in events where distance and precision approach play aren’t the be-all and-end-all.

Andrew Putnam – 80/1 – They say that playing at altitude can add between 3-5% of yardage onto your shots.

That’s one of the reasons why course form is so important at TPC Summerlin, given the idiosyncratic nature of figuring out which club to take, but it also gives guys like Andrew Putnam a fighting chance too.

A relatively short hitter, he could gain 20 yards off the tee thanks to Nevada’s lofty geography, and that can make all the difference for players who can club down as a result on approach and hit with more loft.

Putnam has been so-so during this new term, but two top-20s in his last three trips to TPC Summerlin reveal that he can kick on in conditions that suit.

Scott Piercy – 150/1 – This is something of a hometown game for Scott Piercy, who hasn’t missed a trip to TPC Summerlin in a decade. In that time, he has only missed the cut on three occasions, racked up a trio of top-10 finishes and delivered two other top-25s.

Piercy finished T19 at the Sanderson Farms Championship last week, and saved his best until last with a round of 67, and all of the above augurs well for another decent tilt on home soil.

You may recall him taking a lead into the final round of July’s 3M Open, and while he couldn’t convert that day, it was a reminder to write off Scott Piercy at your peril.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Shriners Children Open here.

Sleeper Report Predictions Last Season (2021-2022)

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