Horses for Courses: Shriners Children's Open
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No need to double down, pull the lever or check-fold this week as the TOUR heads to the Las Vegas desert and TPC Summerlin to determine the third winner of the 2021-2022 season.
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Horses for Courses are prevalent this week as TPC Summerlin has been involved since 1992, a year after opening. This is the 14th consecutive season TPC Summerlin serves as the stand-alone host course and familiarity will definitely be in play this week.
Stretching to 7,255 yards on the card, the Par-71 has been a perennial shoot-out. The last three winners have averaged 22-under and the course has ranked in the top five the last three seasons in birdies allowed including No. 1 in 2019 and No. 2 last season. The cut the last two years has been a TOUR record 7-under in 2020 and 5-under in 2019. There's no mystery this week!
Usually accuracy has trumped power from the tee but with the Bermuda rough only at two inches that's not a requirement. Of the last six winners only Patrick Cantlay and Smylie Kaufman have registered inside the top 20 in Driving Distance (All Drives). Of the last six champs, only Rod Pampling (T15) and Kevin Na (T25) have ranked outside of the top seven in Fairways.
Hitting more fairways equals spinning it close to the pins on the large, 7,400 square foot greens. Putts go in here folks so you know the rule in a shootout: Hit as many GIR as possible and hole the putt. Speaking of greens the shift from Bermuda last week to A1-A4 Bentgrass this week will help everyone (see birdie numbers above). Running at "TOUR Speed", right around 11.5 feet, not many will be left short! This will be the second week running that the pros know they need north of 20-under to win so the mindset doesn't have to change: Go low or get left behind.
Desert golf suggests no wind, rain or any other elements and that helps with scoring. The only year that was different was when Patrick Cantlay battled thru epic winds to post 9-under, the highest winning total by SEVEN shots, in November of 2017. The next "worse" winning total was 16-under after Smylie Kaufmann closed with 61 in 2015. Ryan Moore (2012) and Webb Simpson (2013) set the tournament scoring record in back-to-back years on 24-under while JJ Henry (2013) and Rod Pampling (2016) share the course record with 60.
Recent Event Winners Stats
| Season | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Calendar Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| Winner | Martin Laird | Kevin Na | Bryson DeChambeau |
| Score | 23-under | 23-under | 21-under |
| MOV | Playoff | Playoff | 1 |
| Runner-Up | Austin Cook, Matthew Wolff | Patrick Cantlay | Patrick Cantlay |
| Age | 37 | 36 | 25 |
| All Drives | 44 | 32 | 23 |
| Accuracy | T5 | T25 | 4 |
| GIR | T15 | T46 | T4 |
| Ball-Striking | T4 | T32 | 2 |
| Proximity | T21 | 60 | 10 |
| Putting: Birdie or Better % | T10 | 2 | 19 |
| SG: Off-the-Tee | 26 | 54 | 6 |
| SG: Approach-the-Green | 4 | 39 | 3 |
| SG: Around-the-Green | 15 | 54 | 7 |
| SG: Putting | 20 | 1 | 45 |
| SG: Tee-to-Green | 2 | 55 | 1 |
| Scrambling | 28 | T11 | T3 |
| Bogey Avoidance | T7 | T10 | 1 |
| Par-3 Scoring | T9 | T3 | T15 |
| Par-4 Scoring | T15 | T9 | 1 |
| Par-5 Scoring | T1 | T11 | T22 |
Recent Winners
2020 - Martin Laird (-23, 261)
Won a three-man playoff on the second hole to win this event for the second time (2009). ... Victorious as a sponsor's exemption. ... Co-led after 54 holes on 20-under with Patrick Cantlay (T8, not entered) and beat him by five shots heads up. ... One of four to share the 36-hole lead on 14-under. ... Sat three back after 65 in Round 1. ... Becomes fourth winner in five to rank inside the top five (2nd) Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green. ... Becomes fifth winner in six to rank in the top 12 (T10) in Birdie-or-Better Conversion Percentage. ... Circled 22 birdies and THREE eagles (T4 Par Breakers). ... Second consecutive winner who was a previous champion. ... P2 in his defense in 2010 as he lost to a HOLE-IN-ONE from Jonathan Byrd. ... Win No. 4 in start No. 303 at age 37. ... Entered the week T28-T65-MC.
Notables in the field this week:
Austin Cook (P2) shared the 36-hole lead after opening 63-65. ... Matthew Wolff (P2) posted the low round of the week (61) in Round 3. ... Abraham Ancer (T4) picked up his second top five in three years and co-led the field with 26 Par Breakers. ... James Hahn (T5) also swished three eagles and was T9 in Fairways. ... Peter Malnati (T5) posted 62 in Round 2 and was one of four co-leaders after two rounds. ... Will Zalatoris (T5) was top five in both Fairways and GIR and posted just two bogeys and a double for the week. ... Si Woo Kim (T8) only hit 51 of 72 GIR but was T7 in Putting. ... Matthew NeSmith (T8) also circled 26 Par Breakers, all birdies to lead the field. ... Brian Harman (T13) co-led after 36 holes but fired 72 on Sunday. ... Defending champion Kevin Na (T43) sat four back after 54 holes but closed with 76. ... Top 56 players 10-under or better. ... All 66 players finished in red figures. ... Cut was a TOUR RECORD 7-under par. ... 48 bogey-free rounds. ... 68.343 scoring average.
2019 - Kevin Na (-23, 261)
2011 champion won for the second time as he defeated Cantlay in a two-hole playoff. ... Set a ShotLink record on TOUR for holing 558 feet of putts. ... Set a TOUR record for Strokes-Gained: Putting (14.263). ... Circled 28 birdies, T1. ... Set the event 54-hole record 22-under to lead by two. ... Shared the 36-hole lead on 12-under. ... Won in spite of a TRIPLE BOGEY in Round 4. ... Rare winner on TOUR who lost shots to the field Tee-to-Green. ... Las Vegas resident signed for the two lowest rounds of the week with 61 on Saturday and 62 on Sunday. ... Won for the fourth time in start No. 399 at age 36. ... Entered the week MC-T14.
Notables in the field this week:
Las Vegas local Pat Perez (3rd) posted 62 in Round 3 and was T4 GIR. ... Adam Hadwin (T4) signed for 63 on Sunday for his best finish here. ... Brian Stuard (T4) circled 25 birdies against just five bogeys and co-led after 36 holes. ... Brian Gay (T7) was T4 in Putting. ... 2013 winner Webb Simpson (T7) only made three bogeys on the week. ... Joel Dahmen (T9) was T11 in Fairways and T8 GIR. ... Lucas Glover (T9) was T2 GIR and was one of the co-leaders after 36. ... Denny McCarthy (T9) also circled 28 birdies. ... Nick Taylor (T29) opened with 63 to lead after Round 1. ... Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (T4; not entered) almost joined Jim Furyk as the only player to defend. ... Top SIX players were 20-under or better. ... Top 60 players 10-under or better. ... 75 of 76 players finished in the red. ... Cut was 5-under. ... 44 bogey-free rounds. ... 68.859 scoring average.
2018 - Bryson DeChambeau (-21, 263 - not entered this week)
Posted 66 from the final pairing to win by one. ... Co-led after 54 holes. ... Played the back nine in bogey-free 16-under for the week. ... Only squared three bogeys. ... Ranked 4th in Fairways and T4 GIR. ... Best round was 65 and worst round was 66. ... Garnered win No. 5 in 73rd start at age 25. ... Won for the third time in his last five starts #HAWT.
Notables in the field this week:
Sam Ryder (3rd) posted 66-62 on the weekend to hit the podium. ... Rickie Fowler (T4) closed with 63. ... Abraham Ancer (T4) posted three rounds of 66 for his first top 10 here. ... Robert Streb (T4) only squared four bogeys and sat second after 36 holes. ... Chesson Hadley (T7) led the field in Proximity. ... Ryan Palmer (T7) picked up his second top 10. ... Lucas Glover (T7) posted the low round of the week with 61 in Round 3 and sat one shot off the 54-hole lead. ... Joaquin Niemann (T10) made FOUR EAGLES, including an ace, on his debut. ... Las Vegas resident Scott Piercy (T10) was T5 Fairways. ... Seth Reeves (73rd) posted 64 to trail by one after 18 holes. ... Aaron Wise (T15) led the field with 27 birdies. ... Defending champion Patrick Cantlay (2nd, not entered) lost by a shot. ... Top 40 players were 10-under or lower. ... 73 of 74 players finished in red figures. ... 23 bogey-free rounds. ... 69.369 scoring average. ... Played the week AFTER WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
Key stat leaders
Top golfers in each statistic on the 2020-2021 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week.
| Rounds in the 60s | Player |
| 1 | Sungjae Im |
| 2 | Joaquin Niemann |
| 3 | Abraham Ancer |
| 3 | Patton Kizzire |
| 5 | Corey Conners |
| 6 | Brian Harman |
| 6 | Sebastian Munoz |
| 10 | Harris English |
| 13 | Cameron Tringale |
| 13 | Kevin Na |
| 15 | Emiliano Grillo |
| 15 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 15 | Scottie Scheffler |
| 18 | Charley Hoffman |
| 18 | Brian Stuard |
| 18 | Sam Burns |
| 18 | Viktor Hovland |
| 23 | Russell Henley |
| 23 | KH Lee |
| 23 | Carlos Ortiz |
| 23 | Cam Davis |
| Strokes Gained: Approach the Green | Player |
| 2 | Paul Casey |
| 6 | Russell Henley |
| 7 | Will Zalatoris |
| 9 | Corey Conners |
| 11 | Matthew NeSmith |
| 12 | Emiliano Grillo |
| 15 | Viktor Hovland |
| 16 | Charley Hoffman |
| 17 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 18 | Kyle Stanley |
| 20 | Russell Knox |
| 21 | Doug Ghim |
| 22 | Chez Reavie |
| 23 | Abraham Ancer |
| 25 | Brooks Koepka |
| 27 | Henrik Norlander |
| 29 | Louis Oosthuizen |
| 30 | Sam Burns |
| 31 | Matt Wallace |
| 32 | Talor Gooch |
| 33 | Kevin Streelman |
| 34 | Stewart Cink |
| Birdie-or-Better Perecentage: Putting | Player |
| 6 | Harris English |
| 7 | Sam Burns |
| 8 | Patrick Reed |
| 9 | Cam Davis |
| 10 | Harry Higgs |
| 12 | Scottie Scheffler |
| 15 | Brooks Koepka |
| 16 | Ryan Palmer |
| 17 | Webb Simpson |
| 18 | Patton Kizzire |
| 19 | Anirban Lahiri |
| 20 | Adam Scott |
| 21 | Charley Hoffman |
| 22 | Jason Kokrak |
| 23 | Tom Hoge |
| 24 | Viktor Hovland |
| 26 | Sebastian Munoz |
| 29 | Joaquin Niemann |
| 31 | Peter Malnati |
| 32 | Rory Sabbatini |
| 33 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 34 | Abraham Ancer |
| 36 | Cameron Tringale |
| 38 | Matthew Wolff |
| 39 | Erik van Rooyen |
| 40 | Brian Harman |
Horses for Courses
Top golfers entered this week and other exceptions
| Player (Starts/Cuts Made) | Top 10s | Top 25s | Most Recent (calendar year) | Others |
| Martin Laird (10/12) | 3 | 4 | Win (2020) | Win 2009; T2 2010 |
| Matthew Wolff (2/2) | 1 | 2 | P2 (2020) | T18 2019; 38-under |
| Austin Cook (2/4) | 1 | 2 | P2 (2020) | T20 2017 |
| Abraham Ancer (2/5) | 2 | 2 | T4 (2020) | T4 2018 |
| Will Zalatoris (1/1) | 1 | 1 | T5 (2020) | 64 twice |
| James Hahn (5/7) | 1 | 2 | T5 (2020) | T15 2016; 5 straight cashed |
| Peter Malnati (4/6) | 1 | 2 | T5 (2020) | T15 2018 |
| Si Woo Kim (4/4) | 1 | 3 | T8 (2020) | T15, T25 |
| Matthew NeSmith (2/2) | 1 | 2 | T8 (2020) | T18 2019 |
| Kevin Na (8/11) | 3 | 5 | Win (2019) | Win 2011; T2 2016; 5 of last 8 66 or better |
| Pat Perez (4/8) | 2 | 4 | 3rd (2019) | T7 2016 |
| Adam Hadwin (4/5) | 2 | 2 | T4 (2019) | T10 2014; posted 62, 63 and 64 last 3 visits |
| Brian Stuard (4/8) | 1 | 2 | T4 (2019) | T15 2014 |
| Brian Gay (6/10) | 1 | 1 | T7 (2019) | T27 |
| Webb Simpson (9/10) | 4 | 7 | T7 (2019) | Win 2014; T4 2010, 2015; cashed 9 straight |
| Lucas Glover (3/6) | 3 | 3 | T9 (2019) | T7 2018, 3rd 2016 |
| Denny McCarthy (3/5) | 1 | 2 | T9 (2019) | T15 2018; 57 2020; 40-under |
| Joel Dahmen (3/4) | 1 | 1 | T9 (2019) | T69 before, T58 after |
| Sam Ryder (2/4) | 1 | 2 | 3 (2018) | T18 2019; 7 of last 10 rounds 67 or better |
| Rickie Fowler (4/5) | 2 | 4 | T4 (2018) | T7 2009; worst is T25 |
| Robert Streb (3/4) | 2 | 2 | T4 (2018) | T10 2014 |
| Ryan Palmer (6/8) | 2 | 3 | T7 (2018) | T8 2010; 41-under last 3 |
| Chesson Hadley (5/7) | 3 | 4 | T7 (2018) | T4 2017, T5 2014 |
| Scott Piercy (10/12) | 4 | 8 | T10 (2018) | T6 2012, T7 2014; never worse than T32 |
| Joaquin Niemann (2/3) | 1 | 2 | T10 (2018) | T13 2020; all 10 rounds in 60s |
| JT Poston (2/5) | 1 | 1 | T4 (2017) | T27 2020 |
| Patton Kizzire (4/5) | 2 | 3 | T4 (2017) | T2 2015; T24 2020 |
| Tom Hoge (4/5) | 1 | 2 | T7 (2017) | T24 2020 |
| William McGirt (5/7) | 2 | 3 | T10 (2017) | T8 2015 |
| JJ Spaun (2/4) | 1 | 2 | T10 (2017) | T15 2018 |
| Brooks Koepka (2/5) | 2 | 2 | 2 (2016) | T4 2014 |
| Francesco Molinari (1/2) | 1 | 1 | T4 (2016) | closed with 61 |
| Harris English (4/7) | 1 | 2 | T4 (2016) | T16 2014 |
| Kyle Stanley (5/8) | 2 | 2 | T7 (2016) | T10 2011 |
| Aaron Wise (3/5) | 1 | 2 | T10 (2016) | T15 2018; both MC 4-under |
| Past Winners/Others | Top 10s | Top 25s | Most Recent (calendar year) | |
| Cameron Tringale (6/9) | 1 | 3 | P2 (2015) | T19 2020 |
| Ryan Moore (9/11) | 3 | 6 | T9 (2014) | 2012 Winner; 5 straight cashed; Vegas resident |
| Charles Howell III (9/10) | 2 | 5 | T5 (2014) | 6 straight cashed |
| Hideki Matsuyama (2/3) | 0 | 2 | T16 (2019) | T10 2014; MC was 5-under! |
| Brian Harman (5/6) | 0 | 3 | T13 (2020) | Last 3 T13, T18, T15 |
| Luke List (3/4) | 0 | 3 | T13 (2019) | T13, T20, T15 prior to MC 2020 |
| Sungjae Im (2/2) | 0 | 2 | T13 (2020) | T15 2018; 30-under aggregate |