This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Shriners Children's Open
Las Vegas, Nevada
TPC Summerlin - Par 71 - 7,255 yards
Field - 132 entrants
Purse - $8.4M
The Preview
The PGA Tour heads west to Sin City as another relatively weak FedExCup Fall field is highlighted by exactly zero members from the top 15 in the Official World Golf Ranking, albeit a questionable standard in its own right.
As it has since 1992, TPC Summerlin once again plays host to the Shriners Children's Open, which is slated to develop into its typical birdie fest as each of the past four champions have reached at least 23-under-par here. The 7,255-yard, par-71 layout plays shorter than it looks on paper due to elevation and the desert climate, while tame winds from Friday to Sunday are expected to leave the course with minimal defense throughout the final three rounds. Aside from a few reachable par-5s, driving prowess takes a back seat to approach proximity and putting on these enormous bentgrass greens.
Recent Champions
2022 - Tom Kim
2021 - Sungjae Im
2020 - Martin Laird
2019 - Kevin Na
2018 - Bryson DeChambeau
2017 - Patrick Cantlay
2016 - Rod Pampling
2015 - Smylie Kaufman
2014 - Ben Martin
2013 - Webb Simpson
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Birdie or Better percentage
SG: Putting (bentgrass)
Proximity
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Ludvig Aberg - $42
Last week I recommended against arriving underweight on Aberg in GPPs due to his raw DFS scoring upside despite the fatigue narratives, and it paid off as he ultimately racked up 20 birdies, an eagle and 120.3 Yahoo fantasy points on the way to a T2 finish, having joined eventual champion Luke List in the five-man playoff. The gap between Tom Kim and Aberg atop the outright betting market this week is extremely narrow, but the latter just paced the entire field in SG: Tee-to-Green at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Over his past 36 measured rounds, Aberg sits first in Opportunities Gained, fourth in eagle rate, fifth in Par-5 Efficiency and ninth in overall proximity. His ceiling is worth a $45-plus salary against this weak field, yet he's still only $42.
Si Woo Kim - $41
As a member of the gold-medal winning team at the Asian Games that took place during Ryder Cup weekend, Kim is able to breathe a sigh of relief as he becomes exempt from the otherwise mandatory two-year military service in South Korea. Knowing Kim, he'll surely celebrate in Vegas, but he has taken the golf seriously here in the past with four top-25s across six appearances, including a pair of T8s in two of the past three years. Taking an overview of his last 50 measured rounds, Kim is third in Par-5 Efficiency, seventh in Prox: 150-175, ninth in Prox: 200-plus and 14th in SG: Approach, while his best putting surface is bentgrass.
Glue Guys
Adam Schenk - $33
Schenk is quite discounted at $33 compared to the market rate, and he was already likely to be a popular selection regardless, due to his modeling and course history. Over his last 24 measured rounds, he ranks fifth in SG: APP, sixth in P4: 400-450 Efficiency, 14th in overall proximity and 19th in SG: Putting. Additionally, he's finished T27 or better in five of six trips to TPC Summerlin, most notably tying for third here in 2021 when he held the 54-hole lead en route to gaining 8.6 strokes on the greens.
J.J. Spaun - $33
Spaun hasn't posted a single top-10 since early January, but he's quietly gained an average of 4.5 strokes per event from tee to green throughout his last seven starts from the Memorial Tournament to the Fortinet Championship, notching six top-40s during this stretch. He owns three top-15s in six career Shriners Children's Open outings, and he's fourth in proximity over his past 24 rounds.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout - $30
Rebounding from a wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from the Fortinet Championship after a first-round 75, Bezuidenhout tied for sixth this past week at the Country Club of Jackson where he led the field in putting average while also gaining 4.8 strokes with his irons. This marked his best SG: APP performance since the Valero Texas Open in early April, and he's now third in eagle rate over his past 24 rounds after tallying two of them in Mississippi. The South African tied for 20th in his TPC Summerlin debut last year despite struggling with the flat stick.
Bargain Bin
Davis Thompson - $26
The 24-year-old rookie continues to swing it at an impressive level off the tee, and after his T16 at the Sanderson Farms Championship, he's recorded five finishes of T31 or better over his past six starts. Thompson has gained at least 4.2 strokes from tee to green in three consecutive outings, and he's 12th in Birdies or Better over his last 24 rounds. His TPC Summerlin debut last year culminated with a T12 result as he paced the tournament in par-5 scoring at 11-under-par, while ranking second among the field in driving distance.
Peter Kuest - $21
Kuest bounced back from a missed cut at the Fortinet Championship with a T25 last week at the Sanderson Farms, where he gained over three strokes putting for the third time in four starts dating to the 3M Open. Over his last 24 rounds, Kuest ranks No. 1 in proximity from over 200 yards, fourth in SG: Putting and eighth in eagle rate.
Erik van Rooyen - $20
He's probably still untouchable in cash games, but van Rooyen is certainly a viable GPP dart throw at the minimum salary after gaining a combined 10.4 strokes with his irons across the first two FedExCup Fall events. This past week in Jackson, he ranked sixth among the field in SG: APP on the way to 20 total par-breakers and a T16 finish. In eight rounds since the beginning of September, he's seventh in P4: 400-450 Efficiency and ninth in Opportunities Gained.
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