PGA Tour Picks: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Odds and Predictions
Really cool moment on Sunday when 24-year-old Cameron Champ won the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., and got very emotional because his grandfather is battling cancer in nearby Sacramento.
Champ's grandfather is the person who introduced him to the sport. Champ drained a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a one-stroke victory over Adam Hadwin at Silverado Resort. Champ shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday to finish at 17-under 271 in his second win in 28 career starts as a full-fledged Tour member. It was just the 12th time in the last 20 years that a player won anywhere while leading the field in driving distance and scrambling. Champ got up-and-down 16 of 19 times he missed the green in regulation. From New Year's Day to Aug. 4, Champ had nine total rounds on Tour in the 60s. He has had nine of them in his past 14 overall rounds.
I recommended Justin Thomas at -150 for a Top 10 and he finished T4. However, our winning choice at +3300 was Ryan Moore and he missed the cut following rounds of 74-71.
This week, the Tour makes its lone stop in Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. It's being held about a month earlier this year. A lot of Tour pros either live in the area or went to UNLV, so it's a pretty good field. TPC Summerlin is an easy track, playing to 7,255 yards and a par 71. It has hosted the Shriners since 1992. This tournament started in 1983 as the Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic and had the first $1 million purse on the Tour. Fuzzy Zoeller won that first one. At the 1991 tournament, Chip Beck shot a 59 and his 13 birdies are a PGA Tour record for one round. In 2010, this became the only tournament in Tour history end with a hole-in-one when Jonathan Byrd aced the par-3 17th on the fourth playoff hole.
This event used to be five rounds but switched to the usual four in 2004. Tiger Woods' first-ever Tour win was here in 1996. He beat Davis Love III in a playoff. Tiger's not playing this year but Phil Mickelson is for the first time in Vegas since 2005. Another guy teeing it up is Graham DeLaet, who hasn't been seen on Tour since October 2017 following back surgery. He's a +40000 long shot.
Golf Odds: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Favorites
World No. 1 Brooks Koepka is making his season debut and playing here for the first time since 2016 - his brother Chase is also in the field via a sponsor's exemption. Brooks was a runner-up here in 2016, two shots shy of Rod Pampling.
Patrick Cantlay is +1100 with defending champion Bryson DeChambeau +1600. Cantlay won two years ago in a playoff and was a runner-up by a shot last year. DeChambeau won at 21-under 263 last November. He was seventh the year before. The only player who has repeated here is the only guy who has won it multiple times, three to be exact: Jim Furyk.
Adam Scott is +1800 and Webb Simpson +2000. Scott is one of those UNLV guys but hasn't played here in years. Simpson won the tournament by six shots in 2013.
Golf Odds: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Picks
Like Cantlay (+110) and Chesson Hadley (+1050) for Top 10s. Hadley has finished seventh and fourth the past two years. The winner at +6600 is Scott Piercy. He has four Top 10s in his past eight visits.
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