Shriners Children's Open Expert Picks

Hand up, last week was a bad week for the Canadian Kid on the links. Sure, I could blame my lack of course knowledge, given Black Desert Resort had never been seen on tour before. I could even take a shot at Beau Hossler for finishing one shot out of the top 10, which would've made us our sheckles back. But instead, we will take the high road and say "Folks, last week is on us". But we are primed for a comeback to make some profit for the masses; this is a great venue to do so. With plenty of talent in this field, and players looking to finish the season strong, we love the board this week. So let's dive into the course, drop some winners for the people, and Viva Las Vegas!

The Course - TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada

For all you Vegas fanatics, TPC Summerlin is about fifteen minutes off the Vegas strip. What comes with playing golf in Vegas as well, is playing at elevation, so players will be hitting more short irons into greens this week. What TPC Summerlin has also provided is some great moments over the years. Whether it was Jonathan Byrd's walk-off hole-in-one in a playoff back in 2010, or Tom Kim going back-to-back in more recent years, this event has provided plenty of entertainment for the viewers. Now no Justin Timberlake fluttering around this week, but still plenty of star power to go around. Some top players in the field include Tom Kim, Taylor Pendrith, Seamus Power & Cameron Davis.

Now when it comes to the actual golf course, a Par 71 at roughly 7250 yards is pretty standard on the PGA Tour. No Par 5's in the first eight holes, only three on the card overall, means you must take advantage of these holes. Only one of them is over 560 yards as well, so eagles can be had with two great opening shots. The Par 3's are more challenging than most, especially the 239-yard 8th hole. Scoring-wise, the last six winners have all been -20 or better, so four scores in the 60's, including a low 60's number, will likely be needed to hoist the trophy. One slip-up along the way means you are playing for placement, and for some, ultimately your tour card. So who are we backing in this mid-October event? Scroll down to find out who!

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Golf betting record: 2-6-0 for -0.2 Units (Follow Us On Betstamp @CompetitiveHedge)

Shriners Children's Open Picks For Winner, Top 10 & Top 20

Winner Pick For The Shriners Children's Open (0.1 Units): Beau Hossler (+2900)

We are quick to forgive ole Beau Hossler after narrowly missing the top ten last week in Utah. With a quick trip down the road to Las Vegas, there may be no player on tour right now we like more than Beau. In a spot where he was T7 last year, and after two straight top-eleven finishes, we have to throw our coin behind big Beau. Something about Hossler and fall golf has always resonated. He is putting incredibly well and getting up and down when he misses greens, which is a recipe for success on the PGA Tour. So at nearly 30/1 odds, he is our winner pick this week at TPC Summerlin.

Top 10 Pick For The Shriners Children's Open (0.4 Units): Tom Kim (+180)

We have to kiss the ring this week and back the Asian sensation Tom Kim. Back-to-back champion at this event, and the heavy favorite once again, we expect a strong showing. He was a bit of a controversial figure at the Presidents Cup in Montreal, but he has taken a couple of weeks off since then. Tom's ability to hit a ton of fairways has led to one of the best scoring averages in this field. The key will be how the flat stick is rolling, as Kim is quite average on tour when it comes to strokes gained putting. Given his success here we think that will not be an issue. While he may not three-peat, we anticipate that there will be plenty of Tom Kim on your TV screen down the stretch on Sunday.

Top 20 Pick For The Shriners Children's Open (0.5 Units): Benjamin Griffin (+180)

Another throwback, taking Griffin this week to finish top 20. Impressive showing in Utah, with a final round 67 to finish T11 at the event. The results have been building for Benjamin, as prior to that he was T50 and T37. The trend for us this week is "who hits greens, and whose putter can get hot at the right time" and Griffin fits both to a tee. 64th on tour in greens in regulation and 49th in strokes gained putting are some of the best in this field. A missed cut here last year may be alarming to some, but he has improved significantly since then. We are backing Griffin at +180 cause it is tremendous value for a guy in elite form right now.

Top 20 Pick For The Shriners Children's Open (0.5 Units): Eric Cole (+180)

Eric Cole is another player that we have loved to get value on in this top 20 spot over the past 18 months. And 12 months ago if you bet him Top 20 here, that would've cashed with his T3 finish. He is also coming off a T16 at the Sanderson Farms, and a pretty solid late summer that included multiple top 20 finishes. Cole's ability to not only hit greens but be in the top half of proximity to the hole average are stats I like at this course. On the off chance he does struggle to hit greens his short game, especially out of the sand, has been great recently. So long as Eric's driver is in play, we feel very confident about a strong finish for Cole.