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 - 144 entrants
Purse - $7M
The Preview
As the PGA Tour's Las Vegas Swing commences with the Shriners Children's Open this week, another significant golf event has been scheduled in Sin City this fall as a 12-hole match between Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau will be played the day after Thanksgiving at the Wynn Golf Club to make some coin while settling their "feud." Despite a typically underwhelming fall-series field that includes just two top-10 representatives from the Official World Golf Ranking, this week's spectacle will feature about a billion birdies as TPC Summerlin's lack of trouble/weather invites par breakers by the bunches. Each of the last three champions have reached 21-under or better.
Recent Champions
2020 - Martin Laird
2019 - Kevin Na
2018 - Bryson DeChambeau
2017 - Patrick Cantlay
2016 - Rod Pampling
2015 - Smylie Kaufman
2014 - Ben Martin
2013 - Webb Simpson
2012 - Ryan Moore
2011 - Kevin Na
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
Webb Simpson - $42
Since his Shriners win at TPC Summerlin in 2013, Simpson has racked up five more top-20s in the last seven years here. Simpson is 16th in SG: Putting on bentgrass over his past 36 rounds, and he's picked up 6.7 strokes on the greens throughout his last two starts dating to the BMW Championship. You shouldn't have to worry about the 36-year-old turning into a party animal on the Las Vegas Strip between rounds, either.
Will Zalatoris - $40
Zalatoris, who posted a T5 in his TPC Summerlin debut last year, opened his 2021-22 campaign with back-to-back top-15s at the Fortinet Championship and the Sanderson Farms Championship, gaining a combined 13.2 strokes from tee to green in those eight rounds. The reigning Rookie of the Year has even gained at least 2.6 strokes with the flat stick in three of his last four events played. Additionally, he's fourth in proximity from over 200 yards and 12th in driving distance over his last 12 rounds, setting himself up for some nice par-5 efficiency in Vegas.
Glue Guys
Si Woo Kim - $36
Kim is a perfect 4-for-4 in cuts made at the Shriners Open, gathering a trio of top-25 results here in the process. He now heads to TPC Summerlin ranked first in both P4: 400-450 scoring and birdie or better percentage over his last 12 rounds. He's also third in SG: Tee-to-Green and seventh in proximity from 100-125 yards during this stretch. Last week at the Country Club of Jackson, Kim gained five strokes with his irons and 3.1 strokes with the putter en route to a T8 finish.
Mito Pereira - $32
Pereira will be a TPC Summerlin debutant this week, but his current ball-striking form should overshadow any experience concerns as he ranks No. 1 in SG: Tee-to-Green and No. 2 in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds. His T31 at the Sanderson Farms Championship could've been a lot better, given his 4.7 strokes that were lost on the greens. Throughout his last six measured starts on the PGA Tour, Pereira has gained an average of 3.1 strokes on his approaches per event.
Bargain Bin
Henrik Norlander - $20
Norlander paced the entire field in SG: Approach on the way to 22 total birdies and an eagle at the Country Club of Jackson last week, ultimately finishing just two shots behind champion Sam Burns in a tie for fourth place. The Swede is only 1-for-3 in cuts made at TPC Summerlin, but he grades out well for the venue as he ranks fourth in Prox: 100-125, seventh in Prox: 125-150, third in P4: 400-450 efficiency and second in Opportunities Gained over his last 12 rounds.
Sam Ryder - $20
Although he has placed T51 or worse in three straight starts dating back to a missed cut at The Northern Trust, Ryder actually pops in the seventh spot of my custom stat model as he resides fifth in birdie-or-better percentage, ninth in proximity from 125-150 yards and 15th in SG: Approach throughout his past 12 rounds. Ryder should still fall under the radar at the minimum salary, despite finishing 3-T18 here at the Shriners Open in 2018 and 2019.
Joseph Bramlett - $20
As expected, Bramlett was absolutely terrible with the flat stick in Mississippi last week and finished outside the top 50 on the leaderboard, but he pulls us right back in with such incredible ball striking for the deflated salary he carries. Over his last 12 rounds, Bramlett is third in driving distance, fourth in SG: Approach, ninth in Opportunities Gained and 11th in SG: Tee-to-Green. He's definitely still worth the dart throw in GPP lineups, and those brave enough to keep rostering him will thank the putting variance gods someday.
