This article is part of our FanDuel PGA DFS Picks series.
Shriners Hospitals For Children Open
TPC Summerlin (7,255, par 71)
Purse: $6.6 million
Winner: $1,188,000 and 500 FedExCup points
Tournament Preview
The field this week in Las Vegas will be headlined by four-time major winner Brooks Koepka who is making his season debut. Joining him will be Presidents Cup teammates Bryson DeChambeau -- the defending champion -- and Patrick Cantlay, the winner here in 2017. Phil Mickelson will be teeing it up for the second week in a row, as will Adam Scott, who scored a T17 in Napa. Safeway Open winner Cameron Champ will look to stay hot after his impressive and emotional victory last Sunday. This will be one of the best fields in tournament history, as major winners such as Webb Simpson, Gary Woodland, Lucas Glover, Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, and Jim Furyk are in Vegas hoping to hit the jackpot. Weather will not be a factor, whatsoever.
Recent Champions
2018 – Bryson DeChambeau
2017 – Patrick Cantlay
2016 – Rod Pampling
2015 – Smylie Kaufman
2014 – Ben Martin
2013 – Webb Simpson
2012 – Ryan Moore
2011 – Kevin Na
2010 – Jonathan Byrd
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
SG: Putting
Birdie Average
SG: Off-the-Tee
Champion's Profile
Last year Bryson DeChambeau led the field in SG: Tee-to-Green on his way to edging out Patrick Cantlay with a key eagle of nearly 60 feet on the par-5 16th hole on Sunday. Other than a blustery tournament in 2017, TPC Summerlin has been among the friendliest par 71s on Tour. The rough will be of little concern to the golfers this week, giving bombers the chance to shine if they can avoid the 102 bunkers. Players will also find the bentgrass greens in Vegas much easier than the poa annua they faced last week in Napa. Iron play is going to be critical to give players enough looks for birdie to keep pace. It will be tough to stay in it if you don't have the putter cooperating this week, however.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Patrick Cantlay ($11,800)
Cantlay shook off the rust in Napa last week, but only managed a T40. Expect him to be much more competitive this week. The last two years in Vegas, Cantlay scored his first PGA Tour win in 2017 and was runner-up in 2018. When he's right, the UCLA product has no weaknesses. It's hard to see him not contending.
Webb Simpson ($11,300)
Just about nobody has had more success on TPC Summerlin than Simpson. He's made 7-of-8 cuts in his career, with a win in 2013, three top-5s, and five top-20's. Simpson's iron play and putting are the biggest reasons for his strong play in Vegas. Last year he ranked 14th on Tour in SG: Approach and 11th in SG: Putting. He was also fifth in SG: Total and third in scoring average. Take Simpson this week and don't think twice.
Collin Morikawa ($10,900)
Morikawa only played in nine events last season, but he certainly made the most of them, earning a win at the Barracuda Championship that was preceded by a T2 and T4. He would have ranked fourth last season in SG: Approach had he been eligible, and would've been among the leaders in driving accuracy, GIR percentage and birdie average as well. Morikawa will be throwing darts once again this week in Vegas. He posted a top-10 in his season debut in Napa.
Joaquin Niemann ($10,700)
The 20-year-old from Chile followed up his win at The Greenbrier with an inconsistent T54 showing at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He decided to take a break last week, which should bring him into Vegas fresh. TPC Summerlin is a perfect course for him to show off his skills. Niemann is second in SG: Tee-to-Green this season, and he should find these greens very similar to the one's at The Greenbrier where he gained nearly nine strokes on the field.
Longer Shots Worth a Risk
Brian Harman ($9,400)
Harman has pretty solid value here. So far this season he has scored a T3 at The Greenbrier and a T14 at the Sanderson Farms event. That is a continuation from a strong finish to last season that included three top-10's in his final seven starts. He has improved his tee-to-green game in that stretch, which is complementing his always reliable putter. Harman last played at TPC Summerlin in 2016, when he scored a T15.
Sebastian Munoz ($9,200)
Munoz was going into the Safeway Open last week off a T7 and a win in his first two starts. The Colombian then went out and played his way into the final group on Sunday, but had a final round to forget, shooting a 76. At $9,200 this week, Munoz is an absolute steal. He is rolling right now without the benefit of a hot putter.
Nick Taylor (8,600)
Taylor has posted two top-25's in three starts this season, with his best showing coming last week in Napa, when he finished T10. He ranked top-16 in both SG: Putting and SG: Tee-to-Green at the Safeway Open. Taylor was also third in driving accuracy and T14 in GIR. The Canadian has a good history in Vegas, making the cut in all five of his starts. Taylor is a good bet for at worst a solid top-25 finish this week.
Lanto Griffin ($8,600)
The 31-year-old out of VCU has been as consistent as anyone to start the season, posting finishes of 13th-T11-T17 in the first three events. His ball striking has been solid, but it's his short game that deserves most of the credit. Griffin ranks 12th in scrambling percentage and fifth in SG: Putting this season. If that putter stays hot on these greens, Griffin will be in the hunt for the fourth straight week.
Strategy Tips for this week (based on a 60k standard salary cap)
There's a lot of stars at the top this week, but all the value is in the mid-tier. Along with the players I mentioned above, I also like Lucas Glover, who has a third and a T7 in his last two attempts at TPC Summerlin. Charles Howell III is also priced under $10,000 and has three top-20s in his last four trips to Vegas, and is also coming off a T4 at the Safeway Open. Ryan Moore, Jim Furyk, and Emiliano Grillo all fit the prototype for success at TPC Summerlin as great iron players. Everyone that I mentioned here falls between $9,000 and $10,000. Grab a Cantlay, DeChambeau, Adam Scott, or Simpson up top first. Then look lower for players like Taylor, Griffin, or Chesson Hadley, who hasn't gotten off to a great start this year, but owns finishes of T4 and T7 the last two years in Vegas. That will allow you to bolster your lineup with four strong mid-tier players, where again, the most value lies.
