This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Shriners Open
Las Vegas, Nevada
TPC Summerlin - Par 71 - 7,255 yards
Field - 132 Entrants
Purse - $7M
The Preview
The PGA Tour's Asian swing culminated with a playoff in Shanghai, and over here in the States, we golf nerds back had the pleasure of skimming over ShotLink statistics during the alternate-field Sanderson Farms Championship. Our attention now turns to the familiarity of a 100-plus entrant field with a 36-hole cut featuring names such as Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, as Las Vegas' TPC Summerlin plays host to the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in the desert. The course plays a bit shorter than its 7,255-yard layout might indicate due to firm conditions, raising the value of driving accuracy as the fairways are susceptible to roll out. It shouldn't be necessary to worry about a morning/afternoon stack as the weather essentially looks identical Thursday and Friday.
Recent Champions
2017 - Patrick Cantlay
2016 - Rod Pampling
2015 - Smylie Kaufman
2014 - Ben Martin
2013 - Webb Simpson
2012 - Ryan Moore
2011 - Kevin Na
2010 - Jonathan Byrd
2009 - Martin Laird
Key Stats to Victory
Par Breakers - Six of the last eight champions have reached at least 20-under-par
Proximity 125-175 - A lofty percentage of approach shots will come from within this range of yardage, highlighting the importance of precision with full wedges and short irons
SG: Approach and SG: Putting - Second shots and conversions with the flat stick become key at a venue that lacks an emphasis on driving distance
Yahoo Value Picks - based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Tony Finau - $46
Finau failed to capitalize on a three-stroke lead over Xander Schauffele heading into Sunday's final round at the WGC-HSBC Champions, as the latter fired a 68 en route to his playoff victory. Finau's victory drought is still in tact with no wins since the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, but he's ascended to a career-best 15th in the OWGR thanks to six consecutive top-15s since the Northern Trust. Pairing recent form with course history, Finau owns three finishes of T16 or better in four career appearances at TPC Summerlin.
Webb Simpson - $43
The 2013 Shriners Open champion posted a scoring average of 65 on the way to his six-stroke victory in Vegas, but he's also added another pair of top-4s at the event. Simpson turned in consecutive top-6s at the BMW and TOUR Championships to end his 2017-18 campaign on a high note, having ranked sixth on Tour in SG: Putting and ninth in SG: Total last season.
Patrick Cantlay - $41
Cantlay claimed his maiden PGA Tour victory at the 2017 Shriners Open in a three-man playoff over Alex Cejka and Whee Kim, despite it being his TPC Summerlin debut. The West Coast native has improved in each event since a T55 at the BMW Championship, most recently notching a T7 in China. He's one of the best ball strikers in this week's field, but must make improvements with the flat stick in order to defend his title.
Glue Guys
Gary Woodland - $39
Woodland is coming off a 27-birdie, runner-up performance at the CIMB Classic, bringing his last four results to an impressive 2-T5-T11-T12 since the BMW Championship. His power off the tee might not provide as much of an advantage this week in the desert, but he placed top-20 during his TPC Summerlin debut in 2017. Furthermore, Woodland ranked 21st on Tour in SG: Approach and 10th in GIR percentage last season.
Aaron Wise - $36
The 2017-18 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year begins his sophomore campaign this week in Vegas, having finished T32-T10 in two career showings at the Shriners Open. In terms of strokes gained, Wise was positive across the board as a rookie while ranking 35th in proximity from 150-175 yards.
Cameron Davis - $32
A missed cut at the alternate-field Sanderson Farms Championship should help drive ownership away from Davis in this price range, making the Australian a solid candidate for GPPs. Davis put up a brutal putting performance at the Country Club of Jackson, but he's been stellar in terms of SG: Approach. Davis ranked second in birdie average, third in putting average, seventh in GIR percentage and ninth in ball striking on the Web.com Tour in 2018. Hopefully for Davis he'll be able to figure out the greens at TPC Summerlin.
Bargain Bin
Cameron Champ - $23
There's a ton of hype surrounding the Sanderson Farms Championship winner after the rookie notched his first PGA Tour victory in Mississippi, so expect heightened ownership at a price that doesn't reflect Champ's betting odds. The 23-year-old bomber showed a ton of poise as he birdied five of his last six holes this past week, gaining a healthy amount of confidence with his putter as well.
Scott Piercy - $21
The Shriners Open is a home game for this Las Vegas native, who's also a member at the exclusive nearby Summit Club. Piercy has finished T32 or better in four consecutive TPC Summerlin appearances and posted a T5 in his last start at the CJ Cup, where he ranked fourth in putts per GIR and top-25 in both driving accuracy and scrambling.
Corey Conners - $20
Conners quietly bounced back from two missed cuts with a runner-up result at the Sanderson Farms Championship while Champ stole the show, but the Canadian climbed 170 spots in the OWGR to No. 268. Conners ranked top-4 among the field in both SG: Around-the-Green and GIR percentage, a combination that led to just four total bogeys in 72 holes at the Country Club of Jackson.
Strategy Tips on Yahoo this week
There aren't many tournaments in the current climate of professional golf that cater to shorter hitters, but by glancing at the list of recent champions it becomes clear that pretty much any style of play has a chance at TPC Summerlin. This makes lineup selection a bit more interesting as a higher percentage of the player pool becomes ownable, though it remains essential to snag a couple of the field's household names with top-tier betting odds as birdie-or-better percentage is so important in DFS especially. Unlike the past few weeks, a 36-hole cut should entice gamers to select a couple low-upside options with quality short games in cash-game formats.
