What To Look For: 2020 Shriners Hospital for Children Open

Sergio Garcia won the Sanderson Farms Championship

Sergio put in a dominating performance from tee to green. Here's how he ranked at Sanderson Farms (out of 144 players):

Driving Effectiveness: 2nd

Green Zone (75-125 yards): 12th

Yellow Zone (125-175 yards): 37th

Red Zone (175-225 yards): 15th

I feel these alternate field events should be considered by more full-time Tour players.  It's a good way to take advantage of weaker fields and gain valuable FedEx points and at least get into a groove early into the season.  And if you win, like Sergio did, you've solidified a spot at Kapalua which is usually a 30-man event which greatly increases your odds of finishing in the top-5 and there's no cut so it's an automatic pay day.

And this may make Sergio a good pick for the Masters in November.

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This week the Tour heads back to Las Vegas and TPC Summerlin for the Shriners Hospital for Children Open:

The inaugural event occurred in 1983 as the Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic which was won by Fuzzy Zoeller.  It was a 90-hole event held at Las Vegas Country Club.  Since then it moved to other venues but has stuck with TPC Summerlin since 2001.  

TPC Summerlin is a private club designed by Bobby Weed.  Weed has designed numerous courses in Florida and personally I've enjoyed his designs.  Most of the players' opinions I've heard on the course are positive, but I'm sure that is partly due to many Tour players either residing in the Las Vegas area or in nearby Scottsdale.  Las Vegas has become a common residence for Tour players in recent years because of the weather, lack of state income tax and the tremendous private courses and facilities offered to them.

The course plays to a par-71 for the tournament at 7,255 yards at 2,700 feet above sea level.  Driving does have its importance here, but most strokes are gained and lost on mid-length approach shots. TPC Summerlin usually has the most difficult or one of the most difficult short game shots around the green on the entire Tour schedule.

The projected final Critical Hole on the course is the par-4, 442 yards, 12th hole.

There's not a lot to this hole other than approach shots can land in the water. The drive isn't even that difficult, but if a player finds the fairway bunker off the tee they can be looking at bogey/double bogey scenarios compared to a good drive down the middle that looks at birdie/par scenarios.

Projected Winning Score: -23

3JACK'S FAVORITES

Bryson DeChambeau +700

Webb Simpson +1,000

Patrick Cantlay +2,000

Hideki Matsuyama +2,000

Collin Morikawa +2,000

Matthew Wolff +2,500

3JACK'S DARK HORSE PICKS

Sergio Garcia +4,000

Stewart Cink +12,500

Adam Schenk +15,000

MJ Daffue +20,000

3JACK