2023 Shriners Children's Open Preview, Picks & Analysis

ALL eyes will be on Lexi Thompson as she becomes the seventh LPGA golfer to tee it up in a PGA Tour event in the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin.

At 20 years, 3 months and 18 days old, Tom Kim became the second youngest player to win twice on the PGA Tour since Ralph Guldahl in 1932 when he triumphed here 12 months ago. 

He was also the first player since Tiger Woods in 1996 to win twice before turning 21. If that wasn’t enough, Kim became just the second winner on Tour since Lee Trevino in 1974 to play 72 holes without recording a bogey (J.T. Poston did so at the 2019 Wyndham Championship).

Kim, who also won the Wyndham Championship last year, went head to head with Patrick Cantlay until the latter made a triple-bogey on the final hole to gift a three-stroke victory. He recorded an incredible 72-hole total of 24-under 260.

Afterwards, he said: “I got very lucky on the 18th. I’m not going to lie, Patrick played awesome, and it was an honour to battle with him, and to come out on top, I feel very fortunate.”

Apart from his win at TPC Summerlin, Kim has enjoyed seven top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, the most notable of which came at The Open, where he was joint runner-up. He is a sensational young talent with a huge future ahead of him.

At the other end of the scale is former champion Martin Laird, who will be looking for an upturn in fortunes. In 26 starts he had missed 14 cuts, with a solitary top-10 finish to his name when he finished joint runner-up at the 3M Open. Most worrying for the Scot was a run of nine missed cuts in 10 starts. He is hanging on to his status on the PGA Tour by the skin of his teeth and is in desperate need of a couple of good finishes - and soon. 

Also in the field is Thompson, who becomes the seventh LPGA golfer to take part in a PGA Tour event. I have to say that she is an odd choice. I have absolutely no issue with women playing alongside men but Thompson has hardly been in scintillating form this season and I will be astonished if she makes the cut. I would, however, love to be proved wrong.

Thompson hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since June 2019. She is ranked 82nd in the Race to the CME Globe. Only the top 60 make it to the CME Group Tour Championship. The top 80 have a full card for the following season. 

She was the youngest player ever to qualify for the US Women’s Open when she made it to her first major in 2007 at age 12. She won her first, and so far only, major at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, a month after her 19th birthday. But her best form seems a long time ago.

The Shriners has been hosted by numerous courses before settling at its current venue, TPC Summerlin. Past champions include Fuzzy Zoeller, Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, and Webb Simpson. At the same time, the Shriners Children’s Open has been a breakthrough tournament for several players, who earned their first victory on the PGA Tour at TPC Summerlin, including Woods in 1996.

The Course

Designed by renowned golf course architect Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller, TPC Summerlin is a par-72 measuring 7,243 yards. Carved out of the Nevada desert, it features canyons, water hazards, generous fairways and large greens.

Tournament Winners

It was won in 2015 by Smylie Kaufman, in 2016 by Rod Pampling, in 2017 by Patrick Cantlay, in 2018 by Bryson DeChambeau, in 2019 by Kevin Na, in 2020 by Martin Laird, in 2021 by Sungjae Im and last year by Tom Kim.

Form Guide

Don’t be at all surprised to see Tom Kim battling it out for the title again. He will return with wonderful memories.

To Win:

Tom Kim. Will have great memories from 2022

Five to Follow:

JT Poston. Underrated, and a great ball striker

Martin Laird. Needs a top 10

Lexi Thompson. Doing it for the women - and hits the ball a long way

Greyson Sigg. Just needs a bit of belief

Garrick Higgo. There are some encouraging signs of life from the left-hander