X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Horse For The Course: PGA DFS Course History - 2021 Shriners Hospitals For Children Open

Joe Nicely's under-the-radar DraftKings, FanDuel PGA DFS picks for the 2021 Shriners Hospitals For Children Open. His Horse for the Course for daily fantasy golf based on course history.

Hello PGA DFS family and welcome back to Horse For The Course! We might have a legit star-in-the-making with Sam Burns, a young man that just captured his second PGA Tour victory in less than a year in last week's Sanderson Farms Championship. Burns has a skill set that's suited perfectly to the modern game and current PGA Tour course setups, so I expect him to be a force for years to come.

Last week's Sanderson kicked off a solid two-month stretch of fall golf. This week we head to Las Vegas for one of the Swing Season's best events, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Let's dive in!

Horse For The Course is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our amazing PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 50% off using code SUMMER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

2021 Shriners Hospitals For Children Open

After a Sam Burns win at the Sanderson, the fall season is now kicking into high gear as we head to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open. The Shriners has long been a fixture on the Swing Season calendar and has morphed into one of the best events of the fall schedule.

This week's TPC Summerlin layout is an easy one for the pros (though we did see an outlier hard windy week a few years ago) and provides an exciting tournament from a DFS perspective. In addition to the exciting layout, it seems as though the Shriners field just gets better and better every year. This edition is no different, as the turnout is about as strong as you'll see for a normal, full-field event in the fall.

Defending Shriners champion Martin Laird will be back to defend his title and will attempt to win this event for the third time in his career. It will be a tough task, as he'll need to hold off a fairly stacked field of competitors that includes last week's winner, Sam Burns; Ryder Cup participants Viktor Hovland, Paul Casey, Harris English, Brooks Koepka, and Scottie Scheffler; as well as top-tier talents like Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Louis Oosthuizen, and Webb Simpson. I told you...this is a stout Swing Season field and I think it will make for a great PGA DFS slate!

You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. And be sure to read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles to help you win big!

 

The Course: TPC Summerlin

Par 71 - 7,255 Yards, Greens: Bent, Architect: Bobby Weed

Fairly short by modern standards at just over 7,200 yards, this Las Vegas track has reachable Par-5s and a driveable Par-4 - which allows players to rack up birdies - but is short enough to bring every player in the field into the mix. The fairways are wide and firm with huge Bentgrass green complexes that generally roll on the slow side. Summerlin routinely ranks as one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour schedule, but we have seen wind and weather occasionally play a factor on this layout that sits at high elevation, as Patrick Cantlay won this event at just nine-under par in outlier conditions four years ago. While this course is on the shorter side, we haven't traditionally seen bombers have a huge advantage here, as the past winners of the Shriners have mostly been sharp ball-strikers or been on fire with the putter...like last year's surprise winner, veteran Martin Laird. I'll be targeting ball striking and Strokes Gained: Approach this week, as well as players that can rack up birdies.

Check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett for an in-depth breakdown of this week's golf course!

 

Recent Sanderson Winners

  • Martin Laird (-23)
  • Kevin Na (-23)
  • Bryson DeChambeau (-21)
  • Patrick Cantlay (-9)
  • Rob Pampling (-20)

 

The Horse

Abraham Ancer

Notable Course History: 4th (2021 Season), MC ('20), T4 ('19), MC ('18)
DraftKings Price: $10,400  FanDuel Price: $11,800

I never really know what I'm gonna find from week to week when digging into course history for various events. This week's Shriners happens to be one of those tournaments in which there are tons of players with very good and extended track records of success. While there are many with longer and more consistent Shriners track records than Abraham Ancer (some of whom will touch on in this week's article), he gets the nod as this week's Horse due to the high upside that he's demonstrated at TPC Summerlin, as well as his strong and consistent form throughout 2021.

Ancer is a player that entered 2021 in search of his first career victory on the PGA Tour and many of us in the PGA DFS community felt that it was just a matter of time for the man from Mexico. Sure enough, he captured a win in a huge event, winning the WGC-FedEx St. Jude in dramatic fashion. It was certainly no fluke, as the 30-year-old was one of golf's most consistent producers in 2021. Over 20 starts in the calendar year, Ancer posted the win in Memphis, as well as seven additional top-10 finishes, while missing only three cuts.

His consistency can be attributed to his razor-sharp accuracy from tee to green. Over the last 50 rounds, Ancer leads this week's Shriners field in Good Drives Gained and ranks fifth in Overall Proximity. In short, when you hit as many fairways and greens as this guy does, good things are going to happen. This week's TPC Summerlin layout - despite being relatively forgiving off the tee - hasn't exactly been a bomber's paradise historically. No, the Vegas track has generally led to tons of success for accurate drivers of the ball and sharp iron players, such as Martin Laird, Kevin Na, and Patrick Cantlay. Obviously, the player that wins this week will need to make tons of putts and that has been the most erratic part of Ancer's game over his career. However, Bent has historically been his best putting surface (by far) and he has looked improved with the flatstick overall, gaining strokes putting in nine of his last 10 measured starts.

 

The Ponies

Webb Simpson

Notable Course History: T13 ('21), T7 ('20), T15 ('19), T20 ('18), Win ('13)
DraftKings Price: $10,200 FanDuel Price: $11,500

I wouldn’t call 2021 a bad year for Webb Simpson - he made the cut in three of four majors and logged four top-10 finishes - but I think it’s fair to label it as a disappointing year for Simpson, a player that we’ve come to expect an elite level of consistency from. 

Alarm bells went off for PGA fans when the Carolina native was forced to withdraw from the Wells Fargo Championship - an event that's held on his home course - due to a neck injury in May. His results dipped after his return and - after gutting out a T30 in the PGA Championship - he missed the cut in back-to-back starts for the first time since 2017. The Wake Forest alum also failed to qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship for the first since 2016 and was subsequently skipped over as a Ryder Cup selection. 

Despite the underwhelming year, Simpson did battle back down the stretch to post top-20 results in three of his last five 2020-21 starts before recording a mediocre T30 in this season’s opener, the Fortinet Championship. What Webb heads to this week is perhaps the ultimate “get right” spot, as he’s been tremendous throughout his career in the Shriners. He won the event in 2013 and hasn’t finished outside the top-20 in his last four starts at TPC Summerlin. The vet also leads the field in SG: Total for this event over the last five years.

 

*UPDATE: Kevin Na Has Withdrawn From The Shriners*

Notable Course History: T43 ('21), Win ('20), MC ('19), MC ('17), Win ('11)
DraftKings Price: $9,100 FanDuel Price: $10,400

Kevin Na at TPC Summerlin is almost the definition of a “Horse For The Course” and it’s truly the type of situation this article is built around, as it represents a perfect course fit for a player with a unique skill set. We know Na’s MO...he lacks distance off the tee, but makes up for those shortcomings with sharp iron play and tremendous putting. While he is effectively drawing dead on many of the behemoth courses that make up the PGA Tour’s schedule, Na’s style still translates to a handful of layouts throughout the year, with TPC Summerlin being chief among them. He’s captured the Shriners title twice, with his most recent victory at TPC Summerlin coming in 2019. 

In addition to the ultra-elite course history, Na comes into the event after closing the 2020-21 season in white-hot form. He posted a pair of runner-ups (John Deere & Wyndham), as well as a third-place finish at the TOUR Championship over the last two months of the season. He did miss the cut in his most recent start at the Fortinet, though we can likely chalk that up to “Kevin Na being Kevin Na”, as he does come with a big level of volatility that can result in missed cuts or WDs. Even taking those very real concerns into account, he still stands out as an option that deserves very serious DFS consideration this week.

 

Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS PGA subscription?

Like what you read today? You can show your support for Joe by using promo code NICE when purchasing a PGA Premium Pass. You get 10% off and full access to all of our Premium PGA articles, DFS tools, and Lineup Optimizer!

 

Joaquin Niemann

Notable Course History: T13 ('21), MC ('20), T10 ('19)
DraftKings Price: $8,300 FanDuel Price: $10,000

It feels like an underwhelming stretch run in the FedEx Cup Playoffs has Joaquin Niemann off the radar a bit this week, but I’m very interested in rostering the Chilean at his reasonable $8.3k DK price tag. The closest Niemann came to a win in 2021 was a playoff loss at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, but we shouldn’t let the lack of wins distract us from what was an otherwise rock-solid year for the youngster. Once one of the most volatile players on the PGA Tour, the 22-year-old produced his most consistent season as a pro in 2021, making the cut in a staggering 26 of 27 starts over the ‘20-21 season. His history at TPC Summerlin is just as strong, as he’s recorded two top-13 finishes in three career Shriners starts.

 

Matthew Wolff

Notable Course History: T2 ('21), T18 ('20)
DraftKings Price: $8,200 FanDuel Price: $9,900

If you are going into any PGA DFS slate “relying” on Matthew Wolff, you’re doing it wrong. However, if you are strictly looking for upside, Wolff’s DFS ceiling is basically as high as anyone’s in this field. 

If you follow the game closely, you are likely aware that Wolff stepped away from golf for nearly four months earlier this year. He returned to post an oh-yeah-this-kid-can-still-play T15 in the U.S. Open before closing out the season with a run of uneven play. The 22-year-old teed it up for the first time in over a month last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship, making the cut on the number and promptly going 65-68 over the weekend. He now brings that positive momentum to a TPC Summerlin layout on which he’s thrived in two career appearances.

 

Brian Harman

Notable Course History: T13 ('21), T18 ('20), T15 ('17)
DraftKings Price: $7,600 FanDuel Price: $9,700

Sans a win, the little lefty had perhaps his best season as a pro in '20-21. Harman notched top-20 results in three major championships and also posted a top-five at the PLAYERS Championship. Unfortunately, the veteran ran out of steam down the stretch of the season, losing strokes on Approach in each of his four starts. As a result, we find the veteran priced at $7.6k on DraftKings rather than $8.6k. It's a nice "buy low" spot, as TPC Summerlin represents a nice bounce-back opportunity for him. He's finished inside the top-18 in each of his last three starts in the Shriners and if he can find the form he showcased earlier this year, he could prove to be one of the stronger value options on this slate. If we are bargain shopping between sites, Harman sticks out as perhaps the best salary saver available when comparing his DK price to his FD tag.

  Win More With RotoBaller

Win more with expert tools and advice from proven winners! RotoBaller's PGA Premium Packages feature several savvy analysts and proven winners for DFS and betting.

Our very own Joe Nicely took down a big DraftKings DFS tournament for the Travelers Championship. And as an encore, RotoBaller subscriber @tenndolly2 won $100K on FanDuel with the help of Joe and the rest of our Premium PGA team:

Between all the incredible Premium PGA DFS and Betting content and tools we put out each week, and our Premium Slack Community where we chat with our subscribers before lineups lock, RotoBaller PGA subscribers are armed with the tools, analysis, and advice to win more.

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks


More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Remains an Overrated Road Racer
Brad Keselowski

Likely to Brush Past Chicago Street Course to Focus on Daytona
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek One of the Best Underdog Options After Strong Runs at Mexico City and Last Year
Cole Custer

Strong Mexico City Run and Xfinity Series Chicago Win Make Him a Solid DFS Option
Erik Jones

Likely Not Good Enough on Road Courses for DFS Consideration Despite Poor Qualifying Result
Noah Gragson

May Be Better Than Other Cheap DFS Options
Riley Herbst

Despite Decent Mexico City Run, Don't Expect Riley Herbst to Contend at Chicago
Cody Ware

Is a Road Course Veteran, but It's Rarely Helped Him in NASCAR
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Is The Heavy Favorite to Win at Chicago Street Course
Christopher Bell

Should Be Strong Despite Practice Struggles at Chicago Street Course
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade may not Happen Until "August, September"
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Houston Rockets

Jock Landale Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner, Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
James Wood

Goes Yard in Five-Hit Night
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers

Jaxson Hayes Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Max Muncy

Out at Least Six Weeks
Clarke Schmidt

Leaves Start with Forearm Tightness
Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
Max Scherzer

Cleared to Start on Saturday
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Kodai Senga

Could be "in Play" to Return Before All-Star Break
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Jacob Monk

Sees Plenty of Work With Starters
Avonte Maddox

has Impressed Dan Campbell
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Chicago Bears

Ruben Hyppolite Shows Notable Improvement
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Heading to Toronto
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF