2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open
By T.J. Auclair · October 2, 2019
The PGA Tour is in Las Vegas this week for the 2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Bryson DeChambeau — with his game looking really sharp at the moment — returns to TPC Summerlin as the defending champ from a season ago, when he defeated Patrick Cantlay by a stroke.
Cantlay, on the other hand, was the winner in 2017 before finishing runner-up a year ago. He’s back, too.
Other big names in the field include Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Hideki Matsuyama and Gary Woodland.
RELATED: Here’s how the caddie picks fared at last week’s 2019 Safeway Open
So which players should you be watching closely this week at TPC Summerlin?
To help answer that question, we reached out to three experts – the people who walk alongside the players inside the ropes each week – the caddies.
Each caddie – anonymously – provided a pick to win, a darkhorse pick (darkhorses must be outside the top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking) and a player to finish inside the top 10.
Caddie 1
Winning Pick: Patrick Cantlay
Why: A win and a second the last two years in Vegas — along with his amazing consistency — leaves Patrick a “no brainer” this week.
Darkhorse Pick: Dylan Frittelli
Why: We’ve seen his name a lot lately, including last week with a T7 to go along with the T6 the week before in Jackson. He hasn’t got much of a track record here, but I’ll take my chances based on current form.
Top-10 finisher: Charles Howell III
Why: In Vegas, it’s only fitting to pick Charles — there are more ATMs here than any other Tour stop and that’s been his nickname forever. Cha-Ching!
Caddie 2
Winning Pick: Adam Scott
Why: Adam’s a great ball striker, he went to college here at UNLV — so he has ties to the area — and with reinvigorated putting stats, I think he’ll make a bunch of birdies this week.
Darkhorse Pick: Scottie Scheffler
Why: This is a good place for a rookie to win. Scottie is a long hitter and possesses an all-around great game. This could be his coming out party.
Top-10 finisher: Bryson DeChambeau
Why: It looks to me like his game is in really good shape. He had one bad day last week. He will continue his good form.
Caddie 3
Winning Pick: Brooks Koepka
Why: He is the best player in the world for a reason. That reason is that he’s the best. Not sure if he’s been playing or practicing golf in his off time, but for a player like him it never really seems to matter.
Darkhorse Pick: Adam Hadwin
Why: Finished second last week, so is in very good form coming in here.
Top-10 finisher: J.T. Poston
Why: Finished fourth here in 2017. Recently got his first win in Greensboro at the end of last season and finished 11th at Sanderson Farms in his first start of the season two weeks ago. Good form.
