Daily Fantasy Golf Course Primer: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

The PGA Tour hits the desert this week for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens provide a stark contrast to the burnout on the horizon. The field is not quite up to snuff compared to the WGC-HSBC Champions last week, but a few of the world's best have made the trip, and Jordan Spieth visits TPC Summerlin for the first time in his 2018-19 season debut.

Let's dig into the course and see what stats we can use to build our daily fantasy lineups this week.

Course and Tournament Info

Course: TPC Summerlin
Par: 71
Distance: 7,255
Tees/Fairways/Rough: Bermudagrass
Greens: Bentgrass

After flirting with 20-under par for half a decade, the winning score last year was a relatively mild 9-under as Patrick Cantlay earned his first career PGA Tour win. Last year was the first time the course played over par on average and the first time it ranked inside the top 30 in average over/under par.

Given the course history and the lack of any overhaul in the course or tournament, last year's spike in scoring looks to be due primarily to unusually windy conditions combined with an extra weak field. With Tony Finau and Bryson DeChambeau joining Spieth as the headliners this week, this field is already head and shoulders above the 2017 edition. The conditions seem favorable as well, as winds are not expected above 10 mph (though keep an eye out for changes later in the week). Look for a return to its birdie-yielding ways.

Key Stats

These stats have proven vital to success at TPC Summerlin.

Tee to green success with an emphasis on approach is once again a solid foundation this week. It can be tempting to look for unique stats every week, but on these birdie fest courses it is much more sustainable to rely on the tried-and-true methods and keep it simple. Over a large enough sample, golfers who are steady and consistent from tee to green will rise to the top. Approach stands out this week, as golfers in the top 10 have gained an average of 0.92 strokes on approach, according to FantasyNational. Birdies or better gained is always an essential stat on these easier courses, and in particular this week. Removing last year from consideration due to the atypical conditions, TPC Summerlin yielded the second most birdies of any course on Tour over the 2016-2017 season and the fourth most over the 2015-2016 season. Six of the par 4s range between 400 and 450 yards, making that the key range this week.

Course History Studs

Webb Simpson has played here each of the last five years, making the cut every time and racking up T20 and T4 finished in addition to his 2014 victory.

Tony Finau returns home from the Asian swing to a course where he has finished 16th or better three of the last four years. Jet lag could be a concern, but Finau has survived worse. He made the same trip last year, and a little body clock disruption is nothing compared to turning your ankle the day before the Masters.

Cantlay and Beau Hossler made their Shriners debuts last year in style, earning a win and a T7, respectively.

Alex Cejka pops with some terrific course form at TPC Summerlin. Cejka has made four straight cuts and finished T2-T27-T2-T18.

Mike Rodden is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Rodden also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mike_rodden. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.