Defending champion Tom Kim deserves his praise for winning the Shriners Children’s Open last season. While Kim will return to defend his championship, LPGA star Lexi Thompson will be one of the biggest stars of the week. Thompson is playing in the event on a sponsor’s exemption to see how she can stack up with PGA golfers.
The Shriners Children’s Open, once known as the Las Vegas Invitational, has been around under various names since 1983. When the event debuted in 1983, it had the highest purse in PGA Tour history at $750,000. Fuzzy Zoeller won the first event at the Las Vegas Country Club. Over the years, the event has featured top players, and several have made notable accomplishments there.
Tiger Woods won his first PGA Tour Victory in Las Vegas in October 1996 by defeating Davis Love III in a playoff. This should be a fun event and will build on the momentum established by last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship.
List Wins as Big Underdog
Luke List ended up surviving the first five-player playoff in seven years to win the Sanderson Farms Championship last week. It was List’s second win on the PGA Tour. He also won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2022.
List was the only player to birdie the playoff hole, the par-4 18th hole, at The Country Club of Jackson. He finished tied with Scott Stallings, Ben Griffin, Henrik Norlander, and Ludvig Aberg at -18 in regulation. List’s win gave him the winner’s share of $1.476 million dollars.
The last time a PGA Tour event had five players reach the playoff was during The RSM Classic in November 2016. List’s win provided a nice moment for the 38-year-old American. He had placed in a tie for 25th, 33rd, and 35th during three of his past four includes. He withdrew from the event where he didn’t make the cut.
Kim Ready to Defend Crown
Kim, 21, had an exciting 2022 on the PGA Tour, winning the Wyndham Championship and Shriner Children’s Open. This season hasn’t produced any wins for the South Korean, but he has been steadily building his reputation. Kim made the cut in three of the four majors this season, only missing out on the final rounds of the PGA Championship.
Kim tied for second place at The Open Championship, tied for eighth place in the U.S. Open, and 16th at the Masters Tournament. Last season, Kim played bogey free for 72 holes as he became the youngest winner in tournament history.
Thompson Adds Flair to Event
Being set in Las Vegas, the Shriner Children’s Classic needs to have some flair. Winners of the tournament typically receive the trophy from two showgirls, which adds some spice to the photos. Justin Timberlake hosted the event for several years. But Thompson getting a sponsor’s exemption to play will be a good opportunity for the LPGA.
Thompson will now be the seventh woman to play on the PGA Tour. She will be the first to do so since Brittany Lincicome played at the Barbasol Championship in 2018. Thompson, 28, has been on the LPGA Tour since 2010 and has won 15 events.
Thompson’s crowning achievement was winning a major by capturing the Chevron Championship in 2014.
Aberg Hopes for Breakthrough Performance
Ludvig Aberg came painfully close to winning his first PGA Tour event last week. The Swedish golfer, who earned his tour card by topping the PGA Tour University rankings, has been consistent on the tour this season. Where Aberg really broke out was during the Ryder Cup competition.
Aberg went undefeated during Foursomes while paired with Viktor Holvan to help Team Europe beat the United States 16.5-11.5. Aberg does have a professional win on the European Tour, winning the Omega European Masters in September. His best finish on the PGA Tour before tying for second last week was a fourth-place finish at the John Deere Classic earlier this summer.
Two Former Players Championship Winners Enter Field
Both Webb Simpson and Si Woo Kim will enter the event looking for a share of the $1.512 million purse for winning. Simpson, 38, has won seven PGA Tour events during his career. This year hasn’t been the best for Simpson.
He has missed the cut in three of his past five events. Simpson’s best finish was a tie for fifth place at the Wyndham Championship in August. Si Woo Kim has had a strong year. The 28-year-old South Korean won his fourth career event by shooting 18-under par at the Sony Open in January. He now has four PGA Tour wins in his career.
Other Top Players Will Dot the Field
In addition to the players above, there will be several former PGA Tour winners participating. Stewart Cink, Tom Hoge, and Emiliano Grillo are all slated to play. The total purse for the event is $8.4 million. There will be 500 FedEx Cup points available to the winning golfer.
Professionals Have Crushed the Course Over Last Two Years
Tom Kim continued to give the South Koreans a second consecutive winner at the event. In 2021, Im Sung-jae won the event by shooting a course-record 24-under par 260. Kim equaled his score and the record the next year. Previously, Webb Simpson (2013) and Ryan Moore (2012) had also shot 24-under to win the event.
Over the course of the event’s history, there have been several repeat champions. Jim Furyk has won the event a record three times. Martin Laird and Kevin Na have also won the event twice. Laird was the last repeat champion after he won in a playoff in 2020.
The event was previously a five-round event until the format switched to a traditional four-round format in 2004. When the event was five rounds, Andrew Magee and Stuart Appleby had the record for top score at 31 under.