Steve Palmer's Shriners Children's Open first-round preview and free golf betting tips

Where to watch the Shriners Children's Open

Sky Sports Main Event and Golf, 6pm Thursday

Best bets

Adam Hadwin to win 8.57pm threeball
2pts 6-5 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes

Matthew NeSmith to win 9.08pm threeball
2pts 23-20 bet365

Luke List to beat Nick Taylor
2pts 10-11 BoyleSports

Davis Thompson top American
1pt each-way 28-1 Hills

Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim dual forecast
0.5pt 180-1 bet365

Shriners Children's Open first-round preview

Ryder Cup stars Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard have been put in the same threeball for the first two rounds of the Shriners Children's Open, teeing off at 4.29pm UK and Ireland time at TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas.

Aberg and Hojgaard, seeing the course for the first time this week, will be joined by quirky Chinese 26-year-old Carl Yuan. This should be a good match between the two European young guns, but the most appealing first-round threeball wagers are Adam Hadwin (8.57pm) and Matthew NeSmith (9.08pm).

Hadwin has a great record in the desert and has never missed a cut at Summerlin, posting four top-tens, including fourth place in the 2019 Shriners and sixth in 2021. Hadwin, who lost a playoff for the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, can outscore Ryan Palmer and Justin Lower in Vegas.

NeSmith relishes this event, with form figures of 18-8-14-2, and he should arguably be odds-on to defeat Andrew Novak and Max McGreevy in round one of the Shriners. NeSmith tied for 25th place in last week's Sanderson Farms Championship, which was a tidy warm-up spin.

Luke List won the Sanderson Farms, showing off his ball-striking quality and regaining his place in the world's top 100. The powerhouse, 13th in the 2019 Shriners, was 25th in the Fortinet Championship prior to his Sunday success, so he has found a groove and can outscore Nick Taylor over 72 holes of the Shriners. Taylor has not competed since the Tour Championship at the end of August.

Davis Thompson, a rising star of the circuit who finished 12th on his Shriners debut last year, looks a big price for top American honours, while the Kims – Tom and Si Woo – can be backed at 180-1 in the outright dual forecast market.

Tom Kim is the defending champion, while Si Woo, fresh from winning a gold medal at the Asian Games, also relishes TPC Summerlin. The South Korean pair can end up first and second on Sunday.

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