Steve Palmer's Shriners Children's Open predictions & free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf red button from 2.30pm on Thursday

Best bets

Scottie Scheffler
3pts each-way 22-1 general

Sam Burns
2.5pts each-way 25-1 bet365

Maverick McNealy
1pt each-way 50-1 general

Matthew Wolff
1pt each-way 45-1 Betfred

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Regular Shriners contenders Patrick Cantlay and Bryson DeChambeau are giving the tournament a miss this year, meaning bookmakers are struggling to identify a clear favourite and everyone can be backed at least 20-1 for the Las Vegas shootout.

Viktor Hovland, who will have been disappointed to have managed only one point from five matches on his Ryder Cup debut, tops the market on his first Shriners start. Brooks Koepka, who won two points from four matches at Whistling Straits, is next in the betting.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Scottie Scheffler 22-1

Hovland and Koepka were unimpressive in the Ryder Cup, and strong preference for the Shriners Children's Open is for Scottie Scheffler, who appeared to come of age at Whistling Straits and looks set for a glorious future.

Scheffler made a barnstorming Ryder Cup debut. His selection was the captain's pick which raised most eyebrows among the American golfing public - Patrick Reed fans, in particular, were up in arms that a PGA Tour maiden had been chosen ahead of their man. There was a huge amount of pressure on Scheffler and then he was saddled with a difficult partner in DeChambeau.

Not only did Scheffler have to control his own emotions, he had to worry about DeChambeau and all the volatility that comes with him. Whistling Straits was a tough assignment for the 25-year-old but one he passed with flying colours.

Scheffler and DeChambeau halved with Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton in the opening fourballs, then they beat Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood the following day. Scheffler faced Rahm again in the Sunday singles, thrashing the world number one 4&3. Two-and-a-half points from three matches meant Scheffler became an instant American hero and his confidence levels must have gone through the roof.

Scheffler has been threatening a PGA Tour breakthrough ever since arriving on the circuit. He has won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour and was runner-up in the WGC-Match Play in March. A missed cut on the mark in last year's Shriners is of no concern - with 12 months more experience under his belt this powerhouse seems ready to win.

Next best bet

Sam Burns 25-1

The ball appeared to be on a string for Sam Burns in the Sanderson Farms Championship last week. His driving was awesome, his irons peppered flags and he gained almost 15 strokes on the field from tee to green. The eventual champion found 63 of 72 greens in regulation.

Burns could afford to be the 57th-best putter in the field and still win the Sanderson Farms. Typically, he is one of the best putters in the world - he finished ninth on the PGA Tour putting stats last season - so it is a terrifying prospect for his Shriners rivals that he might marry last week's long-game performance with a more standard week of putting.

Burns will not need to do any swing work between the Sanderson Farms and the Shriners - his ball-striking was almost perfect in Mississippi - so he can freshen up in a bid for back-to-back glory. He had a month off prior to the Sanderson Farms.

After his maiden victory in the Valspar Championship in May, Burns finished second in the AT&T Byron Nelson next time out.

Other selections

Maverick McNealy 50-1

Matthew Wolff 45-1

Maverick McNealy, a former world number one amateur who was a superstar at college, has made his base in Las Vegas and knows TPC Summerlin extremely well. McNealy's coach, Butch Harmon, is based 20 minutes from Vegas and the player practises either at Summerlin or TPC Las Vegas.

McNealy, along with Scheffler and Will Zalatoris, is vying for the title of best maiden on the PGA Tour. He has come mightily close to making his breakthrough this year, finishing runner-up to Daniel Berger in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, then an even closer second to Max Homa in the Fortinet Championship last time out.

The 25-year-old led the Fortinet for a long time, before messing up the 71st hole. He took an iron off the tee for safety, but his worst swing of the week resulted in a slice into trees and an ugly double-bogey. After an eagle at the 72nd hole, he lost by a shot.

McNealy showcased his amazing scrambling skills when leading the Fortinet. He just needs to tighten up a little off the tee to become a world-beater. Summerlin is a desert course which takes pressure off driving and he can attack it with local knowledge and confidence.

Complete a four-pronged attack with Matthew Wolff, who switched back to an old set of irons last week - the ones which he used to finish runner-up in the US Open last year. Wolff also employed those tools to finish runner-up in the Shriners last year - he lost a playoff to Martin Laird after carding a spectacular third-round 61.

Wolff closed with a 65 for 18th place on his Shriners debut in 2019 - Summerlin is a great fit for him - and an excellent weekend in Mississippi has set the gung-ho Californian up well for another Shriners title tilt.

Wolff fired rounds of 65 and 68 to finish 17th in the Sanderson Farms. From the US Open in June onwards, the 22-year-old has shown glimpses of his best, and he may soon be back to the level which made him one of the world's most promising youngsters.

Players to note

Harris English
One point from three matches, including a last-gasp singles failure against Lee Westwood, meant a poor Ryder Cup debut for English. He is well up to contending for Shriners glory though.

Jason Kokrak
The slugger won his maiden PGA Tour title a year ago in Vegas (Shadow Creek) and has been playing well since, but his Summerlin record is surprisingly poor.

Joaquin Niemann
The Chilean ended last season with a whimper, but a month off may have revived him and he has a decent Summerlin record.

TPC Summerlin course guide

Course TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
Prize money $7m ($1.26m to the winner)
Length 7,255 yards
Par 71
Field 144
Course records - 72 holes 260 Ryan Moore (2012), Webb Simpson (2013) 18 holes 60 JJ Henry (2013), Rod Pampling (2016)

Course winners taking part Martin Laird (twice), Ryan Moore, Webb Simpson

When to bet By 2.30pm on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf red button from 2.30pm on Thursday

Time difference Las Vegas is eight hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - Sanderson Farms Championship 1 S Burns (18-1), T2 N Watney (300-1), C Young (300-1), T4 H Norlander (140-1), H Buckley (200-1), A Landry (300-1), T Mullinax (300-1)

Course type Desert

Course overview TPC Summerlin has been part of this event since 1992, but the tournament used to be played over several different tracks. Until 2004, it was a five-round affair which was called the Las Vegas Invitational and the Invensys Classic. Then, under the titles of the Michelin Championship (2004-05), the Frys.com Open (2006-07) and the Justin Timberlake Open (2008-12), it became a four-round, 72-hole event. The pop star is no longer the title sponsor. Prior to 2008, other courses were used in tandem with Summerlin, but after Timberlake became tournament host it has been staged exclusively at Summerlin. It is an easy course for professionals and always serves up a birdie-fest. The three par-fives (the ninth, 13th and 16th) are straightforward and the 289-yard par-four 15th is driveable. The eighth, a 254-yard par-three, is by far the toughest hole.

Story of last year Martin Laird won at Summerlin for a second time, defeating Austin Cook and Matthew Wolff with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff.

Weather forecast Sunny and warm throughout, with gentle breezes, temperatures peaking at 29C on Thursday afternoon.

Type of player suited to the challenge Anyone arriving at Summerlin with a cold putter will struggle to stay the pace. Every hole bar the eighth is a solid birdie opportunity in fantastic weather this week and converting putts is a key to success.

Key attribute Touch

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