“Between Bets” is an article series revealing our staff’s best wagers across the NFL, NASCAR and PGA Tour. This week’s bets feature our favorite wagers for the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Shriners Children’s Open 2023 Betting Picks
Tom Kim (+1100)
The defending champion of the Shriners Children’s Open, Tom Kim, is looking poised to repeat. He is in excellent form and played lights out here last year in his first start at TPC Summerlin. Kim is arguably one of the most consistent players on Tour, and his approach game is second to none when he’s firing on all cylinders. He has the second-highest birdie-or-better rate in this field, and I expect that to keep rolling here. It’s really difficult to poke many holes in Kim’s game; he’s just solid. Driving distance is the only thing that stands out as being somewhat of a weakness, but even that is mitigated at TPC Summerlin which plays at over half of a mile above sea level. This should be a walk in the park for Tom Kim, and 11/1 seems like a great value for one of the few elite players in this field.
Eric Cole (+3500)
I’m actually kind of glad we got a lackluster week from Eric Cole at the Sanderson Farm’s Championship. I like the way he sets up even better this week at TPC Summerlin and at a much better number, 35/1. This is a golfer who can make birdies by the dozen, and this is going to be a birdie-fest. Cole is similar to Kim in that he isn’t going to gain a ton of strokes off the tee typically, but he makes up for that with an elite approach game and a solid putter. He isn’t as short as Kim, and he is even more accurate on approach – and we know that composition can work here, as it has been proven time and again. We all are waiting for Cole to rise to the occasion and get his first win, and that is absolutely within the range of outcomes at the Shriners Children’s Open.
Vincent Norrman (+3500)
Vincent Norrman is one of the few long-ball hitters who will find their way onto my betting card this week. He is a bomber, averaging 313 yards per drive. He is also reasonably accurate, hitting fairways at a 60% clip. The thing that plagues Norrman is his putter. I would go as far as to say that he is a bad putter. He has only gained on the green three times in his last 10 starts, and when he loses strokes, it’s in grand fashion. In his last start, he lost 6.3 to the field. Why would I bet him? Even as horrific as he is on the green from time to time, he has continued to make cuts, and when he does put it all together, he wins. Go check out his performance at the Barbasol Championship, where he gained almost 15 strokes total on the field. He is an anomaly for me this week. He did not play well here in his only start, but he also did not have the Tour history or form he has now. The approach game, the par-5 scoring and the birdie-or-better rate are what have me buying in on him here. As I mentioned, we just need a flat week out of his putter and he is more than capable of winning at TPC Summerlin.
Matthew NeSmith (+7000)
This may be the only time all year that I bet Matthew NeSmith outright. TPC Summerlin just seems to fit his eye. He has great course history here, with two T10s and two T20s in four starts. He has gained more strokes at this course than anyone else in the field, including former winners of this event. I’m not sure what it is about the Sanderson Farms and the Shriners Children’s Open that brings out the good play in NeSmith. He was not in great form leading up to it in 2022 or this year, either. He did finish 25th last week. What held him back was the off-the-tee game, which will be mitigated here, as it is not his accuracy, but his distance normally. He is not typically a birdie machine, so I do feel like that is reflected in the 70/1 number we are getting on him. However, he can get in the ring and box at this event, and he is the long shot I have my eye on this week!
Other Outright Bets to Consider for the Shriners Children’s Open
- Ludvig Aberg (+1100)
- Cam Davis (+2200)
- Adam Hadwin (+3500)
- Aaron Rai (+5000)
- Sam Ryder (+6000)
- Kevin Yu (+13000)
Prop Bets to Consider for the Shriners Children’s Open
- Top American Player:
- Eric Cole (+2000)
- Top Asian Player:
- Tom Kim (+175)
Thanks for reading my best bets for the Shriners Children’s Open, and be sure to catch us live every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on the 19th Hole Live! Good luck this week!
*Photo Credit: Vincent Carchietta – USA TODAY Sports*