Here are nine tidbits from the opening round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin that gamers can use Friday, this weekend or down the road! Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the conclusion of play for each round of the tournament! 1. What jetlag? Whee Kim played in Korea two weeks before opening his TOUR season T54 at the Safeway Open. He jetted back to Asia the following week and collected T39 at the CIMB Classic before cashing a check for fourth place at THE CJ CUP AT NINE BRIDGES. If the travel is bothering him it surely wasn’t evident in his six-under-par 65. His six birdies against zero bogeys is his best round at TPC Summerlin in eight tries. His reward is being the leader in the clubhouse as darkness halted play in Round 1. 2. Former Runnin’ Rebel Charley Hoffman has been the center of attention this week for multiple reasons. He played host to the pro-am and he’s donating his winnings this week to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. There’s no doubt he’s the people’s favorite and he didn’t disappoint in Round 1 as he posted 68 (-3). 3. Las Vegas resident Alex Cejka has played five weekends in seven attempts at TPC Summerlin since 2008 and has never finished worse than T27. He might not have been on the radar but he’s 37-under-par the last three years. The fact that he was fired a bogey-free 66 isn’t terribly surprising. After missing the cut at Safeway to open the season and being disqualified last week at Sanderson Farms, I could argue it might be. 4. After taking seven weeks off, Billy Horschel returned to competition this week and opened with 67. I’m cautiously optimistic moving forward as he hasn’t taken home a top 25 since the FESJC last June. Remember, his instructor Todd Anderson moved from Sea Island to TPC Sawgrass recently. Remember, Horschel resides just down the street from the course. Gamers should be watching intently to see if having his coach nearby helps with his consistency moving forward. 5. Course historians might not have been looking in Jason Kokrak’s direction this week due to three missed cuts and nothing better than T38 in five previous starts. This emphasizes why cherry picking metrics might not be the best fantasy strategy. Kokrak has cashed checks in 10 of his last 13 stretching back to his solo fourth at TPC Four Seasons. Of those 10 paydays, eight have gone for T35 or better including T17 at Safeway and T7 last week in Mississippi. He also sits on 67 after one round. 6. Hello, Jimmy Stanger! For the second week in a row he’s in the field as a sponsor’s exemption (MC, Sanderson Farms Championship). For the first week in a row he’s currently five-under-par through 15 holes. He won the ACC championship at Virginia last spring and played on the Palmer Cup team last summer as he wrapped up his amateur career. He jumped right into the pro world as he won the First Stage of Web.com Q-School October 14 as he posted 20-under. Gamers, pay attention! 7. Where’s Webb? Webb Simpson has won the second-most money in this event so it’s hardly surprising that he is owned by 62.5% of players in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. His opening round of 70 is his 22nd consecutive at par or better. Be patient. 8. Defending champion Rod Pampling hasn’t recorded a top 25 in a full-field TOUR event since his victory on this track last year. His opening round 70 suggests his confidence could be building here but the fantasy jury is still out. 9. Last but certainly not least, Kevin Na withdrew today missing a chance to add to his cash haul on the course of his only TOUR victory. This is good and bad news for those of you playing PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The bad news is that 15% had him on the roster, T13 most this week. The good news is the game, thankfully, allows for substitutions. If you’re in this group, CHANGE YOUR LINEUP!!
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