The First Look: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Brooks Koepka, making his 2019-20 PGA TOUR season debut, joins early-season winners Joaquin Niemann and Sebastián Muñoz in Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Koepka, a three-time winner last season, looks to get off to a quick start this fall as he builds toward the Presidents Cup in December, where he will be a vital cog in the Americans’ hopes against the International Team.  One of Koepka’s teammates, Bryson DeChambeau, is the defending champion at TPC Summerling, having beaten another U.S. Team member, Patrick Cantlay, by a single stroke. Cantlay won in Vegas the previous year. FIELD NOTES: Koepka, who played the Shriners from 2014-17, is making his return to Las Vegas. He’s notched a runner-up, a tie for fourth, and missed the cut twice. … Phil Mickelson will tee it up in Las Vegas for the first time since 2005 after playing the Safeway Open. … Adam Scott, who played for the UNLV golf team in the late 1990s, will be returning to Las Vegas. … Koepka’s brother, Chase, along with 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia, are in the field on sponsor exemptions. … Sebastián Muñoz, the early FedExCup leader, will be in the field after winning the Sanderson Farms Championship. He has two top-10’s on the season so far. … 2016 winner Smylie Kaufman will be playing his first PGA TOUR event since the John Deere Classic in July. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. COURSE: TPC Summerlin, 7,255 yards, par 71. The club, just west of Las Vegas, has hosted the Shriners since 1992. STORYLINES: Last time we saw Koepka, he tied for third at the TOUR Championship, five strokes behind FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy. Since 2012, Koepka has five worldwide wins after Labor Day. … Rickie Fowler is in the field, marking his 2019-20 TOUR debut. He finished T4 last year after shooting 6 under on his back nine. It was his first of six top-10s en route to finishing 19th on the FedExCup. … Former winners Kevin Na and Ryan Moore both are long-time Las Vegas residents and are back in the field alongside many other TOUR pros with ties to the desert. … Jim Furyk has won three times (1995, 1998, 1999), the only player to do so in this event, and the former FedExCup champ is back in action this week. Furyk, who turns 50 in 2020, played this week at the Safeway Open. … After his win last year, Bryson DeChambeau became a strong advocate for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. He invited patient ambassadors to his first Bryson DeChambeau Foundation Charity Day event. 72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Ryan Moore (2012), Webb Simpson (2013). 18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Chip Beck (3rd round, 1991 at Sunrise GC). TPC Summerlin record: 60, J.J. Henry (1st round, 2013), Rod Pampling (1st round, 2016). LAST TIME: Bryson DeChambeau won for the fourth time in 12 months after nailing an eagle from nearly 60 feet on the 16th hole Sunday. His 5-under 66 nipped defending champion Patrick Cantlay by one shot. Four players had a share of the lead on the back nine including Cantlay, who was looking to become the fist golfer in 20 years (Jim Furyk 1998-1999) to defend his title in Las Vegas. Cantlay made a bogey on the par-3 17th which was his eventual undoing. Sam Ryder finished third – his best result of the season – after shooting a 9-under 62, the round of the day Sunday. Rickie Fowler, Abraham Ancer, and Robert Streb finished T4 to round out the top-5. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9:45 a.m.-8 p.m. ET (Featured Groups) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-8 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 3 p.m.-8 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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