The PGA Tour heads to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Here’s what You Oughta Know heading into the fifth event of the 2016-17 season. (Stats courtesy of the Golf Channel research department.)
• Smylie Kaufman is the defending champion. He shot a final-round 61 last year to win, and it was the lowest winning score on the PGA Tour in three years.
• Brooks Koepka is still looking for his first win in 2016 after several close calls last season.
AT&T Byron Nelson: Second (lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia)
FedEx St. Jude Classic: T-2
Tournament of Champions: T-3
PGA Championship: T-4
• Ryder Cup hero Ryan Moore will have plenty of local support since he went to college at UNLV. Since 2010, only Georgia has claimed more PGA Tour wins than the Rebels:
Georgia: 20
UNLV: 16
Texas: 12
Wake Forest: 11
Coastal Carolina: 10
• Phil Mickelson is the only player who won more titles than Jon Rahm at Arizona State, and it looks like Rahm is poised to win soon on the PGA Tour.
2016 RBC Canadian Open: T-2
’16 Quicken Loans National: T-3
2015 WM Phoenix Open: T-5 (amateur)
’15 Mayakoba Classic: T-10 (amateur)
• At No. 18, PGA champion Jimmy Walker is the highest-ranked player in the field this week. Walker joined Tiger Woods and Mickelson as just the third player to hold the lead or co-lead through all four rounds of the PGA Championship over the last 20 years.
• Since his win at the Web.com Tour’s DAP Championship, Bryson DeChambeau has hit a rough stretch in his last few starts:
Bridgestone Open (Japan): WD
Safeway Open: Cut
Nationwide Children’s: Cut
Albertsons Boise Open: Cut
DAP Championship: Won
