The First Look: Shriners Children's Open

Tom Kim is looking to make some PGA TOUR history this week.

Winning the same event three times in a row hasn’t happened in more than a decade, but Kim, who is teeing it up for the first time in a stroke-play competition since the Wyndham Championship, is looking to do exactly that this week at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.

He tied the scoring record in 2022 at 24-under before topping Adam Hadwin by one shot in 2023.

Now, after being an emotional sparkplug at the Presidents Cup once again for the International Team, he’s back at TPC Summerlin looking for a little late-season magic.

Here’s everything else you need to know as the PGA TOUR returns to Las Vegas.

FIELD NOTES: Kim looks to win the Shriners Children’s Open for the third year in a row. Kim, who finished just short of No. 50 in the FedExCup standings, is looking to end his year with a bang once again after representing the International Team at the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal. The last golfer on the PGA TOUR to three-peat at the same event was Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic from 2009-11 … Fresh off his breakthrough PGA TOUR title – in just his third start – Matt McCarty returns to action. McCarty, who captured the Black Desert Championship by three shots, ripped up the FedExCup Fall standings to No. 95 with his victory. McCarty has now won four times across the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR in his last 10 starts … There will be nine golfers who finished the season in the top 50 in the FedExCup standings, led by Taylor Pendrith, who was T14. Pendrith, like Kim, played on the International Team at Royal Montreal. He finished tied for third in Las Vegas a year ago, two shots back of Kim … There’s plenty of drama around that No. 125 bubble as we get to the halfway point of the FedExCup Fall. Vince Whaley sits at No. 125, leading by just six points over Daniel Berger at No. 126. Whaley and Berger are in the field in Las Vegas along with Joel Dahmen at No. 124.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Ian Gilligan, a cancer survivor, captured the 2024 Southern Highlands Collegiate to earn a spot at the Shriners Children’s Open. This was his fifth collegiate victory. He transferred from Long Beach State to the University of Florida last summer. Gilligan, who was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma at 15, won at Southern Highlands by one shot – despite a final-hole double bogey … Caden Fioroni, a senior at UNLV, will tee it up at TPC Summerlin. Fioroni has posted two top-10 finishes through the first three events of the 2024-25 season. Most recently he finished T5 while helping guide UNLV to the team title at SMU’s Trinity Forest Invitational. This is his PGA TOUR debut … Former world No. 1-ranked amateur Christo Lamprecht, who ended up No. 2 in the PGA TOUR University ranking in 2024 after four seasons at Georgia Tech, will tee it up on TOUR for the first time since the Masters in April. Lamprecht, the 2024 Byron Nelson Award winner, made three cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour this season highlighted by a T5 at The Ascendant presented by Blue … Dan McCarthy, Ryan Palmer and Scott Piercy round out the sponsor invites.

SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: As part of the Aon Next 10, players ranked Nos. 51-60 through the FedExCup Fall will earn their way into two early season 2025 Signature Events – the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational … With his T6 at the Black Desert Championship, Harris English moved from No. 57 to No. 54 in the standings, but each of the players inside that Nos. 51-60 mark remained the same … Sanderson Farms Championship winner Kevin Yu holds on to the No. 60 spot … Lucas Glover, who finished T3 in Utah, moved from No. 70 to No. 61 in the standings and now trails Yu by just a single point for the No. 60 spot.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points.

The Shriners Children’s Open is the fourth event of the FedExCup Fall.

At the end of the FedExCup Fall, those that rank from 126-150 on the final FedExCup Fall Points List will have conditional status for the 2024 PGA TOUR Season.

All players outside the top 125 can improve or regain TOUR status via PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.

COURSE: TPC Summerlin, par 71, 7,255 yards. One of the most visually stunning layouts in Las Vegas, TPC Summerlin boasts lush bentgrass greens, numerous water hazards and other raw landscape features. While scoring is a premium, the venue challenges the TOUR’s best with a layout that meanders through canyons and arroyos.

72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Ryan Moore (2012), Webb Simpson (2013), Sungjae Im (2021), Tom Kim (2022)

18-HOLE RECORD: 59, Chip Beck (Round 3, 1991 at Sunrise GC). TPC Summerlin record: 60, J.J. Henry (Round 1, 2013), Rod Pampling (Round 1, 2016), Patrick Cantlay (Round 3, 2022)

LAST TIME: Kim successfully defended his title in Las Vegas, winning by one shot over Hadwin. Kim, who was the first person to go back-to-back at the Shriners Children’s Open since Jim Furyk in 1998-99, was one of three golfers to share the 54-hole lead. He shot a 5-under 66 in the final round. Kim made three birdies in his first four holes to take the solo lead Sunday. Hadwin was right there for most of the day – and was 3-under for his first six holes on the back nine – before he dunked his approach on the par-5 16th into the water – his ultimate undoing. Eric Cole, Alex Noren, J.T. Poston and Pendrith finished tied for third, two shots back of Kim.

How to follow (all times ET)

Television

• Thursday: 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Friday: 5:30-9 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel)

PGA TOUR LIVE:

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 2-8 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 3-8 p.m.

Featured groups

Thursday

• 10:28 a.m.: Rickie Fowler, Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith (10th tee)
• 10:39 a.m.: Harris English, J.T. Poston, Jhonattan Vegas (10th tee)

ESPN+ bonus coverage (once morning groups finish):

• 3:18 p.m.: Tom Kim, Kevin Yu, Matt McCarty (first tee)
• 3:29 p.m.: Stephan Jaeger, Tom Hoge, Cam Davis (first tee)

Friday

• 10:28 a.m.: Tom Kim, Kevin Yu, Matt McCarty (10th tee)
• 10:39 a.m.: Stephan Jaeger, Tom Hoge, Cam Davis (10th tee)

ESPN+ bonus coverage (once morning groups finish):

• 3:18 p.m.: Rickie Fowler, Nick Taylor, Taylor Pendrith (first tee)
• 3:29 p.m.: Harris English, J.T. Poston, Jhonattan Vegas (first tee)