2022 Shriners Children’s Open Leaderboard, Scores: Tom Hoge Leads As Star of the Presidents Cup in Las Vegas
The Shriners Open Children’s Open’s first round standings are fascinating. Tom Hoge took the lead after the round was suspended due to nightfall on Thursday with an excellent 8 under 63, but a host of players delivering an interesting storyline second only to him.
While some of the biggest names in the field – Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler and Max Homa – failed to make it to the top, they are all still plenty after a strong start at TPC Summerlin. However, all will chase Hoge for the final three days as he tries to add to his winning 2022 collection after grabbing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year.
Let’s take a look back at his round as well as everyone else’s in this week’s hunt.
Leader
T1. Tom Hoge (-8)
Hoge was a threat in Round 1, though he said it was “a bit of a surprise” since he’s been out of golf for some time in the past few weeks. He’s third on approach shots and third from tee to green, meaning he doesn’t have to go all out to shoot the only 63 shots on the court on Thursday. This is nothing new though. As of January 1, Hoge is among the top 30 irons in the world and even higher if you look at players who have only been on the PGA Tour. He won’t be fading even if he doesn’t claim the second Tour win of his career after his first in February at Pebble Beach.
There are many threats to someone like Hoge this week, especially considering that only the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings will make it to this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. He’s having a career year where he’s made $4 million and is in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup rankings for the first time in his life (he’s 10th). To improve that would be quite unbelievable.
“Yes, I feel like last fall I got off to a good start,” Hoge said. “I’ve played well in the fall in the past. I feel like there’s a lot of good golf that suits me in the fall. That’s one of the reasons why I’m still playing so much this year. I feel I feel like I can get off to a good start in the FedEx Cup. I feel like I got it last year and continue it on the West Coast. I’m just trying to do more.
“I didn’t play as well as I would have liked last summer, but you’ve got a good start like this, and you can relax even if you’re not playing well. Just trying to play is good. like I could be here in the fall and start like that.”
Other candidates
T2. Si Woo Kim, Maverick McNealy (-7)
T4. Keith Mitchell, Thomas Detry, Will Gordon, Tom Kim, Sam Ryder, Sungjae Im (-6)
There are a lot of different directions we could go here, but notice how well the Presidents Cup International Team performed in Round 1. The team has three players in the top 11, including including last year’s winner at this event, Sungjae Im. I got one of the highlights this week, and he picked up where he left off not just last year but weeks before he starred in Quail Hollow.
Si Woo Kim also reflects on his Presidents Cup finale, where he knocked out Justin Thomas, by getting inside Hoge. Is it a coincidence that those people brought so many things to this week’s Shriner event? Maybe, but also maybe not considering the experience they’ve had.
“I’m not very confident ahead of the President Cup because I didn’t finish as well as I did in the final stages,” Kim said. “I think I’ve had a lot of confidence since the Presidents Cup, and then everything felt comfortable and a lot of stress and a lot of pressure during Presidents Cup week. So now it feels too much. calm and there’s nothing much pressure about it. So I try to be more focused and like positivity.”
Tom Kim forever
Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim’s partner for a short period of the week at Quail Hollow, also started off strong in Vegas following an incredible quote he gave earlier in the week about hitting a record 82 fights. won Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour career.
“I have always been myself,” said Tom Kim. “The situation hasn’t really changed who I am one bit. No, I don’t really think it’s really changed for me. I think it’s going to be that way. Tiger has 82 wins in the PGA. Tour. Until I’m 83, it’s going to be hard for me to think differently.”
Tom Kim forever.
2022 Shriners for kids expands odds and updated selection
- Sungjae Im: 7-1
- Patrick Cantlay: 15/2
- Tom Hoge: 15/2
- Tom Kim: 10-1
- Si Woo Kim: 10-1
- Maverick McNealy: 14-1
Of course, I want to believe that Tom Kim will win this golf tournament, but I’m not sure if 10-1 is a great number for him at this point. Instead, I want to draw your attention to Keith Mitchell, who is out of the bottom players with an 18-1 scoreline. He finished fourth from tee to green and fourth on approach shots on Thursday and it will be a tough game if he continues such irony. He’s the sharp pick here even among the bigger names. Homa (four back) with a score of 25-1 is also worth watching.
