Cantlay among trio committed to Shriners event

Three past champions are among the early commitments to next month’s Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin.

Defending champion Sungjae Im, 2017 winner Patrick Cantlay and Martin Laird, a winner in 2009 and 2020, will be back in Las Vegas for the tournament Oct. 6-9.

The inclusion of both Im and Cantlay in the field is a big win for the tournament. The ability to land big names at fall events is in question as PGA Tour officials completely revamp the schedule.

Starting in 2023, the top players have agreed to play in 17 designated events during the regular season, as well as three others of their choosing, as the tour attempts to get the biggest stars in the same events on a regular basis.

That could mean the fall events will be left out of top players’ schedules.

The tour had also planned three international events for the fall that would offer huge purses to the top 50 players on tour, making them unlikely to play other fall events like the Shriners. Those events never came to be once the other arrangement came together last month.

Cantlay, ranked fourth in the world, is a big get for the tournament. The 2021 PGA Tour Player of the Year has been phenomenal at TPC Summerlin, with a win in 2017, runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019, and an eighth-place finish in 2020. Cantlay didn’t play last year, instead taking the entire fall season off after winning the FedEx Cup in August.

Im, No. 18 in the world rankings, ran away with last year’s tournament thanks to a final round 9-under 62 that gave him a four-shot win.

Announcements on more early entries are expected soon. Players have until the Friday before the tournament to officially commit to playing.

Start of season

The two-week offseason is in the books for PGA Tour players, and the new year begins this week in Napa, California, at the Fortinet Championship. It is the final time the tour will begin the season in the fall, instead opting to start with the Tournament of Champions in January starting in 2024.

The Napa field features only a handful of top players, led by defending champion Max Homa, Hideki Matsuyama and Harris English. The field is loaded with Las Vegas players, including Taylor Montgomery and Harry Hall, both making their first official starts as PGA Tour members, and Maverick McNealy, who finished second to Homa last year.

The fall events are important to Hall, Montgomery and other players low on the PGA Tour’s priority list. Some good finishes in the fall events, which are easier to get into, will allow their priority status to improve heading into 2023 when making fields becomes much more challenging.

Honors for Shadow Creek

Golfweek’s annual compilations of the top golf courses in the country continue to trickle out, and this month Shadow Creek topped the 2022 list of best courses associated with a casino. And it wasn’t even close.

Shadow Creek, which consistently places in the top 10 courses in the country overall, led by a wide margin on the latest list, which focuses on courses owned or operated in conjuction with a casino. Shadow Creek is a property run by MGM Resorts.

Other Las Vegas courses to make the cut included Wynn Golf Club at No, 19, and Bali Hai Golf Club at No. 45. Edgewood Tahoe in Stateline ranked 17th.

Chip shots

— Reflection Bay at Lake Las Vegas is hosting the Subtle Patriot Invitational on Oct. 10 to benefit the Navy SEAL Foundation, Folds of Honor and NS2 Serves Boots to Suits. Cost is $500 per person or $1,800 for a foursome.

— Las Vegas Golf Club is hosting a summer sendoff scramble on Sept. 25. Cost is $158 for each two-person team, with a shotgun start planned for 7:30 a.m.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.