J.J. Spaun and Beau Hossler will enter the final round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open tied for the lead at 9 under par. Here’s what You Oughta Know heading into Sunday at TPC Summerlin:
• Spaun and Hossler are both in search of their maiden PGA Tour victory, and the Shriners has provided its share of first-time winners. Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods both picked up their first wins at TPC Summerlin, and since Woods won here in 1996, 10 more players have made Las Vegas the site of their first win, with Smylie Kaufman being the last to do it in 2015.
• Although the final group was battered by the wind on Saturday, perhaps Sunday’s leaders will fare better; 54-hole leaders or co-leaders have gone on to win seven of the last 10 Shriners titles.
• In spite of the wind, Tony Finau, three back, somehow managed to hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation Saturday.
• Former Las Vegas resident Charley Hoffman will start the final round six behind, tied for 10th place at 3 under par. Hoffman announced at the start of the week that he will be donating his earnings this week to survivors of the mass shooting that took place on the Las Vegas strip on Oct. 1.
• Playing on a sponsor exemption, Las Vegas native A.J. McInerney, who attended the Route 91 Harvest festival and managed to escape, is currently tied for 18th, 2 under par. He’s just one shot away from earning an exemption into next week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba, but he’ll participate in next week’s second stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School instead. Unless, of course, he wins Sunday.
• In addition to the trophy and the winner’s check, Sunday’s champion will earn 500 FedExCup points, PGA Tour membership through the 2019-20 season, and exemptions into next year’s Tournament of Champions, the Masters, The Players and the PGA Championship.
Source: Internet
