PGA TOUR – SHRINERS CHILDREN'S OPEN

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

The birdie-a-thon that is the Las Vegas crap-shoot – known these days as the Shriner Children’s Open – is no place to be carding 68s & 69s. Do that and you won’t work the weekend.

To win in Vegas you have to roll the dice on nearly every shot because you know the winning score is going to be lower than 22- or 23-under. Enter the extremely talented ball-striker SUNGJAE IM, who averages 66.50 for 12 rounds played in this event.

He’s also the defending champion, having shot 24-under (including bookend rounds of 63-62) to win by four.

Sportsbet odds: $13

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

This week feels as if it will belong to one of the returning Presidents Cup players with some good form on their side. Course history suggests it won't be Max Homa, and Tom Kim might just still be sleeping off his debut.

So let's go with a Vegas specialist ... PATRICK CANTLAY. Has won here before, won recently on Tour and is so consistent it's scary.

Speaking of Vegas specialists and "scary", if you run into Mark Hayes during the summer of golf ask him what happened to him on the rollercoaster in the hotel/casino New York, New York ... to give you a hint it wasn't a hell of a town after that incident.

Sportsbet odds: $7.50

RELATED: Shriners Open preview

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

ADAM HADWIN. Nice bloke, tidy golf game, three top-10s in six starts here and coming off a decent though not spectacular year.

Rusty last week with two over par rounds but at this level that means little. And Canada could do with some good golf news after a disappointing Presidents Cup.

Sportsbet odds: $46

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

Really glad to see sleepy little Las Vegas get its moment in the sun. Turn it up, Jay!

No tip from me as the #AntiFallSeries protest really starts to go viral.

Sportsbet odds: N/A

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES – BANGKOK

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

A brand new course north of Bangkok awaits the arrival of the LIV Golf Invitational and last up winner, CAMERON SMITH. He is the man to beat, hands down, this week.

Not only does he carry good form into this event, but he’s played plenty of golf in Asia and knows how ‘interesting’ some of the grainy putting surfaces can play, as well as knowing how to deal with excessive sweat … after all he’s a Queenslander!

Sportsbet odds: $5.50

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

Impossible to go past CAM SMITH this week.

Experienced in Asia, in good form, wins every other start this year and a grain specialist.

I am just hoping that Smith and his Punch GC crew don't drink Thailand dry of Singha and Chang before I get over there in a couple fo weeks during their celebrations.

Sportsbet odds: $5.50

RELATED: LIV Golf Bangkok preview

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

It’s hard to go past CAM SMITH every time this tour tees up and that’s the case again this week.

Has some experience playing in Asia (which won’t hurt) and is still clearly the best player of the 48 who have signed up.

Sportsbet odds: $5.50

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

Can’t see any reason why MARC LEISHMAN and Cam Smith won’t duke this one out and finish in that exacta.

Some of their rivals simply can’t win and Leishman has a mighty fine record on this side of the Pacific at the end of the northern summer.

Sportsbet odds: $41

DP WORLD TOUR – OPEN DE ESPANA

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

While all eyes will be on Jon Rahm this week at Club de Campo de Madrid, I like the chances of TOMMY FLEETWOOD, despite the fact he hasn’t had a win since January 2018.

In racing parlance, Tommy has been “lightly raced” since finishing T4 at The Open back in July. But coming off the back of some good form at the Dunhill, he should challenge for the trophy this week.

Sportsbet odds: $9

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

One day I will learn not to tip the obvious favourite who seemingly can't lose but does ... see McIlroy, Rory and Ko, Lydia.

But this isn't the week.

JON RAHM loves this event, was good in his last start and stands out in this field as much as Rod Morri's enormous thumbs.

Sportsbet odds: $3.10

RELATED: Open De Espana preview

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

Difficult though this is I am going to have to agree with Hayes here. JON RAHM in this field looks a lot like the awkwardly tall kid in the school photo.

Even if he tried he couldn’t blend in so chalk up a third Spanish Open title for the former World No.1.

Sportsbet odds: $3.10

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

This should be the Cerrado de Espana because this national title is way more shut than Open.

Once upon a time, Brendan James was quoted at $1.55 on Ladbrokes to eat at least 20 slices of pizza at Zizi’s in St Andrews. I rushed around and found as many shekels as I could to take down those odds on a living certainty the likes of which I hadn’t seen since they fielded on Rod Morri failing deportment classes.

Do yourself a favour and put every shekel you can shake loose on JON RAHM this week in Madrid. He’ll scare this field into submission and match Seve with his third national crown, although the big fella’s will have come in just five years. Lock it in, it’s a Rahmbo Trillizo in the land where mid-afternoon slumber is as common as on Jimmy Emanuel’s GA Magazine office desk.

Just like Rahm – there’s the trifecta of sledging my mates all in one preview. Viva, el loco Hayesy!

Sportsbet odds: $3.10

LPGA TOUR – MEDIHEAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

A new venue this year at The Saticoy Club in southern California will no doubt be welcomed by six-time LPGA winner, DANIELLE KANG, who grew up in the area and is familiar with the William F. Bell-designed course.

Kang went close a fortnight ago and I expect familiar surrounds, with friends and family watching in the gallery, will get her over the line.

Sportsbet odds: $17

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

There has to be something of an "upset" this week and I think it comes on the LPGA Tour.

SARAH KEMP keeps getting around the mix early in events as she chases a first LPGA win, and I think it could very well come this week. New course negates any knowledge for the field which makes it more of a form and luck proposal than normal. C'mon Kempy!

Sportsbet odds: $251

RELATED: LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship preview

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

A new venue this week levels the playing field somewhat though the Saticoy Club looks a sterner test than Lake Merced (where the event has been since 2018). A hilly site with few flat lies, look for the better ball strikers to come to the fore and in that group I’m going to go with SEI YOUNG KIM.

You don't fluke 12 wins on the LPGA and she is overdue for a good week.

Sportsbet odds: $23

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

I’ve run out of LPGA logic this year. I thought Celine Boutier would do the job for me last week as I dipped the toe into the pool of people I normally wouldn’t tip and saw her loom on Saturday night. But alas, she was pipped by someone who hasn’t won in about two dozen Australian prime ministers.

So clearly I need to go further in that direction as the list of unlikely LPGA winners in 2022 grows weekly. So I’m all about MINA HARIGAE this week. She has a string of epic results in major championships to prove she has “game”, yet she hasn’t realistically threatened on tour, despite trending in the right direction recently.

She’s ticking all the boxes in this wacky season!

Sportsbet odds: $101

2022 RESULTS

So far, our so-called experts have combined to tip 29 winners in 2022, with 183 of their picks recording top-10 finishes that week and a best return of $29 for Joohyung Kim to win the Wyndham Championship (tipped by Rod Morri).