Shriners Children's Open First-Round Leader Tips: Look to Laird

Weather forecast for Thursday: Winds can be a factor in Vegas but not in round one or indeed the rest of the week. Temperatures are already around 70 degrees for the opening groups and they rise steadily throughout the day to a peak of 95 in mid/late afternoon.

There doesn't seem to be a weather bias but usually the FRL has come from the early wave. I'll pick two morning starters and one late.

Make it Martin

Martin Laird is a two-time winner at TPC Summerlin and renowned as a desert specialist.

And he's worth a look in this market too after being given an early tee-time of 07.13 from the 1st.

The Scotsman was the first-round leader of this event in 2014 and he opened 65-63-65 on the way to victory two years ago.

You'll find a 62 and more 63s when trawling through his round scores down the years.

He's not had his best stuff since a third at the Barracuda Championship in July but Laird has still been starting pretty well and was in the top 15 after round one of the Sanderson Farms Championship last week despite going on to miss the cut.

Punters know to never write him off here or anywhere in the desert and 80/1 for FRL is more than acceptable.

Hodges to get in the hunt

Lee Hodges opened with a 66 on his course debut here 12 months ago and enjoyed his week, finishing tied 27th.

That was his best result in six Fall Series events and he returned to the desert, this time in California, a few months later and flew out of the blocks with a 62 on day one of The American Express.

That secured his first 18-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

He continues to flourish early in events and has been outside the top 25 after the completion of the first round just once in his last six events.

Hodges was third after Thursday's play at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after a 65 while a 66 put him eighth after the opening lap of the St Jude Championship.

An early starter at 06.51, Hodges is a play at 100/1.

Garrick to provide early theatre

Garrick Higgo won't win any prizes for consistency but when he's on, he's on.

In a blistering run last year he won three times in five starts: a pair of DP World Tour victories in Spain and a first PGA Tour triumph at the Palmetto Championship.

He's dipped since and was on a run of five straight missed cuts until posting a top three in last week's Sanderson Farms Championship.

Higgo opened with a 67 on his tournment debut here last year and knows the course better than many might think having attended the University of Las Vegas in his college days (2017-2018).

In the hope that he stays hot after last week's return to form, I'll make him my afternoon pick - he's off at 12.35 - at 80/1.