Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – Safeway Open

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Safeway Open

Safeway Open Fantasy Preview

It’s amazing how things in golf pan out.

Barely two weeks ago, Joaquin Niemann was claiming his maiden PGA TOUR title at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier.

The Chilean’s best friends on Tour? Sebastian Munoz and Carlos Ortiz, with whom he shares Central/South American heritage.

Should we have really been surprised when that duo were battling it out for glory on Sunday at the Sanderson Farms Championship?

Perhaps the quest for President’s Cup places is even more inspirational, as Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An were also in the mix for honors in Jackson, Mississippi.

In the end, it was Munoz and Im who fought their way into a play-off, and it was the Colombian who would prevail after making par at the first extra hole.

So, two weeks into the new season and we have a pair of maiden winners. Will it be a hat-trick in Napa Valley this week at the Safeway Open?

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Last Week’s Fantasy Results

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Two weeks in, two winners picked!  JUST LIKE THAT.

Not only did we have Munoz as our Top Mid-Tier pick, we also had the runner-up playoff finisher Sungjae Im as our top pick of the week. Together with the 1-2 punch sprinkled in with other T11 finishes from Harman and Griffin, and you should have ended up cashing in nicely this week!  

Here’s the sample roster we put out last week:

With the win, we have now successfully jumped out of the 2019-2020 gate 2-for-2 with winners picked and we have no plans to stop there. We’re just heating up folks!

The Safeway Open Field

As the PGA TOUR swings over to the West Coast, it’s no great surprise that those who enjoy life in California dust off their clubs and get to work.

So, we can enjoy the likes of Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott and Francesco Molinari at the Silverado resort, while perennial Cali favorite Phil Mickelson also makes the trip.

There’s a high0quality supporting cast too, with the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Marc Leishman and Hideki Matsuyama also teeing up, while Munoz, Ortiz, Im and An will all look to move one step closer to President’s Cup selection with another fine showing here.

At the other end of the age scale, spectators can also look forward to a glimpse of Fred Couples, John Daly and Bo Van Pelt, who marks his first PGA TOUR start in quite some time.

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This Week’s Course Preview

While there has been something of a party atmosphere these past couple of weeks at golf courses where there was very little difficulty, the ethos is likely to change at Silverado Resort this week.

Don’t get us wrong: this layout won’t be hosting an edition of the US Open any time soon, but it is more challenging than the Old White and the Country Club of Jackson.

The reason for that falls firmly at the door of architect Robert Trent-Jones, who gave this layout a workover in the 1960s, before the legendary Johnny Miller got his hands on it in the 90s.

Measuring 7,166 yards for its Par 72, the North Course at Silverado is built into the Napa Valley but retains a lush, parklands feel.

As this is West Cost golf, there is a switch to the Poa Annua greens that are native to this part of the country, and this could well be a key angle of attack for gamers this week.

There are some tough lines to find off the tee, with narrow fairways in places hemmed by trees, while thick-ish rough, some well-stationed water hazards and deep bunkers also add some complexity into the mix.

The greens are fairly well protected, but these run quite slowly on the stimp so those who are less confident with putter in hand will at least not be as disadvantaged as they were in Jackson last week.

If you follow your picks in play, Silverado has a notable closing run of holes. The fifteenth is the toughest on the real estate, and this is a 189-yard Par 3 where the green cannot be missed as the recovery options are less than ideal.

But, navigate that, and 16-18 is one of the comfiest closing trios on the PGA TOUR. Both 16 and 18 are Par 5s that can be attacked in two by most in the field, while 17 is a 375-yard Par 4 that rewards long, accurate drives with the simplest of wedges in.

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Weather Forecast for Napa, CA

There’s plenty of sunshine around in Napa at this time of year, and that theme continues this week for perfect golf conditions.

Indeed, there’s not a lot else to report: sun and thin cloud is the order of the day, with temperatures in the heady 71-84°F bracket.

The only thing for gamers to note is the wind, which will be blowing at a constant 12-14mph throughout the four days of action. That could well prove to be a factor on some of the more exposed holes.

Last Year’s Results from the Safeway Open

For about 75% of the 2018 Safeway Open, it looked as if Brandt Snedeker was going to add to his haul of PGA TOUR titles.

He held the 36 and 54-hole leads, with a three-shot cushion heading into Sunday’s final round.

But trouble would soon come, and he made three straight bogeys on the back nine to see his lead slip away in a made half-hour.

Snedeker ended up posting a round of 74, and that was just about enough to see him into a play-off with Kevin Tway and Ryan Moore, who birdied three of the final four holes in regulation play to force himself into the reckoning.

The first extra hole saw Snedeker eliminated – clearly affected by his troubles on the back nine, before the second play-off hole was shared by Tway and Moore.

But a birdie three at the tenth saw Tway lift his first PGA TOUR title, and that was the springboard that saw him finish 32nd on the FedExCup leaderboard.

Highlights | Round 4 | Safeway 2018

SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh In the final round of the 2018 Safeway Open, Kevin Tway jumped up the leaderboard and survived three playoff holes to earn his first career victory on the PGA TOUR. PGA TOUR’s 2018-19 season tees off with the Safeway Open returning to Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, California.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for Safeway Open this Week

As we enter the meatier tournaments early on in the new campaign, now is the time to start building that bankroll with some sensible choices when it comes to contests entered.

• PGA $100k Club Twirl: There could be further layovers on the PGA TOUR this week with the European Tour hosting another star-studded event. So make your advantage count in this $44 contest, where the winner will pocket a cool $20k.
• PGA $250k Best Ball: There may well be 37,000 contestants in this event, but the payout pyramid is fair and, hey, the winner grabs $50k. What’s not to like!?  

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Safeway Open

Silverado is one of those golf courses where we expect the classic shot-makers to flourish.

Brendan Steele is a back-to-back winner here, and at his very best he is capable of some outstanding tee-to-green play. Emiliano Grillo, the 2015 champion, is another noted for his flushing capabilities.

Moore, Snedeker, Finau, Na, Singh, Fowler….these are all runners-up at Silverado who can also be categorized as tee-to-green merchants at their best.

And so really that is the main angle of attack here, where we will be drafting really solid players from the tee box to the green. Then, if they catch light with the flat stick then they have an excellent chance of going well.

The last four winners here – Tway, Steele, Grillo and Bae – share another common attribute: long, straight driving. Now that helps at any golf course on the planet, but for four fairly ‘surprise’ champions that is an interesting trait to share.

Otherwise we’re looking at Poa Annua form, comfort on this surface and on the West Coast in general, and players who are comfortable in the wind given the local forecast. Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders is also of relevance given that is where the bulk of the damage will be done at Silverado.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Safeway Open

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2019-2020)

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