Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2020 Safeway Open

The Safeway Open 2020 Fantasy Sleeper Report

As one door closes, another opens….

Barely has the dust settled on the winning putt at the TOUR Championship to draw a line under the 2019-20 season and we’re up and running with the 2020-21 campaign with the Safeway Open in Napa Valley.

As described by the PGA TOUR, this will be a ‘super season’, encompassing all of the normal tournaments plus the 14 that were lost last term to coronavirus. Some – including the U.S. Open and The Masters – will be played twice.

It’s a shame to say it, but what an underwhelming way to start the new campaign. The Monday finish at the TOUR Championship, and the small matter of the 2,500 mile trip from Atlanta, has meant that a number of big names have withdrawn from the Safeway Open, leaving the event with that ‘alternate’ feel….

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As if that wasn’t enough, the field that will tee up will have to cope with some extraordinary conditions. The thermometer could peak at more than 100°F in Napa this week as a heatwave takes hold, and while mercifully those temperatures will cool off by Thursday’s first tee, the grounds team at Silverado are going to have their work cut out keeping the North Course in good order.

Will they be able to get enough water on the greens to keep them lush….or maybe they will over-water them deliberately? Will the heat kill off the rough? Sadly, these are questions we will only know the answers too as the action unfolds, but we can make some assumptions when placing our wagers this week.

It’s funny, because the question of green speeds is key at Silverado. Traditionally, the Poa Annua surfaces run pretty slow, and that is a defining character here as the fairways are pretty tough to hold. So, the idea is that the greens are receptive to those scrambling from the rough – if they are scorched and running quickly, this tournament could play out rather differently to the norm.

The perception of early season golf is that it is easy and played at wide-open courses, but Silverado bucks that trend somewhat with those narrow fairways and some pretty deep bunkers, and so the greens will need to be receptive if the typical winning score here of around -16 is achieved.

With a lack of quality at the head of the betting market, there is a clear and open opportunity for an underdog to lift the trophy this week – with that in mind, here’s our Safeway Open 2020 sleeper report.

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Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for The Safeway Open here.

Sleeper Report Predictions Last Season (2019-2020)

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