Safeway Open Betting Preview: Will Phil Mickelson lead the way?
Odds and preview for the 2020/21 PGA Tour season opener
As if it never left, the new PGA Tour season starts up only a few days after the previous one ended.
This year’s bumper calendar features 50 events and six majors, and it all gets started with the Safeway Open in Napa, California.
With many of the game’s elite players sitting this one out, the field looks very open here. And before the first ball is struck, we’ve run down the favourites.
Phil Mickelson (20/1)
It was only two weeks ago that Phil Mickelson made a winning debut in the PGA Tour Champions. He’s not resigning himself to the seniors’ circuit just yet though, this will be the five-time major champions first PGA Tour event in almost two years.
As well as his senior tour win, he also finished as runner-up to Justin Thomas in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, so he could have form on his side here. He’s got a decent record at the Silverado Country Club too, with two top 10s and a top-20 finish among his previous four appearances here.
Si Woo Kim (20/1)
Joining Mickelson at the top of the betting is Si Woo Kim. He’s tended to be fairly inconsistent, but he’s looked impressive recently, finishing at least T13 in two of his last three PGA Tour appearances.
The most recent of his two Tour wins was the 2017 Players Championship, can he take advantage of the relatively light field to seal victory?
Brendan Steele (22/1)
If previous success factors heavily into your decision-making, Brendan Steele could be one to watch closely.
He could become the first three-time winner of the event. As well as winning twice, he’s also yet to miss a cut in six starts.
Harold Varner III (29/1)
Putting has tended to be crucial at Silverado in recent yards, and there are some doubts about Varner’s finishing on the greens. However, he’s arguably the best tee-to-green player among the field here.
Despite the question marks over his putting, Varner has a good record here. He’s made five consecutive cuts, including three top-20 finishes.
Joel Dahmen (25/1)
Arguably one of the most consistent players on Tour, he’s still yet to make the breakthrough and get that first win.
He seems to be getting closer, with strong finishes in deep fields in the back end of last season. He finished in the top 20 of the St. Jude Invitational and the BMW Championship, and the top 10 of the PGA Championship. This could be as good as opportunity as any to break his duck.
Jordan Spieth (30/1)
After a disappointing season by his standards, Spieth will hope his win drought comes to an end here with most of the world top 20 absent.
The three-time major winner has had time off to reflect on what was going wrong and if he’s on form, his game should suit the course.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
