No longer the event that kicks off the new PGA Tour season, this year’s edition of the Safeway Open moved up on the calendar and back in the rotation. As a result we have the strongest field ever with five golfers ranked among the 20 best in the world set to tee it up this week at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif. Justin Thomas, the field’s highest ranked player at No. 6 in the OWGR, is the betting favorite and he’s featured in a number of tournament matchups. Phil Mickelson will make his season debut and Lefty is also available on the matchup odds board. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds.
Safeway Open Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Justin Thomas -130 vs. Patrick Cantlay +110
Justin Thomas -150 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +130
Patrick Cantlay -145 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +125
Adam Scott -130 vs. Bryson DeChambeau +110
Adam Scott -115 vs. Sungjae Im -105
Bryson DeChambeau -110 vs. Sungjae Im -110
Byeong Hun An -120 vs. Francesco Molinari +100
Byeong Hun An -140 vs. Brandt Snedeker +120
Francesco Molinari +100 vs. Brandt Snedeker -120
Collin Morikawa -135 vs. Chez Reavie +115
Marc Leishman +115 vs. Lucas Glover -135
Scott Piercy +100 vs. Emiliano Grillo -120
Kevin Na -105 vs. Dylan Frittelli -115
Kevin Streelman -120 vs. Abraham Ancer +100
Phil Mickelson +105 vs. Charles Howell III -125
Corey Conners -105 vs. Ryan Moore -115
Sebastian Munoz -125 vs. Bud Cauley +105
Harold Varner III -105 vs. Adam Hadwin -115
Bronson Burgoon -145 vs. Harris English +125
Daniel Berger +105 vs. Kevin Tway -125
Jim Furyk -130 vs. Martin Laird +110
Carlos Ortiz +110 vs. Troy Merritt -130
Lanto Griffin -135 vs. Adam Schenk +115
Cameron Tringale -145 vs. Cameron Champ +115
C.T. Pan -135 vs. Charley Hoffman +105
Si Woo Kim -120 vs. Tom Hoge -110
Wyndham Clark -145 vs. Sung Kang +115
Doc Redman -120 vs. Fabian Gomez -110
Jhonattan Vegas -110 vs. Kevin Chappell -120
Luke List -110 vs. Nick Taylor -120
Cameron Percy -120 vs. Danny Lee -110
Jason Dufner +105 vs. Matt Jones -135
Patrick Rodgers -125 vs. Robert Streb -105
Need to Know
Last week was a good one with my matchup picks as I went 2-2-1. My two winners were bought at plus-odds so I was able to recoup some of my losses from a miserable opening week. Let’s see if I can keep the good times rolling in wine country. The North Course at Silverado has hosted since 2015 and we’re seeing many of the same faces so everyone knows what to expect. The layout isn’t difficult to navigate playing at 7,166 yards and par 72. We’re likely to see a lot of wedges on the course, though going long off the tee is an option since the rough isn’t penal. Kevin Tway’s 14-under last year was the worst of any winner since event moved to Napa. One poor round will kill you on this course since it isn’t easy to make up strokes.
Safeway Open Matchup Picks
Patrick Cantlay +110 vs. Justin Thomas
We remember Cantlay for finishing last season, with a disappointing showing at the Tour Championship. But that’s not who he is. Take a step back and look at how he did leading up to the season’s final event and you’ll know why I’m backing him against the tournament favorite. He was no worse than T21 in seven of his last eight starts that included a win at the Memorial and a runner up at the BMW Championship. Was T17 here last year and the layout is forgiving for his powerful game.
Phil Mickelson +105 vs. Charles Howell III
I’ll admit it, I’m a big fan of Lefty. It’s not always wise to bet with your heart, but I think Phil is at peace with his game at this point in his career. He certainly struggled after winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but Silverado has been his sanctuary with three straight top-20s that included a T3 two years ago. He likes the poa annua greens, he even said so prior to winning at Pebble Beach. Oh, he’s also a fan of wine country so at least he’ll have a good time.
Sungjae Im -105 vs. Adam Scott
I’m not sure you can wrong throwing down on Im in any matchup. Is there anyone hotter on Tour right now? His worst finish in his last six starts was T38 and he’s started the new season off right with runner-up at last week’s Sanderson Farms. Im also sprinkled in a T11 and T6. It’s surprising he hasn’t won yet, but it’s going to happen soon. If it doesn’t happen at Silverado, where he earned the first top-5 of his Rookie of the Year season, he will at least triumph in this matchup.
Collin Morikawa -135 vs. Chez Reavie
Making his PGA Tour debut at Silverado in 2016, Morikawa promptly went out and missed the cut. He’s a different player and I expect different results. His familiarity with poa greens was evident when he won the Barracuda Championship in Reno in July, and he held his own in bigger events. He’s a native Californian and played collegiately at Berkeley, so the surroundings are to his liking.
Harris English +125 vs. Bronson Burgoon -145
English was nothing special last season with a best finish of T12 at the Honda Classic. It’s been a few years since he won on Tour, but he appears to have found his game with a T3 at Greenbrier and T6 last week in Jackson. I wouldn’t lay coin on him to win the tournament, but I’ll happily take him at plus odds in this matchup.
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