It may not feel like it to you, but for most in the field at the Safeway Open, it most definitely feels like a new season on the PGA TOUR. Gone are the worries and concerns over future status for returning members, who are now surrounded by a new class of hopefuls at Silverado Resort and Spa’s North Course. It includes all but one of the 23 PGA TOUR rookies. (Austin Cook is sitting out.) Because so many of the Web.com Tour graduates have thrived early in the wraparound seasons – this is already the fifth such setup – there’s a theory that such recent success hasn’t had time to sink in. The grads as close to living the “it’s just golf” rhetoric as it gets right now. That kind of confidence is necessary as they dig in on the deepest circuit on the planet. Conveniently, with only three editions of the Safeway Open at Silverado, the usual table of winners is comprehensive. TALES OF THE TAPE It’s tough to cram the prerequisite for success as it pertains to every element of execution into 18 holes, but Silverado does it. Hitting greens takes precedent over fairways, but you can see how ball-striking outbalances putting overall. The set of identifiers below reflects this. Because the field is expected to pile up the scoring chances, but putting inside 10 feet is at a premium, bogey avoidance enters the picture as a broader measure for scoring. It’s not a combination that we see often. Finally, Silverado is a par 72 with four par 5s that averaged harder by comparison to other courses last season (T20) than its par 3s (34th) and par 4s (T41). This not only elevates the usual tactic of taking advantage of these holes, but it should yield additional confidence when converting birdies and eagles. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25 in each statistic on the 2016-17 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete in the Safeway Open. Those who haven’t logged enough rounds to qualify for official rankings are omitted. * – Finished inside the top 10 at the Safeway Open in 2014, 2015 and/or 2016. Ball-Striking Rank Golfer 2 Lucas Glover 5 Keegan Bradley 6 Graham DeLaet 15 Robert Garrigus T18 Tony Finau 21 *Brendan Steele T24 Harold Varner III Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green Rank Golfer 8 *Kevin Na 9 Bud Cauley 14 *Phil Mickelson 18 Chad Campbell 20 *Ryan Moore 21 Webb Simpson 22 Robert Garrigus Putting: Inside 10 Feet Rank Golfer 5 Brian Gay 9 Ryan Blaum 12 *Hunter Mahan 16 Chez Reavie T17 Harris English 20 Steve Wheatcroft 21 Zach Johnson 25 Greg Chalmers Bogey Avoidance Rank Golfer 2 Chad Campbell 5 Chez Reavie 10 Lucas Glover T11 Bill Haas 13 Webb Simpson 16 Zac Blair 20 Martin Flores 22 Tony Finau 23 Seamus Power 24 John Huh 25 Ryan Armour Par-5 Scoring Rank Golfer 2 Luke List T5 *Phil Mickelson T7 Tony Finau T7 Brandon Hagy T12 Seamus Power T12 Rory Sabbatini T12 Kevin Tway T18 Nick Taylor T24 Jamie Lovemark The groupings below illustrate golfers who have recorded a top 10 at Silverado since it first hosted in 2014. Since there are only three editions of the Safeway Open on the books at the course, it makes sense that Building Confidence is easily the most populated. This representation also is a terrific example of the opportunity presented to the rest of the field of 144 at the season-opening tournament of 2017-18. There aren’t many horses in the stable. NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. CONFIDENCE MEN Selected golfers with multiple cuts made sorted by rank on the tournament’s money list. BUILDING CONFIDENCE Sorted by best finish, selected golfers who are either finally finding form on the course or are still relatively new to the tournament but have enjoyed some success. OTHER SIGNS OF CONFIDENCE Sorted by most recent top 10s, selected golfers for whom it’s been a few years since their last.
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