Power Rankings: Safeway Open

This is the strangest Power Rankings you’ve ever read. This is because it’s based on only 88 golfers. That’s the committed field to the Safeway Open as of press time (to yank a term from the old days). The Web.com Tour Championship required Monday to conclude. It determines the last 25 PGA TOUR cards for the 2017-18 season as well as the opening reshuffle of Web.com Tour graduates. Once the dust settles, most of the remaining spots in the field of 144 at Silverado Resort and Spa’s North Course in Napa, California, will be filled. So, while you usually extend your research to my complementary preview material (found in the writing schedule beneath the ranking), you’ll have to rely on it a little more than usual as the new season begins. The Safeway Open is the first of 49 tournaments in the 12th season of the FedExCup era. POWER RANKINGS: SAFEWAY OPEN RANK PLAYER COMMENT Poised for a monster season after logging eight top 10s and reaching East Lake in 2016-17. Ranked 17th in GIR, 16th in birdies-or-better percentage and T7 in par-5 scoring. Slowed late in the season, but Silverado has yielded nothing but good vibes. Trended toward his title here last year with a T21 in 2014 and a T17 in 2015. Chased a playoff loss at Silverado in 2015 with a solo seventh last year. Scored 15-under 273 in both. Top 10s in two of his last four starts of the 2016-17 season. Has momentum. Parlayed an opening 59 at the Web.com Tour Championship into a T2. Slotted 14th in converting par-breaker chances on the PGA TOUR in 2016-17. No doubt buoyed by the rousing victory at the Presidents Cup (where he went 3-0-1) after a late surge into the Playoffs. Shared eighth in Silverado debut last year. Polished off last year’s Safeway with a bogey-free 66 to finish T20. That redeemed a closing 77 the year prior after sitting T13 through 54 holes. Wrung the most out of his game in 2016-17 en route to a career-high 11 top 25s. Opened it with a T22 at Silverado and finished T17 here in 2015; 10-under 278 in both. Coming off another steady season, ranking 27th in GIR and ninth in scrambling in 2016-17. First of 12 top 25s occurred at Silverado where he scored 11-under 277 for a T20. Coming off a down season (only two top 10s) after entering with so much momentum, but his accuracy matters here. First trip in two years when he placed T10. Tournament debut. In his last round of 2016-17, he buried eight birdies at Conway Farms for a 64 and share of 20th place. Ranked T6 in strokes gained: putting for the week. He’s 3-for-3 at Silverado with a T3 in 2014 and a T8 last year. After a summer slump, the Scot found some form in the Playoffs before stalling out at Conway Farms. His feet may not have touched the ground yet after reaching East Lake for the first time in three years. Top 10s in three of last five starts. Seeking first cut made at Silverado. Has played his best on shorter tracks even though he’s plenty long. Ranked 38th in GIR and 44th in adjusted scoring while posting five top 10s in 2016-17. Gave it a great run before checking up just outside the bubble for the TOUR Championship. A T13 at Silverado last year was one of nine top 25s in his rookie season. He picked the wrong year to be a rookie in a class as deep as it was in 2016-17. Recorded five top 10s and advanced to the BMW Championship. The old saying that it doesn’t take much time for touring professionals to solve puzzles most certainly applies at Silverado. In its third consecutive spin as host a year ago, the field averaged 70.827. That’s down nearly a full stroke from its debut in 2014. The 2016 field averaged a whopping 12.8 greens in regulation per round despite splitting just 7.45 (of 14) fairways on average. Proximity-to-the-hole (33 feet, nine inches) and scrambling splits (61.12 percent) also set tournament records in its brief history. Mounting scoring opportunities is usually the path to success in such templates, but Silverado actually has required a balanced attack from the tee to the cup. Tuesday’s Confidence Factor will dig into the how and the why. It will include a focus on conversion percentage inside 10 feet. It was just 86.33 percent in last year’s edition, ninth-lowest of any course all season. Adding to the difficulty this year are new closely mown areas around seven of the greens, including each of the last four. The course still measures 7,166 yards, the primarily Poa annua greens are ready to run up to 11-and-a-half feet on the Stimpmeter and the longest rough will again measure three inches. The unseasonably warm weather that has blanketed the Napa Valley in recent weeks will stick around for the Safeway Open. Daytime highs will flirt with 90 degrees, while sunshine and relatively dry air will dominate. Wind is not expected to be a factor. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Full-membership Fantasy Ranking, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.

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