PGA Tour Safeway Open betting odds and preview

The Safeway Open will kick off the new PGA Tour season on Thursday, just three days after Dustin Johnson closed out the 2019-20 season as the FedEx Cup champion.

Hosted at Silverado Resort and Spa in California for the seventh straight year, the Safeway Open will see a handful of familiar faces on the par-72, 7,166-yard course.

Si Woo Kim and Phil Mickelson head in as co-favorites (+1800) among the 156-player field, while two-time winner Brendan Steele comes in at +2000.  

Kim finished third at the Wyndham Championship, 13th at the PGA Championship, and 39th at The Northern Trust back in August. He also landed 49th at the Safeway Open in September 2019.

Mickelson struggled at times last season and missed seven cuts, including one at Safeway. Following his missed cut at The Northern Trust in August, he jumped into the field at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National.

In his debut on the Champions Tour, Mickelson won the Charles Schwab Series and tied the lowest score in tour history (191 at the 54-hole event).

He could ride that momentum to a hot start on Thursday. Despite his poor showing at the Safeway Open last season, Mickelson has finished eighth, third, and 17th at the event from 2017-19.

Lefty’s driver is one advantage he takes into the tournament. Long hitters have won this event the past four years, including Cameron Champ, Kevin Tway, and Steele (twice).

Champ is coming off a 24th-place finish in last weekend’s Tour Championship and will sit out Safeway to prepare for next week’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Tway is a longshot (+15000) because of his recent form. He has missed the cut in each of his past 10 appearances on Tour. His best performance last season was a 29th-place finish at the Shriners Open in October. 

Harold Varner (+2800)

Another strong hitter who should excel at Silverado is Harold Varner. The 30-year-old from Ohio hasn’t missed the weekend at this event, dating back to his first appearance during the 2016 season. Since then he has posted finishes of 48th, 15th, 59th, 14th, and 17th.

Varner missed the cut at The Northern Trust in August, but he showed good form with a 29th-place finish at the PGA Championship and seventh at Wyndham.

He ranks 17th in strokes gained off the tee and 25th in par 4 birdie or better average. Silverado features 10 par 4s, which range from 363 yards on Hole 8 to 463 yards on Hole 13. Four short par 3s and four par 5s complete the course.

Cameron Davis (+3500)

Keep your eye on Cameron Davis, as well. The 25-year-old Australian came on strong at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, with a 12th-place finish at the 3M Open, followed by 15th at the Wyndham Championship, and 29th at The Northern Trust.

He missed the cut at Safeway last season but landed in 17th the year before.

The golfer is tied for 55th in strokes gained off the tee, tied for 46th in par 5 performance, and is ranked 17th in par 4 birdie or better average.

With just a brief break since his last tournament in mid-August, Davis should come out swinging, and is a solid choice to finish in the top 10 (+400).

The champion of this weekend's tournament will receive a share of the $6.6 million purse, plus 500 FedEx Cup points.

You can catch the Safeway Open on the Golf Channel or stream the event live at NBCSports.com.

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Wager on the 2020 Safeway Open at BetAmerica!