This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Safeway Open
Napa, California
Silverado Resort & Spa (North) - Par 72 - 7,166 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $6.6M
The Preview
Two full days will have passed between Dustin Johnson's FedExCup-clinching birdie on the 72nd hole at East Lake and Thursday's opening tee shot at the upcoming Safeway Open, marking what has to be the shortest offseason in sports. A three-month interruption to the PGA Tour's 2019-20 calendar gave players more than enough time to rest, however, so we'll now look ahead to a 50-event "super season" schedule for the 2020-21 campaign. Beginning with the Safeway Open, the North Course at Silverado Resort & Spa will play host to a fairly underwhelming field as the game's top talent prepares for next week's U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Recent Champions
2019 - Cameron Champ (Silverado)
2018 - Kevin Tway (Silverado)
2017 - Brendan Steele (Silverado)
2016 - Brendan Steele (Silverado)
2015 - Emiliano Grillo (Silverado)
2014 - Sangmoon Bae (Silverado)
2013 - Jimmy Walker
2012 - Jonas Blixt
2011 - Bryce Molder
2010 - Rocco Mediate
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
P4: 400-450 efficiency
SG: Off-the-Tee
Par-5 Birdie or Better percentage
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Doc Redman - $40
With softer pricing across the board this week, paying up for Redman at $40 feels warranted as a lack of course history and the brand names surrounding him should help limit exposure while allowing you to select chalk elsewhere. Prior to a missed-cut implosion at the Northern Trust, Redman paced the Wyndham Championship field in SG: Tee-to-Green, driving accuracy and SG: Off-the-Tee on the way to a T3 finish. He also comes in at third in SG: Approach since the PGA Tour restarted its 2019-20 campaign at the Charles Schwab Challenge in June.
Si Woo Kim - $37
Kim's $37 salary doesn't exactly reflect the fact that he's one of, if not the betting favorite, at Silverado after a top-15 performance at the PGA Championship preceded his T3 at the Wyndham Championship where he gained a season-high 9.9 strokes from tee to green. Since the restart, Kim ranks second in birdie-or-better percentage, eighth in SG: Approach and 10th in driving distance on the way to nine consecutive made cuts dating to the Travelers Championship.
Glue Guys
Harold Varner - $36
Varner is second to none in P4: 400-450 efficiency since the Charles Schwab Challenge, but he's also top-6 in SG: Approach and birdie or better percentage during this stretch as well. He failed to advance to the BMW Championship following a missed cut at the Northern Trust, but he posted a top-10 performance at the Wyndham Championship on the heels of a T29 at the PGA Championship. He's historically played well at Silverado, finishing among the top-20 in three of five appearances in Napa.
Brendan Steele - $35
The back-to-back champion here at Silverado in 2016 and 2017 will be wildly popular at just $35, but he's more than just a horse for the course. Steele ranks fifth in SG: Approach, 20th in birdie or better percentage and 24th in P4: 400-450 efficiency over his last 26 rounds. He's gained an average of 3.5 strokes per event on his approach shots throughout his last five starts while rejoining the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He ended the 2019-20 campaign 15th in proximity and 38th in driving distance.
Bargain Bin
Sam Burns - $28
Burns has placed T32 or better in five of his last eight events, ranking first in driving distance and second in SG: Off-the-Tee during this stretch. He also finished 30th on Tour in SG: Putting and 21st in par-5 scoring last season, while notching a 22.51 par-breaker percentage despite an inability to hit fairways at times.
Cameron Davis - $24
Davis actually gained strokes across the board through 46 measured rounds this past season, impressively ranking 20th in driving distance and 23rd in birdie average along the way. He paces this Safeway Open field in birdie or better percentage since the restart and he's fourth in P4: 400-450 efficiency as well. Davis tied for 17th here in Napa two years ago and he's finished T32 or better in four consecutive starts dating to the 3M Open.
Chris Baker - $20
Baker pops off from a statistical perspective compared to those surrounding him at the minimum salary, entering the Safeway Open seventh in SG: Approach, eighth in birdie or better percentage, eighth in driving accuracy and ninth in P4: 400-450 efficiency since the Tour's schedule resumed in June. Baker's quality ball-striking metrics led him to four straight made cuts from the Rocket Mortgage Classic to the Wyndham Championship where he posted his first career top-20 result at 34 years old.
