Safeway Open preview: Deepest field in tournament history should provide plenty of excitement
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex (LuckyDuckImages.com)
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Excitement is building for the annual Safeway Open presented by Chevron at Silverado Resort and Spa.
There’s plenty of reasons for excitement to build, given the fact that the tournament starts on Thursday on the par 72, 7,166-yard North Course.
Last year, Kevin Tway was able to pick up his first career PGA Tour win after battling Ryan Moore and Brandt Snedeker in a three-hole playoff. Tway, Moore, and Snedeker were all tied at 14 under after 72 holes of play.
The Golf Channel will televise all four rounds of the tournament.
The purse for the tournament is $6.6 million and the winner will go home with $1.188 million of it. The winner will also receive 500 FedExCup points.
New year, new slot on PGA Tour schedule
For the first time in Safeway Open history, the event won’t be the opener of the PGA Tour season.
However, the tournament won’t be taking place in October, as it has been over the last few years. This year the tournament is the third event, instead of the first on the PGA Tour 2019-20 schedule.
With that change, it means some good weather will come for the four-day event with the weather forecasted in the 80s all weekend long, according to Accuweather.com.
Strongest field in event history
This year, the Safeway Open will feature the deepest tournament field to date due to the later slot on the schedule.
“When the PGA TOUR moved the schedule up this past year, we were hopeful that the result would be more top players playing the Safeway Open presented by Chevron,” said Jeff Sanders, the Executive tournament Director in a press release. “We are excited to now offer our fans the opportunity to see top PGA TOUR talent along with one of the very best fan experiences on the PGA TOUR.”
The tournament will feature five payers ranked within the top 15 of the World Golf Rankings.
Former @TheMasters Champion Adam Scott and 2018 @TheOpen Champion Francesco Molinari (@F_Molinari) join Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Fred Couples and more in the field at the Safeway Open presented by Chevron! #SafewayOpen #LiveUnderPar #PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/S7S6Bjrvp8
— Safeway Open (@SafewayOpen) August 30, 2019
Justin Thomas, the winner of the 2017 FedEXCup title, is back after finishing 8th in the 2016 event. Thomas is ranked fifth overall in the World Golf Rankings.
Francesco Molinari, the winner of the 2018 British Open, will also play in the event for the first time. He is ranked ninth in the World Golf Rankings.
Adam Scott, the 15th ranked golfer in the World, will also play in his first Safeway Open. Scott has won 13 PGA Tour events in his career, one of which was a win at The Masters in Augusta, Georgia.
Bryson DeChambeau will also be a returner to the tournament after finishing 17th in 2017. DeChambeau is ranked 11th in the World Golf Rankings and owns five wins on the PGA Tour.
Patrick Cantlay also is a returnee after finishing 17th in last year’s tournament. He’s currently the seventh-ranked golfer in the world.
Other notables are Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, John Daly, Snedeker, Moore, and Jim Furyk. Tway will also return to defend his title. Sacramento natives Cameron Champ and Nick Watney are also in the tournament field. Ricky Barners, a native of Stockton, will also play in the tournament.
Two-time Safeway Open Champion Brendan Steele will also return. He won back-to-back Safeway Opens in 2016 and 2017.
New players coming to Napa on sponsor invitations
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS National Football League analyst Tony Romo will be one of them to play on a sponsor invitation.
“I’m very excited to get back inside the ropes at the Safeway Open and very thankful to Bob Miller, Safeway and Jeff Sanders for the opportunity,” Romo said in a July press release. “I’ve been working hard to improve my game and can’t wait to test myself on the PGA TOUR against some of the best players in the world. I look forward to getting to Silverado to compete at the highest level.”
Romo is a four-time Pro Bowler. He is also the Cowboys’ leader in passing touchdowns and passing yards.
“Tony is a tremendous athlete and a very talented competitive golfer with aspirations to play his way onto the PGA Tour,” Sanders added in the same July press release. “We are very excited to see him tee it up alongside many of the best golfers in the world at this year’s Safeway Open at Silverado.”
The youngest player in the event will be 17-year-old Akshay Bhatia. The Safeway Open will be his first event on the PGA Tour.
“I’m very excited to make the Safeway Open my first event as a professional on the PGA TOUR. This is what I have been working toward for a long time,” said Bhatia in a July press release. “I am very thankful that Safeway and the tournament committee have given me this exciting opportunity.”
Pro-Am to feature big names
On Wednesday will be the official Safeway Open Pro-Am. In the Pro-Am there will be some big names playing.
Romo will tee it up on Wednesday with Thomas at 11:50 a.m. At 11:40 a.m., three-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry will tee it up with Mickelson. Mickelson is the tournament ambassador.
“I am looking forward to playing at Silverado Resort in the Safeway Open Pro-Am again this year. It is a great event, and to have the opportunity to play with a pro like Phil Mickelson is incredibly exciting,” Curry said in a Thursday press release.
“The Phil, Stephen pairing in the Pro-Am will provide golf fans a fun day on the course where I’m sure the banter will prove to be very entertaining,” Sanders said in the same Thursday press release. “As we know, Stephen’s shooting stroke is the best in the NBA, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his great golf swing! The Pro-Am is always a great day to get up close to the players and watch great golf. It will be fun for the fans to see Stephen playing with Phil, the two best shot makers in their respective sports!”
Then, teeing off at noon will be Thomas Keller, a world-renowned chef, and owner of numerous restaurants. He is paired up with Couples.
Safeway Open Concert Series returns
But, as is tournament tradition, the concert series will allow for an entertaining night after the golf has ended on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
On Thursday night at approximately 7 p.m., Jake Owen will perform. On Friday night also at 7 p.m., the band Bad Company will perform. Finally, on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Rob Thomas will perform.
All concerts will take place at the Chevron Stage, which is located on the Silverado Mansion lawn.
For information or tickets to the tournament, go to safewayopen.com. Single-day tickets are also on sale for $35.
