Safeway Open Golf Betting Picks: Dahmen & Varner Look for First PGA Tour Victories
We didn’t pick a winner at the Tour Championship but we did close the 2019-20 season a profitable +26.05 units. With the FedEx Cup Playoffs wrapped up, a new PGA Tour season is upon us, commencing with the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, California.
The Safeway Open will be the final tournament before golfers tee off for the second major of the year, the U.S. Open, next week.
Since the NFL kicks off on Thursday, and the NBA Playoffs are underway, I’ll be brief as we look at golf odds from online sports betting sites and break down picks for the 2020 Safeway Open.
Safeway Open Course Preview
The North Course at Silverado Resort is a par 72 that plays just under 7,200 yards. Even though the North Course is hosting one of the weakest fields we will see all season, it should still yield its fair share of birdies, and even some eagles. All four of the par 5s are reachable in two if accompanied by a solid tee shot. Difficulty will come on Silverado’s par 3s, which include a 240-yard test on the second hole. In total, the par 3s average 212 yards. West Coast golfers should feel more than comfortable on Silverado’s Poa annua greens. Though shorter hitters certainly can compete, I’m still focusing on golfers who can hit it far and score when it comes to outright betting picks for the Safeway Open. Recent winners at the North Course include Cameron Champ (-17), Kevin Tway (-14), and Brendan Steele, who went back-to-back in 2016 (-15) and 2017 (-18).
Safeway Open PGA Golf Betting Picks
Joel Dahmen +2800 (PointsBet) – Dahmen visits Wine Country playing some of the best golf his career. Dating back to January, Dahmen has nine top 20s, including three top 10s, the most recent of which came at the PGA Championship, in California no less. Dahmen isn’t a Cali boy but he did grow up on the West Coast, playing on Poa annua greens in his home state of Washington. The 32-year-old has become one of the most likable golfers on Tour, and should he find himself in contention on Sunday, there will be plenty of people, including me, rooting for him to close the deal.
Risking 1 unit to win 28
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Harold Varner III +3300 (FOX Bet) – Barely missing out on a trip to Winged Foot after failing to advance to the BMW Championship two weeks ago, Varner won’t be using this tournament to prep for the U.S. Open That’s unfortunate for Varner, but he has a great opportunity to claim the first PGA Tour victory of his career amid this week’s field. Varner leads the field in ball-striking and strokes gained tee-to-green since the start of the new year. He’s no. 4 off the tee and no. 6 in strokes gained approach. What’s not to love? This is my favorite golf betting pick of the week, so not only will I risk 2 units on Varner to win outright but I’ll also add a first-round leader bet. Varner can go as low as anyone over the course of 18 holes. _*Sign up at FOX Bet to bet on Varner +5000 to lead after Round 1*_!
Risking 2 units to win 70
First-Round Leader – Risking 1 unit to win 50
Doc Redman +4000 (Unibet) – The Doc ranks second in ball-striking this week behind Varner. However, his last tournament appearance did set off some alarms. Redman lost strokes across the board at the Northern Trust, including -5.3 tee-to-green. Before that, Redman was on absolute fire at the Wyndam Championship, gaining 10.7 strokes tee-to-green.
Risking 1 units to win 4.
Keegan Bradley +6000 (FOX Bet)- Bradley is right at the top in nearly every statistical category that doesn’t involve his short game. He’ll need to figure something out with the short stick, at least for a few days, if he wants to win here. If he does, he absolutely has the talent to beat the field.
Risking 1 unit to win 55
Tom Kim +75000 (BetMGM) – The golfer formerly known as Joohyung may or may not be flying under the radar due to some confusion regarding his name. At FanDuel, Tom Kim is only +10000, yet at BetMGM he is a +75000 (yes, 750-1!). Let’s throw .20 units on Kim and hope the bet stands.
Risking .20 units to win 150
Check out our PGA Betting Guide for more golf betting tips.
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images