2020 Safeway Open Matchup Odds and Picks
- The 2020 Safeway Open kicks off the start of the 2020-21 PGA Tour Season from Sept 10-13 in Napa, California
- Cameron Davis, Harry Higgs, and Sam Burns are players to keep an eye on at the Silverado Resort and Spa
- Read below to find out the best matchup plays and odds for the 2020 Safeway Open
After Dustin Johnson dominated the end of the 2019-20 PGA Tour season, a new one commences in Napa, California at the 2020 Safeway Open. The Par 71, 7,166 yard North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa is the host of this week’s tournament.
In a less competitive field this week, Phil Mickelson and Si-Woo Kim are co-favorites at +2200. Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, and other top-ranked golfers in the world are taking the week off to prepare for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot the following week.
The door is open for some very big underdogs to win this event. I went 2-1 last week in my matchup plays at the Tour Championship, and look to carry the positive momentum into this week. Read below to find out my three favorite matchup plays for this week’s 2020 Safeway Open.
Gooch/Davis Matchup Odds
| Player | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Talor Gooch | +100 |
| Cameron Davis | -120 |
All Odds Taken September 9th, 2020.
The Next Big Thing Out of Australia
Cameron Davis at the age of 25 has started to show his stuff. Davis won the Australian Open back in 2017, beating the likes of Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Cameron Smith. Since then the Australian hasn’t started to impress until recently, with his elevated play after the restart.
Before the break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis finished tied-8th at The Honda Classic and tied-9th at the Sony Open. His best finish post-COVID-19 restart is a tied-12th finish at the 3M Open.
At a course like Silverado Resort and Spa, the long ball will help Davis get into better birdie positions. Davis averaged 308 yards per drive, which was 22nd best last season.
In Talor Gooch’s last four events he has just one Top 20, while Davis has two Top 15’s. Davis has been putting very well recently and could have the hottest putter in the field heading into this event. The 25-year-old is first in Strokes Gained: Putting and Strokes Gained: Total over the last eight weeks on Tour.
The young Australian could have a sneaky good finish in Napa this week. Roll with Davis.
Pick: Cameron Davis (-120)
List/Higgs Matchup Odds
| Player | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Luke List | -137 |
| Harry Higgs | +110 |
A Confident Harry Higgs
Harry Higgs had quite the FedEx Cup Playoffs willing his way into the BMW Championship. Higgs finished 11th at the Northern Trust giving him a good advantage at Olympia Fields. However, after an opening-round 70, Higgs couldn’t handle the weather and tough conditions as he finished the week in 56th place.
Webb Simpson comes up clutch. 💪
The legend of Harry Higgs is born. 😂
No. 16 honors a legend. 💜💛The Good, Bad and Unusual from the @WMPhoenixOpen. 👇 pic.twitter.com/nIBFVXYUHr
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 4, 2020
As you can clearly see, Higgs has quite the personality on the course and lives for the big stage. Higgs finished 23rd here last year in just his third PGA Tour event. At last year’s Safeway Open, Higgs finished 8th in Driving Accuracy and ninth Putting Average.
Higgs did very well on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019. The 28-year-old won the 2019 Price Cutter Championship, finished tied-second at the KC Golf Classic and tied-third at the TPC Colorado Championship.
Luke List finished fourth at this event in 2018, however, he has not been playing his best golf as of late. He has four missed cuts in his last nine starts and just one Top 10.
I believe Higgs is coming into this week with more momentum and even though he’s a rookie he gained a lot of experience from his 2019 season on the Korn Ferry Tour. Go with Higgs.
Pick: Harry Higgs (+110)
McNealy/Burns Matchup Odds
| Player | Odds at DraftKings |
|---|---|
| Maverick McNealy | +100 |
| Sam Burns | -120 |
Burns Lives Off the Tee
Sam Burns has put together quite the resume in the latter part of the 2019-20 PGA Tour Season. Burns finished tied-24th at the Travelers, tied-17th at the Workday Charity Open, and tied-13th at the Wyndham Championship. In those three events, the 24-year-old’s scoring average was 67.75.
Four straight cuts made for Sam Burns on the PGA Tour!
▪️ Travelers Championship (T24)
▪️ Rocket Mortgage Classic (T30)
▪️ Workday Charity Open (T17)
▪️ 3M Open (T32)Fifteen of his last 16 rounds have been 70 or lower pic.twitter.com/RoDwtA1Ntr
— LSU Men's Golf (@LSUMensGolf) July 27, 2020
Burns is outstanding off the tee. The LSU product is first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee over the last eight weeks on Tour. Not to mention, he averaged 312 yards off the tee in the 2019-20 season, which was eighth-best.
Burns is matched up with Maverick McNealy this week. McNealy has played this event three times and has finished 52nd, 63rd, and 52nd. He finished tied-eighth at Rocket Mortgage Classic and seventh at the Barracuda Championship, but really disappointed in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
While driving is his bread and butter, Burns finished tied-30th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season. If Burns can keep his putter hot this week, there is no question he will be in contention come Sunday afternoon.
Pick: Sam Burns (-120)
With 5+ years of sports journalism under his belt, Ryan Sura may be young, but he's already making his mark. Ryan is the lead NHL editor at SBD, along with managing content for MMA, Boxing, and Racing. He is also the commercial manager, highlighting the best promos at online sportsbooks across US.
