The 2020-21 PGA Tour season officially begins this week at the Safeway Open held at Silverado Resort and Spa North in Napa, California. The course plays at 7,203 yards, making it one of the shortest par 72s on the tour. Most of the game’s biggest names will sit out this event sandwiched between the PGA Championship and the US Open, providing a chance for lower-ranked players to shine. Consider these golfers for your DFS rosters.
Brendan Steele ($10,000 on DraftKings, $11,400 on FanDuel)
Not a guy you normally see in the five-figure salary club, Steele earns the price tag this week thanks to recent form and course history. Steele won the Safeway Open in 2017 and 2018. While other players this week have strong course history (not nearly as strong as Steele, of course), few have played as well as he has in recent weeks. Steele has gained strokes on approach in six straight events, and he has made his last seven cuts.
Doc Redman ($9,200 on DK, $10,800 on FD)
Ignore the egg Redman laid at the Northern Trust, where he shot 73-73 to miss the cut, and pay closer attention to his five top-30 finishes since the June restart. He ranks 11th on the tour since the restart in strokes gained. If Redman, a strong ball-striker, can get his putter hot, he can compete for the victory at the Safeway Open.
Bud Cauley ($8,600 on DK, $10,000 on FD)
Cauley’s poor driving distance proves a crippling flaw on long courses, but the shorter length of Silverado gives him a chance this week. Cauley missed the cut at the Northern Trust, but prior to that, he made four straight cuts. He also enjoys a strong course history in Napa, with two finishes inside the top seven, and no missed cuts in seven events here.
Charley Hoffman ($7,500 on DK, $9,200 on FD)
Some touts warn DFS players to stay away from Hoffman, but Vegas takes the opposite approach: his low salary looks to be good value when oddsmakers peg him at 60-1 odds to win the Safeway Open, tied for 26th in the field. Hoffman finished in the top 25 in three of his last five events in the 2019-20 season.
Chris Baker ($6,400 on DK, $7,700 on FD)
Chris who? While not exactly a luminary on the PGA Tour (his photo isn’t even on the DFS player pools), Baker has proven steady in limited action. Since the restart, he made four straight cuts. He leads the Safeway Open field in strokes gained during that time period, though with a small sample size. You could certainly do worse at this low salary.