2016 Safeway Open Expert Picks and Predictions

Tiger Woods may have pulled out from the 2016 Safeway Open, but not even the most optimistic golf expert was going to pick him to win upon his return to the course. So, who do the experts like from the field to get the win in Napa this weekend? Let’s find out with a quick roundup of the 2016 Safeway Open expert picks.

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2016 Safeway Open Expert Picks and Predictions

*See complete Safeway Open odds here.

Bleacher Report

Winner | Dark Horses

Justin Thomas

Hudson Swafford
Charles Howell III
Fabian Gomez
Roberto Castro
Bud Cauley
Brian Harman

Bleacher Report featured columnist Ben Alberstadt likes Justin Thomas to come out on top at Silverado. At +2,000 to win, Thomas certainly offers pretty good value. The 23-year-old finished T3 in this tournament last year, when it was previously called the Frys.com Open. Alberstadt sees Thomas’ solid approach play as a big reason why he performed well on the course, and likes Thomas’ chances of improving upon last year’s showing.

Alberstadt also listed down six dark horses to watch out for, but highlighted two in particular: Hudson Swafford and Charles Howell III.

Despite some subpar performances in past tournaments, Alberstadt points out that Swafford has had back-to-back top-10 finishes at Silverado, which makes him a solid play at +7,000 to win. Meanwhile, Howell was put on the shelf for a month due to surgery, but he did crack the top 20 in Napa last season. With enough time to heal and round back into shape, Alberstadt sees Howell as a worthwhile bet at +8,000.

PGATour.com

Justin Thomas

Emiliano Grillo

Paul Casey

Kevin Na

Matt Kuchar

As always, PGA Tour’s site has listed down its power rankings for this weekend’s tournament, and it has Thomas at the top spot for the Safeway Open. Last year’s winner, Emiliano Grillo, is right behind in second, and is priced at +1,400 to successfully defend his title.

Writer Rob Bolton has Paul Casey and Matt Kuchar, the two co-favorites at +1,000, down in third and fifth, respectively. His No. 4-ranked golfer, Kevin Na, could offer the most value, though. Na lost last year’s tournament in a playoff, but he excels in par-5s and is generously priced at +2,200 to finally take the title.

Sportinglife.com

Martin Laird

Patrick Rodgers

Mark Hubbard

Sportinglife.com writer David John has offered not one, not two, but three speculative long shot picks for this weekend’s Safeway Open. Unfortunately, Mark Hubbard does have odds currently listed, but his other picks, Martin Laird and Patrick Rodgers, do. The two are currently priced at +7,000 to win in Napa.

John notes the decent success Laird has had in this tournament in past years. The Scot finished T3 in 2014 and scored a first-round 65 last year before falling down to T64.

Meanwhile, John thinks Rodgers could be a potential breakout candidate this season. Rodgers scored three top-10 finishes in 2015, his first full season on Tour, including a T3 at the Travelers Championship. Rodgers, a Stanford grad, didn’t fare too well in his tournament debut last year as he missed the cut. But John believes he will be much better prepared for this year’s event, and will spark a fine season overall from the youngster.

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