After a brief hiatus, the PGA tour returns. The FedExCup Fall gets underway this week at the Fortinet Championship.
The new schedule only allows the top 50 in the FedExCup Standings through the BMW Championship to be exempt into the 2024 Signature Events (8). As a result, we’ll likely start to see some more competitive fields this Fall which is certainly an improvement from last year.
The top 70 players in the FedExCup Standings have secured their 2024 PGA Tour status, while the remaining 55 spots are up for grabs across the next seven events.
Let’s get into this week’s storylines…
Max Homa will look to become the first golfer since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic in 2009-11 to win the same TOUR event three years in a row. He seems to have a majority of his success in California claiming 4 of his 6 PGA Tour victories in the same state he went to college.
Justin Thomas will play his first PGA Tour event following the Wyndham Championship. He finished 71st in the FedEx Cup Standings missing the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time in his career. He’ll look to regain his form heading into the Ryder Cup after being selected as one of the captain’s picks.
Following this week’s event, the PGA Tour will not return until October for the Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson. During that two-week break, the Ryder Cup takes place at Macro Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.
Tournament Information:
- Dates: September 14th, 2023 – September 17th, 2023
- Location: Napa, California, United States
- Course: Silverado Resort and Spa (North Course)
- Course Type: Resort
- Par: 72 (4x 3’s / 10x 4’s / 4x 5’s)
- Length: 7,123 Yards
- Format: 72-hole stroke play
- Greens: Poa annua / bentgrass .110”
- Fairways: Bermuda / Poa / rye .450”
- Rough: Bluegrass / ryegrass 2.5”
- Bunkers: 53
- Water Hazard(s): 2 (In-Play on 2 Holes)
- Average Green Size: 5,400 sq. ft.
- Stimpmeter: 11.5 ft.
- Purse/ Winner: $8,400,000 /$1,512,000
- FedEx Cup Points: 500
- Field/ Cut: 156 Pros | Top 65 and Ties – 36 Holes
- Course Scoring Average:
- 2022: 71.52 (-0.48), Rank, 21 of 50
- 2021: 71.03 (-0.97), Rank 32 of 50
- 2020: 70.21 (-1.79), Rank 44 of 51
- Historic Cut Line:
- 2022: -2
- 2021: -3
- 2020: -5
Course Architect:
- Course Architect: Ben Harmon (1955)
- Renovations: Robert Trent Jones Jr. (1966), Johnny Miller (2011)
Comparable Courses & Greens:
- Comparable Courses:
- Comparable Location (Napa, California):
- PGA WEST – La Quinta, California – The American Express
- Torrey Pines Golf Course – San Diego, California – Farmers Insurance Open
- Pebble Beach Golf Links – Pebble Beach, California – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Riviera Country Club – Pacific Palisades, California – The Genesis Invitational
- Comparable Yardage (7,123 Yards):
- PGA National Resort – 7,125 Yards – The Honda Classic
- Sedgefield Country Club – 7,131 Yards – Wyndham Championship
- Comparable Greens (Poa annua / bentgrass .110”):
- TPC River Highlands – Bentgrass / Poa annua .110” – Travelers Championship
- Detroit Golf Club – Bentgrass / Poa annua .100” – Rocket Mortgage Classic
- Comparable Average Green Size (5,400 sq. ft.):
- Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club – 5,500 sq. ft. – ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
- TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Course) – 5,500 sq. ft. – THE PLAYERS Championship
TV Information:
- Round 1: Thursday, September 14th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
- Round 2: Friday, September 15th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
- Round 3: Saturday, September 16th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
- Round 4: Sunday, September 17th, 2023
- Golf Channel – 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET
- Thursday: Partly Cloudy 84 F, 10 mp/h SSW, 60% Humidity, 8% Chance of Rain
- Friday: Partly Cloudy 83 F, 10 mp/h SW, 65% Humidity, 8% Chance of Rain
- Saturday: Partly Cloudy 84 F, 10 mp/h SW, 62% Humidity, 8% Chance of Rain
- Sunday: Partly Cloudy 81 F, 11 mp/h SW, 62% Humidity, 7% Chance of Rain
Course/ Tournament History:
The Fortinet Championship, previously known as the Safeway Open and Frys.com Open, is the opening event of the reimagined FedExCup Fall. Fortinet took over the naming rights in 2021, signing a six-year deal.
Silverado Resort and Spa has hosted this event since 2014. The original 18-hole course at Silverado opened in 1955 but just 11 years later it was re-designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. In addition to the re-design of the North Course, he added a South Course. In 2010, Johnny Miller purchased the resort and made several improvements. He also added 250 yards to the North Course making it up to current PGA standards.
The course routing has changed with 10 holes in a different order, including the signature 11th hole playing as the tournament’s 17th. See the chart below for all of the routing changes made to the tournament layout.
| 2022 Layout | 2023 Layout | ||||||
| Hole | Par | Yardage | Hole | Par | Yardage | Routing Change | |
| 1 | 4 | 436 | 1 | 4 | 436 | – | |
| 2 | 3 | 197 | 2 | 3 | 197 | – | |
| 3 | 4 | 424 | 3 | 4 | 424 | – | |
| 4 | 4 | 407 | 4 | 4 | 407 | – | |
| 5 | 5 | 538 | 5 | 5 | 538 | – | |
| 6 | 4 | 417 | 6 | 4 | 417 | – | |
| 7 | 3 | 212 | 7 | 3 | 212 | – | |
| 8 | 4 | 360 | 8 | 4 | 391 | OLD #12 | |
| 9 | 5 | 557 | 9 | 4 | 458 | OLD #13 | |
| 10 | 4 | 422 | 10 | 4 | 412 | OLD #14 | |
| 11 | 3 | 182 | 11 | 3 | 189 | OLD #15 | |
| 12 | 4 | 391 | 12 | 5 | 571 | OLD #16 | |
| 13 | 4 | 458 | 13 | 4 | 375 | OLD #17 | |
| 14 | 4 | 412 | 14 | 4 | 360 | OLD #8 | |
| 15 | 3 | 189 | 15 | 5 | 557 | OLD #9 | |
| 16 | 5 | 571 | 16 | 4 | 422 | OLD #10 | |
| 17 | 4 | 375 | 17 | 3 | 182 | OLD #11 | |
| 18 | 5 | 575 | 18 | 5 | 575 | – | |
- Most Wins at Event:
- 2, Max Homa (2022,2021) & Brendan Steele (2016, 2017)
- 72-Hole Record (Silverado):
- 267, Stewart Cink (2020)
- 18-Hole Record (Silverado):
- 61, Chesson Hadley (2nd round, 2017)
Course Guide/ Scorecard:
The North Course at Silverado Resort & Spa is on the shorter side measuring 7,123 yards. It ranks 8th out of 42 courses in terms of length. The fairways are on the narrower side, ranking 2nd of 42, with the average fairway width being 25.5 yards. The average green size is roughly 5,400 square feet which is on the smaller side when compared to the other courses on the PGA Tour. There are 50 bunkers which ranks as the 5th fewest out of the 42 courses.
The four Par 3’s at Silverado range from 182 to 212 yards. Last year, all of these holes had a scoring average over par.
No. 11 (Old/ Members No. 15), 189 yards, Par 3: “This challenging par 3 will get your blood pumping. Hitting with the wrong club may cost you a penalty stroke and missing left of the green will leave you with a nearly impossible up and down. Par is a fantastic score on this very tough hole.”
No. 17 (Old/ Members No. 11), 182 yards, Par 3: “This beautiful short par 3 over water is the signature hole on the North Course. Although short, this hole has many difficult pin locations, Par on this hole is a good score.”
There are ten Par 4’s at Silverado with the majority (six) of them ranging between 400 and 450 yards. The two toughest Par 4’s last year were holes No. 4 and No. 13 (Current No. 9).
No. 13 (Old/ Members No. 17), 375 yards, Par 4: “This ideal drive on this short, dogleg left par 4 will be positioned on the far right side of the fairway (aim towards the large oak tree). A tee shot too far left off the tee and you will get blocked out by the tall Redwood Trees. Make sure you take extra club on your approach as the green is uphill and protected by a small pot bunker. Everything sloped to the middle of the green. A good second shot will leave you with a good look at birdie.”
No. 14 (Old/ Members No. 8), 360 yards, Par 4: “Position off this tee is crucial for your approach shot. With a water hazard right and out-of-bounds left, medium to long hitters will generally use a fairway wood from the tee for more accuracy. If you find the fairway, you will likely have a short iron to the green. This green slopes from back to front, one of the toughest greens on the course, a two-putt here and you’re gaining on the field!”
The four Par 5’s on the course are No. 5, No. 12, No. 15, and No. 18. All of these holes played under par last year. No. 5 had the lowest scoring average on the course last year (-0.427).
No. 12 (Old/ Members No. 16), 571 yards, Par 5: “Keep your drive right on this straightaway par 5 as a water hazard runs down the entire hole on the left side. A comfortable layup to the left center of the fairway should present you with a good angle and a short iron into this green. This green slopes gently from right to left.”
No. 18, 575 yards, Par 5: “This finishing hole is the longest par 5 on the North Course. Avoid the fairway bunkers on the right off the tee and you should be able to leave yourself in the perfect position to hit this green in regulation. Short left on your approach will make for a difficult par. Play towards the middle back of this green to ensure a finishing par.”
Featured Holes: 17
For a hole-by-hole overview of the course, you can click the following link.
Key Statistics:
- Strokes Gained: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
- Strokes Gained: Around the Green
- Strokes Gained: Putting (Poa annua)
- Driving Distance
- Scrambling
- Proximity: 75 -100 Yards
- Proximity: 100 – 125 Yards
- Par 4 Scoring: 400 – 450 Yards (x6)
- Par 3 Scoring: 175 – 200 Yards (x3)
- Par 5 Scoring: 550 – 600 Yards (x3)
- Comparable Courses and Event History
The Field/ Odds:
There will be 156 players competing in this year’s Fortinet Championship. Only two of the world’s top thirty players are in the field. Here are the current favorites in this week’s event:
Max Homa (+750) has won the Fortinent Championship in back-to-back years. He’s coming into this week in great form as well finishing inside the top 10 in each of his last four events.
Justin Thomas (+1200) missed out on the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time in his career. He finished T12 in his last start on the PGA Tour at the Wyndham Championship. Thomas last played in this event in 2020 where he finished T4.
Sahith Theegala (+2000) will make his fourth appearance at the Fortinet Championship this week. His best finish was last year where he placed T6. Theegala did miss out on the TOUR Championship but did play well in his last two events finishing T15 at the BMW Championship and T13 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Cam Davis (+2200) struggled last year but comes into this event having finished inside the top 10 in three of his last four starts on the PGA Tour. This will be his fifth appearance at the Fortinet Championship. In his four prior finishes at Silverado, he’s only finished inside the top 20 once.
Stephan Jaeger (+2500) finished T20 in his last PGA Tour start, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He’s been in solid form with his last missed cut coming all the way back in April at the RBC Heritage. This will be his fifth appearance at this event with his best finish coming back in in his debut (T30, 2017).
- Previous Winners in the Field (Silverado):
- Max Homa (’22, ’21), Stewart Cink (’20), Cameron Champ (’19), Kevin Tway (’18), Sangmoon Bae (’14)
- Notable Withdraws:
- Yuxin Lin (Playing the Simmons Bank Open, KFT)
To see the most up-to-date odds, you can click the following link.
To see the full field for this event and how they qualified, you can click the following link.
Horses for Courses:
| Fortinet Championship | Fortinet Championship | Safeway Open | Safeway Open | Safeway Open | |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
| Max Homa | 1 | 1 | T62 | T60 | |
| Sahith Theegala | T6 | T47 | T14 |
Donkeys for Courses:
“Horses for Courses” is a phrase that is widely used and describes the best course/tournament fits. These are the players that have had success at the particular course/event. “Donkeys for Courses” is something I came up with that highlights the players who have struggled at a specific course/tournament.
| Fortinet Championship | Fortinet Championship | Safeway Open | Safeway Open | Safeway Open | |
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
| Sean O’Hair | T58 | MC | MC | ||
| Martin Laird | MC | MC | MC | T46 | |
| George McNeil | MC | MC | |||
| Chris Stroud | T43 | MC | MC | MC | MC |
| Patton Kizzire | MC | T28 | MC | MC | |
| Scott Brown | MC | MC | MC | MC | |
| Kyle Stanley | MC | MC | T46 | MC | |
| Chad Ramey | MC | MC | |||
| Kevin Chappell | MC | MC | T56 | T40 | |
| Hank Lebioda | MC | MC | T44 | MC | |
| Ryan Armour | MC | T51 | MC | ||
| Tyler Duncan | MC | MC | MC | T56 | T69 |
| Martin Trainer | MC | MC | MC | T60 | |
| Matthew NeSmith | MC | T51 | MC | MC | |
| Ben Martin | T67 | MC | MC | ||
| Robert Streb | MC | MC | MC | MC | |
| Wesley Bryan | MC | MC | |||
| Kevin Stadler | MC | MC | |||
| Kelly Kraft | MC | MC | MC | MC | |
| Kramer Hickok | T25 | MC | MC | MC | |
| MJ Daffue | MC | T72 | |||
| Max Mcgreevy | MC | MC | |||
| Ted Potter Jr. | MC | MC | MC | ||
| Kyounghoon Lee | MC | MC | MC | ||
| Henrik Norlander | MC | MC | MC | ||
| Callum Tarren | MC | MC | |||
| Seung-yul Noh | MC | MC | |||
| Kevin Yu | MC | MC | |||
| Trevor Werbylo | MC | MC |
Previous Winners Scores & Prices:
- 2022: Max Homa (-16)
- Price: 16-1
- 2021: Max Homa (-19)
- Price: 60-1
- 2020: Stewart Cink (-21)
- Price: 200-1
- 2019: Cameron Champ (-17)
- Price: 150-1
- 2018: Kevin Tway (-14)
- Price: 66-1
Previous Winners Incoming Form (Last 5 Starts):
- 2022: Max Homa
- T5 – TOUR Championship (PGA)
- T23 – BMW Championship (PGA)
- T42 – FedEx St. Jude Championship (PGA)
- T24 – Rocket Mortgage Classic (PGA)
- MC – The Open Championship (MAJ)
- 2021: Max Homa
- T63 – BMW Championship (PGA)
- T47 – THE NORTHERN TRUST (PGA)
- T51 – WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (PGA)
- T40 – The Open Championship (MAJ)
- T25 – Rocket Mortgage Classic (PGA)
- 2020: Stewart Cink
- MC – Wyndham Championship (PGA)
- T46 – 3M Open (PGA)
- T62 – the Memorial Tournament (PGA)
- T17 – Workday Charity Open (PGA)
- MC – Travelers Championship (PGA)
- 2019: Cameron Champ
- T28 – Sanderson Farms Championship (PGA)
- T8 – Dunlop Phoenix (JPN)
- T65 – BMW Championship (PGA)
- T21 – THE NORTHERN TRUST (PGA)
- MC – Wyndham Championship (PGA)
- 2018: Kevin Tway
- T43 – Dell Technologies Championship (PGA)
- T56 – THE NORTHERN TRUST (PGA)
- T11 – Wyndham Championship (PGA)
- T17 – RBC Canadian Open (PGA)
- T50 – John Deere Classic (PGA)
Picks (Outrights):
- Sahith Theegala (+1600) – DraftKings
- Risk 0.50 to win 8.00 Units
- Brendon Todd (+4000) – Caesars
- Risk 0.20 to win 8.00 Units
- Akshay Bhatia (+4500) – BetMGM
- Risk 0.18 to win 8.10 Units
- Davis Thompson (+5000) – Caesars
- Risk 0.16 to win 8.00 Units
- Taylor Montgomery (+6000) – Caesars
- Risk 0.14 to win 8.40 Units
Total Risk on Outrights: 1.18 Units
Picks (Top 20):
- Cam Davis (+120) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.20 Units
- Beau Hossler (+145) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.45 Units
Total Risk on Top 20: 2.00 Units
Picks (Top 40):
- Chez Reavie (+100) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.00 Units
- Erik van Rooyen (+150) – BetMGM
- Risk 1.00 to win 1.50 Units
Total Risk on Top 40: 2.00 Units
Total Risk on the Fortinet Championship: 5.18 Units
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative is always encouraged.
