Quick look at the Safeway Open

Wine country. Three post-round concerts (including Billy Idol, whose real name, by the way, is William Michael Albert Broad). Fresh faces and a fresh start – and a familiar defending champ — for a new PGA TOUR season. It’s Safeway Open week. Here’s a look at what you need to know as we enter the fall portion of the 2018-19 campaign. THE FLYOVER Few closing holes on the PGA TOUR are easier than the par-5 18th on the North Course at Silverado. The 575-yard hole played to a stroke average of 4.690 last season, making it the seventh easiest closing hole. Four eagles were made on the hole, with 46 percent of all second shots attempting to reach the green (just over 10 percent were successful). LANDING ZONE What do the 360-yard 8th hole at Silverado and the famed 315-yard 10th hole at Riviera have in common? Each played to a stroke average of 4.055 last season. Only one par-4 hole shorter than Silverado’s 8th was more difficult last season – the 354-yard 10th at the Plantation Course at Kapalua. More players do not go anywhere near the green, opting to find the wider portion of the fairway for a short iron into the green. Here’s a look at where all tee shots landed in 2017. WEATHER CHECK From PGA TOUR meteorologist Wade Stettner: “There is a slight chance of showers Thursday morning with clearing skies by Thursday afternoon. Sunny skies are forecast from Friday through Sunday with cool morning temperatures and pleasant afternoon highs. High winds are possible on Sunday as a front drops through the central valley of California.â€� For the latest weather news from Napa, California, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK I do love the fresh start here, being back to zero. BY THE NUMBERS 50.3 – Percentage of fairways hit by the Safeway Open field last season. That was the second lowest percentage of any course recorded by ShotLink. The toughest was Firestone South (50 percent). 50 under – Brendan Steele’s cumulative total under par at the Safeway Open since 2014. That’s the best score to par by any player in that stretch. 21 – Number of rookies on the PGA TOUR this season. SCATTERSHOTS This week offers players the first opportunity to earn FedExCup points this season. Ending the fall portion of the schedule has proven to be an important barometer. In each of the last five seasons, the FedExCup leader after the end of the fall events has reached the 30-man TOUR Championship. Former Oakland A’s all-star pitcher Mark Mulder in the field thanks to a sponsor exemption. Mulder has won the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship three times and was also the runner-up at the event this summer. Cameron Champ led the Web.com Tour in driving distance last season (343.1-yard average) en route to earning his TOUR card. He also ranked a respectable 48th in driving accuracy. Said Champ: “I kind of created a shot I like to hit, just kind of my ‘get in the fairway” I call it. It’s kind of a lower shot that I’m very comfortable with if I’m under pressure or if I’m having a bad day. If I can’t really find a fairway, I’ll usually go to that so I think that’s really helped me with the driving aspect.â€�

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