Most notably, Phil Mickelson is a co-favorite in this field after Lefty won in his senior tour debut in runaway fashion. Oddsmakers seem to think Phil’s success will translate to interest from bettors on the PGA Tour, as Phil opens as a 20-1 favorite next to Si-Woo Kim and Matt Kuchar. Phil has two top-10s and three top-20s in the Napa event over the past four seasons, with a missed cut last season. Brendan Steele, who won back-to-back Safeway Opens in 2017 and 2018, is one of the favorites at 28-1—and with him playing well since the restart, he’ll be targeted by some at an initial glance.
An interesting name can be found just a little farther down the oddsboard: Jordan Spieth. The three-time major champion sits at 35-1 as he looks for his first win since his 2017 Open Championship triumph. Could this weaker field present Spieth an opportunity to find the winner’s circle? He will need to improve upon these 2019-’20 stats, ranking 169th in strokes gained/off-the-tee; 111th in strokes gained/putting and 99th in strokes gained/approach.
But the Safeway Open marks the start of a new season, and maybe that’ll bring with it some better vibes for Spieth. Here are the odds to win in the first of what will be 50 (!) tournaments in the 2020-’21 season.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat: 200-1
Sebastian Cappelen: 400-1
Steve Watanabe Jr.: 20,000-1