This article is part of our Weekly PGA Recap series.
What if they started the golf season and nobody came – besides Tiger Woods, that is.
For the second straight year, Woods uplifted the hopes and spirits of Johnny Miller and Safeway Open organizers by entering the first PGA Tour event of the season, only to bow out at the last minute. That left the Frys-turned-Safeway with a really bad combo platter: a weak field in the dead of football season. Throw in three days of rain-induced starts/stoppages analogous of a '67 Plymouth on a cold winter morning, and, well, what else could go wrong?
That was about it.
Because when it came down to actual golf crunch time on the back nine on Sunday, there was plenty of drama – no-name drama, but eight-guys-within-two-shots-of-the-lead drama nonetheless. We know golf fans are well aware of Patton Kizzire, Johnson Wagner, Scott Piercy, Brendan Steele, Kevin Na and a few others who were atop the leaderboard. But if you're trying to draw eyeballs and attention spans opposite Cowboys-Packers, only Woods could do that.
For much of the back nine it looked as if Kizzire could secure his first PGA Tour win, with the veteran Wagner ready to pounce if he second-year pro faltered. Instead, it was Steele birdieing the last three holes to overtake them and win his second career event.
We can thank Miller and the Silverado setup for the end-game excitement, with par-5s on the 16th and 18th holes sandwiching a short par-4 on 17.
Steele looked like a good
What if they started the golf season and nobody came – besides Tiger Woods, that is.
For the second straight year, Woods uplifted the hopes and spirits of Johnny Miller and Safeway Open organizers by entering the first PGA Tour event of the season, only to bow out at the last minute. That left the Frys-turned-Safeway with a really bad combo platter: a weak field in the dead of football season. Throw in three days of rain-induced starts/stoppages analogous of a '67 Plymouth on a cold winter morning, and, well, what else could go wrong?
That was about it.
Because when it came down to actual golf crunch time on the back nine on Sunday, there was plenty of drama – no-name drama, but eight-guys-within-two-shots-of-the-lead drama nonetheless. We know golf fans are well aware of Patton Kizzire, Johnson Wagner, Scott Piercy, Brendan Steele, Kevin Na and a few others who were atop the leaderboard. But if you're trying to draw eyeballs and attention spans opposite Cowboys-Packers, only Woods could do that.
For much of the back nine it looked as if Kizzire could secure his first PGA Tour win, with the veteran Wagner ready to pounce if he second-year pro faltered. Instead, it was Steele birdieing the last three holes to overtake them and win his second career event.
We can thank Miller and the Silverado setup for the end-game excitement, with par-5s on the 16th and 18th holes sandwiching a short par-4 on 17.
Steele looked like a good value play in a tournament whose top three entrants, according to DraftKings, were Paul Casey, Matt Kuchar and Phil Mickelson. That's a far cry from last year's stellar field headlined by Rory McIlroy.
With one prior win at the 2011 Valero Texas Open, Steele has hung on the fringe of relevance, making the playoffs six of the past seven seasons. He'd been somewhat throttled of late by the anchored-putting ban, but Steele made 15 of 17 putts inside 15 feet on Sunday and was sixth in strokes gained: putting on the week. He's always been long off the tee, so if he can solve the greens, he's going to take his game to another level.
Steele may not be good enough to contend when all the big names who are entered, but in fields comparative to Safeway's, the opening gets much wider for him and so many others. So while you may be heartened that your guys had strong season debuts, this is just the fall season. Don't overvalue based on October and November.
MONDAY BACKSPIN
Patton Kizzire
Kizzire, who was a Web.com hotshot two years ago, let this one get away in losing to Steele by one stroke. He won twice on the WCT 2015, and this experience should help him learn how to win on the PGA Tour. Kizzire – rhymes with "on fire" – is one of the better putters around. He was 58 for 58 inside eight feet for the week, and that bodes well for more good finishes ahead.
Michael Kim
Michael Kim went to college nearby at Berkeley, and he impressed down the stretch, rallying for a T3. That's his best finish in 34 tour events. Kim was a rookie last year and made the playoffs – no small feat. His Safeway check gives him almost half of what he made all of last season. So we might be seeing more of Kim on Sundays this season.
Paul Casey
Casey did not miss a beat after his terrific close to last season. He was T3 with Kim, Wagner and Piercy. He finished the week second in proximity to the hole, a stat historically relevant at Silverado. Casey closed last season with 2-2-4 cashes in much stronger fields, but the break between the end of last season and the start of this season is just a few weeks. The trick for Casey is keeping everything in gear after the long November/December break.
Scott Piercy
Piercy opened with a course-record 62 and, while he stayed in the conversation till the very end, he no doubt thinks he should have won with a 10-under round. He's probably right. Piercy had a torrid stretch last summer, which really elevated him in fantasy awareness, but just as quickly cooled off. Don't be swayed by a few high finishes. If you happen to pick him when he gets on, that's awesome. But it won't happen that often.
Phil Mickelson
Oh, Phil. Mickelson tied for eighth. Certainly a good finish by any metric, but it's something we saw from him last season, with six top-10s. It's one of the great mathematical miracles that Mickelson is still in the top-15 in the OWGR without winning in three years (half-kidding). But this week offered no new evidence a victory was upcoming for him.
Nick Watney
Watney tied for 35th in his first event after missing most of last season with a back injury. He opted for rehab over surgery, so we still need to keep a close eye on him. But the first test was impressive, especially since Watney was also using new clubs for the first time, having been a former Nike client.
Aaron Wise/Rookies
It's the new season and with that comes the overhyped excitement of Web.com guys. Wise wasn't even on the WCT last year – for goodness sakes, he was a rung lower on Canada's Mackenzie Tour. But he was a touted niche pick this week, along with some others. These WCT guys weren't on the PGA Tour last year for a reason: They weren't good enough. There will be some breakthroughs here and there, but don't bet on them, literally and figuratively. Wise missed the cut, as did Grayson Murray. Murray is a guy I bit on, not taking my own advice. Oh, and Wise isn't even on the PGA Tour this season; he's on the WCT.
There are 25 rookies on tour, and 14 of the 21 playing last week made the cut, in a very weak field. There were three top-25s, led by Cody Gribble's T8. If your roulette wheel happened to stop on Gribble this week, or Mackenzie Hughes (T13) or Trey Mullinax (T22), congrats.
Hunter Mahan
Anyone expecting Mahan to turn it around in the new season, he shot 73-76 to trunk-slam by a wide margin. Nothing to see here, move on.
Max Homa
Homa got into the field thanks to the withdrawal of Woods, after which he said he would offer to buy Woods dinner as a thank you. With what money? Homa missed the cut (by a bigger margin than Mahan). It was a nice, friendly gesture, but we don't envision Homa and Woods at the same restaurant, much less the same table, anytime soon. Have you checked the prices on that wine list?
Steven Bowditch
Everybody's loveable loser picked up right where he left off last season. Bowditch did not shoot 80, but his 78-79 left him dead-last in the field before his Friday exodus. Pretty soon this situation won't be so loveable.
