There is no shortage of intriguing storylines as the PGA Tour begins its 2018-19 wraparound season Thursday in the Safeway Open on the North Course at Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa, California.
Brendan Steele will try to become the first player to three-peat at a PGA Tour stop since Steve Stricker won a third consecutive John Deere Classic in 2011.
Phil Mickelson is playing just four days after his dismal performance as the U.S. got drubbed by Europe in the Ryder Cup in Paris.
Many of the 21-member rookie class are in the field, including rising star Joaquin Niemann of Chile.
Major champions Fred Couples, who turned 59 Wednesday, and John Daly, 52, are taking advantage of an off week on the Champions Tour and are playing on sponsor’s exemptions.
Retired Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Mark Mulder is playing on a sponsor’s exemption. Mulder, who plays golf right-handed, won the American Century Celebrity Championship three consecutive years starting in 2015 and finished runner-up to retired Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo last year.
“I just want to compete. I fully understand how much better all these guys are than I am, so there’s no misconception there,” said Mulder, who was 103-60 over nine seasons before injuries cut his career short. “I will be more nervous on the first tee Thursday than I was for my first big-league start, or my first playoff start. But I love the feeling of trying to find a way to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations.”
He likely talked about that with Steele during a practice round Tuesday, for no one has felt right at home at Silverado the last few years more than Steele. After taking the 54-hole lead but faltering down the stretch into a tie for 17th in the 2015 Safeway Open, Steele has won the last two.
He is the fourth player in 2018 going for a three-peat. Earlier this year Hideki Matsuyama (Waste Management Phoenix Open), Daniel Berger (FedEx St. Jude Classic) and Jhonattan Vegas (RBC Canadian Open) could not accomplish the rare feat.
“I’ve seen this place in a lot of different conditions and it just seems to fit my eye no matter what’s going on and where my game is coming into the week,” said Steele, who is 50-under par in his last four starts in the Safeway and his 69.50 career scoring average is the best in tournament history.
His game was off at the end of last season as he missed the cut in five of his last eight starts.
“Whether you’ve had a good year or a bad year, there’s something really exciting about everybody starting from scratch again,” Steele said.
Mickelson clearly wasn’t comfortable at Le Golf National in last week’s Ryder Cup, losing both of his matches. But he’s comfortable in California’s wine country. He finished third last year and eighth in his first visit.
In seven of his last eight rounds at Silverado, he’s broken 70 seven times. Mickelson is seeking his 12th PGA Tour victory in the Golden State.
Couples’ comfort level has always been determined by the status of his troublesome back. His last non-major start on the PGA Tour was in the 2016 Northern Trust. He’s finished in ties for 18th and 38th the past two years in the Masters, which he won in 1991.
Couples, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, played just seven Champions Tour events last season.
“I don’t want to ever say this is my last PGA Tour event, but I’m planning on this being my last PGA Tour event besides Augusta,” Couples said after Wednesday’s pro-am. “I really like the course. It’s not 9,000 yards long so at least I can get it around. I feel good. If I was playing a lot of the Champions Tour and came out here, I think I could play well on this course. So now, I have to do everything pretty well to probably make the cut.”
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