Pro Golf Now
Fansided

PGA TOUR Power Rankings: 2017 Safeway Open

By Brandon Raper

NAPA, CA - OCTOBER 16: Phil Mickelson tees off on the second hole during the final round of the Safeway Open at the North Course of the Silverado Resort and Spa on October 16, 2016 in Napa, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
NAPA, CA - OCTOBER 16: Phil Mickelson tees off on the second hole during the final round of the Safeway Open at the North Course of the Silverado Resort and Spa on October 16, 2016 in Napa, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 11
Next
PGA TOUR Power Rankings Safeway Open
NAPA, CA – OCTOBER 16: Phil Mickelson tees off on the second hole during the final round of the Safeway Open at the North Course of the Silverado Resort and Spa on October 16, 2016 in Napa, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

FedEx Cup points have reset, and the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season kicks off at this week’s Safeway Open. Who tops our Power Rankings at Silverado?

Welcome back, golf fans! It seems like just last week we were playing the TOUR Championship, but here we are with the first Power Rankings of the new year, at the Safeway Open.

Wait, it was just last week.

Jokes aside, the PGA TOUR’s wraparound schedule is already entering its fifth season, and as tiring as it may be for some of the established veterans, the short (or nonexistent) turnaround time actually brings a number of benefits.

Graduates of this week’s Web.com Tour Finals will be able to use their shiny new PGA TOUR memberships right away. Other players will be able to build off their hot streaks at the end of “last year” without waiting until January. And plenty more will enjoy building a FedEx Cup base without worrying about making it all up in the crowded spring summer stretch.

That sounds tacky, but there have been plenty of success stories that kicked off big years at the tournament once known as the Frys.com Open. Jimmy Walker, Bae Sang-Moon (back this week from mandatory military service in South Korea), Emiliano Grillo and Brendan Steele all qualified for at least the BMW Championship with their wins. Steele (No. 33 last year) was the only one to narrowly miss out on a TOUR Championship berth. Walker, on the other hand, has established himself as a top guy on TOUR. This probably doesn’t happen when fields get ultra top-heavy in major season.

With the hopes of a new FedEx Cup year renewed for all, this week boasts the only field with a pure, clean slate. A handful of upper-echelon players dot the field, while many others look to take their first steps to stardom. With Silverado not offering a fairly even-keeled test, who will come out on top?

Let’s get this new year started right.

Home/Golf Power Rankings