Mickelson heads event at Silverado
If the wind kicks up and a British Open breaks out next week in Napa, keep an eye on Phil Mickelson and Zach Johnson.
Mickelson and Johnson each has won the Open in the past five years, Mickelson in 2013 at Muirfield and Johnson in 2015 at St. Andrews. Now they share the marquee as headliners in this year’s Safeway Open, the PGA Tour’s season-opening event at Silverado Resort.
Mickelson, 47, will play in the tournament for the second consecutive year, mostly because his management company (Lagardere Sports) runs the event. He tied for eighth in October 2016, during an uncommonly rainy week in wine country.
Even though he hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since the 2013 British Open, Mickelson remains a fan favorite. He’s collected 42 tour victories in his Hall-of-Fame career, including five major titles.
Johnson, 41, is a 12-time winner and two-time major champion, with a different recipe for success than Mickelson. Johnson lacks power off the tee —he ranks 140th on tour this year in driving distance, at 286.9 yards — but he’s an extraordinary wedge player and putter.
Johnson will play in the Frys.com-turned-Safeway Open for the first time in his career.
The tournament perpetually struggles to attract the world’s top players, given its spot on the calendar — soon after the Tour Championship and (this year) Presidents Cup. Mickelson will come to the Bay Area after playing for the U.S. in the team match-play event over the weekend in New Jersey.
Mickelson (No. 30 in the world) will be the highestranked player in the field. Other players in the top 50 are 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson (37), Bill Haas (40), Johnson (43), Ryan Moore (46), Adam Hadwin (47) and Tony Finau (49).
Major champs in the field include Keegan Bradley, John Daly, Lucas Glover and Retief Goosen.
Players with Northern California ties include Ricky Barnes (Stockton native), Cameron Champ (Sacramento), Brandon Hagy (Cal), Michael Kim (Cal) , Maverick McNealy (Portola Valley/Stanford) and Patrick Rodgers (Stanford).