The PGA Tour returns from a two-week break following the Tour Championship to kick off the 2022-23 season with the Fortinet Championship.
The event begins Thursday on the North Course of the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif. This is the final time it serves as the start of the “wraparound” schedule as the PGA Tour returns to a calendar-based season in 2024.
FORTINET CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Napa, Calif., Sept. 15-18
Course: Silverado Resort and Spa, North Course (Par 72, 7,123 yards)
Purse: $8M (Winner: $1.44M)
Defending Champion: Max Homa
FedEx Cup leader: First Event
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Sunday, 6-9 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Streaming: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (ESPN+)
Twitter: @FortinetChamp
NOTES
–As part of sweeping changes being steadily implemented by the PGA Tour, the top 70 players after the Wyndham Championship will qualify for the playoffs, with the top 125 not being finalized until the end of 2023.
–Rickie Fowler is in the field for the first time since 2010 as he returns to action following a recent change in swing coaches. He has moved from +12500 to +10000 at BetMGM, where Fowler has been backed by 2.5 percent of the winning bets and 1.2 percent of the handle.
–Homa is the lone United States team member in the field who will participate in next week’s Presidents Cup. Four International Team members are playing this week: Corey Conners (Canada), Cam Davis (Australia), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) and Taylor Pendrith (Canada).
–All but one of the 28 PGA Tour rookies are in the field this week. Justin Suh, who topped the combined Points List on the Korn Ferry Tour, is fully exempt this season.
–Zac Blair and Kyle Stanley are each playing their first event on major medical extensions.
BEST BETS
–Matsuyama (+1400 at BetMGM) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 16 and finished T6 last year. He returns to action after finishing tied for 11th at the Tour Championship. Matsuyama is fourth at the sportsbook, having drawn 5.7 percent of the bets along with 4.3 percent of the handle.
–Homa (T5 at the Tour Championship), Tom Hoge (10th), Conners (26th) and Sahith Theegala (28th) all return to action as well. They have also been among the most popular players at BetMGM, with Theegala the biggest liability with 9.0 percent of the bets and 14.4 percent of the handle at +2800. Homa is the third biggest liability while being backed by 7.2 and 10.7 percent of the action, respectively. Conners is being offered at +1600 and Hoge at +4000.
–Maverick McNealy (+2500) finished second by a single shot last year and went on to reach the second leg of the playoffs. He is the sportsbook’s second biggest liability this week with 5.8 percent of the bets and 7.7 percent of the handle backing him.
–J.J. Spaun has been one of the most popular longshot picks, garnering 1.9 and 2.5 percent of the action as his odds have shortened from +10000 to +8000. Spaun finished T8 at the Rocket Mortgage classic over the summer on his way to reaching the second leg of the playoffs, where he tied for 23rd at the BMW Championship.
–Field Level Media