2022 Fortinet Championship: Latest Betting Odds, Favorites and Sleeper Picks for Silverado Resort and Spa

The PGA Tour's final wraparound schedule begins and this week is looking ripe for a first-time winner.

And just like that, we are back with another year of golf on the PGA Tour.

It’s been just over two weeks since Rory McIlroy chased down Scottie Scheffler for his record-setting third FedEx Cup. Since then, the golf world has been highlighted by some additional defections to the LIV Tour and its ripple effect on the upcoming Presidents Cup. However, the PGA Tour also made some key enhancements and looks poised to continue as the premier product in professional golf.

We begin in wine country for the Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort and Spa. The Napa, California, tree-lined track measures at just 7,166 yards with bumpy poa greens, so those who lead in greens in regulation will have the advantage here. Those who are accurate off the tee and from the fairway will also have to score well since all six winners here have been 14 under par or better. The field is lackluster, being early in the season and just before the Presidents Cup, so we may have another first-time winner on our hands.

According to SI Sportsbook, the favorite is defending champion Max Homa at +1400. Right behind are Presidents Cup International Team stars Corey Conners and Hideki Matsuyama at +1600. To follow is rising star Maverick McNealy at +2200, and closing out the notables is Tour Championship qualifier Sahith Theegala at +2500.

For a favorite, we are going to follow the steam on Theegala at +2500. A few factors we like: he’s hungry for his first win after being so close on a few occasions last season, he is not thinking about next week’s Presidents Cup and he will have something to prove for not being a captain’s pick next week. If you told Theegala prior to last year that he would be teeing it up at East Lake, he probably would have taken it, but not without a win. In his debut at Silverado in 2020, he finished T14 on a layout where his strengths from tee-to-green should excel again. Theegala is as ready as anyone to win, might as well be now.

For a high midrange pick, Emiliano Grillo at +3500 seems right here. Grillo’s only PGA Tour win came here in 2015 when it used to be the Frys.com Open, just prior to becoming the Safeway Open. Grillo has been a volatile player throughout most of his career, but he’s been on a solid run as of late with runner-up performances at the John Deere Classic and 3M Open and continuing fine play in the playoffs. Grillo will also not be ramping up for next week’s competition, but it should provide motivation for not being included. Look for him to continue his solid run where he ranks second in strokes gained: total and fourth in tee-to-green over his last 24 rounds.

For a deep sleeper, we really like a guy who teetered on having a massive breakthrough last year and should be able to turn more heads this year in Brandon Wu at +9000. In his first full season on Tour, he garnered a T3 at the Puerto Rico Open, a T2 at the Mexico Open, a T6 at the Genesis Scottish Open and a T8 at the Wyndham Championship to safely make the playoffs. Wu’s biggest strength is strokes gained: off-the-tee and that should bode well at Silverado, a place that will feel like a semi-homecoming for the former Stanford Cardinal. Good vibes all around to begin his sophomore season and he should be able to take advantage against a manageable field.

2021-22 final scoreboard:

Events: 41
Winners: 6
Top 5s: 14
Top 10s: 7
Top 20s: 6

Here are some notable odds, according to SI Sportsbook:

Max Homa +1400
Corey Conners +1600
Hideki Matsuyama +1600
Maverick McNealy +2200
Sahith Theegala +2500
Taylor Pendrith +2500
Cameron Davis +2800
Davis Riley +3300
Emiliano Grillo +3500
Tom Hoge +4000
Brendan Steele +4500
Denny McCarthy +5000
Gary Woodland +5000
Jason Day +5000
Justin Suh +5000
Taylor Montgomery +5000
Troy Merritt +5000
Wyndham Clark +5000
Alex Noren +5500
Cameron Champ +5500
Thomas Detry +5500
Trey Mullinax +5500
Webb Simpson +5500
Andrew Putnam +6000
Chris Kirk +6000
J.J. Spaun +6600
Taylor Moore +6600
Chez Reavie +7000
Nick Hardy +7000
Patrick Rodgers +7000
Adam Long +8000
Alex Smalley +8000
David Lipsky +8000
Kevin Streelman +8000
Luke List +8000
Martin Laird +8000
Matt Kuchar +8000
Brandon Wu +9000
Carl Yuan +9000
Charley Hoffman +9000
Chris Gotterup +9000
Joseph Bramlett +9000
Mark Hubbard +9000
Michael Gligic +9000
Rickie Fowler +9000
Russell Knox +9000
Stephan Jaeger +9000
Stewart Cink +9000