Safeway Open 2019: Form stats for this week's PGA Tour event at Silverado Country Club

The PGA Tour returns to California for this week's Safeway Open at Silverado Country Club in Napa Valley.

Located around 70 miles north-east of San Francisco, and 60 miles west of Sacramento, Silverado is a typical resort course where the weather remains fairly hot most of the year.

However, the good news for those making the trip, is that the temperatures are forecast to drop from the mid-90s to around 70° Fahrenheit as the tournament reaches its climax next weekend.

Season opener for young Americans

Five of the world's leading 15 are in town which include 'the two top seeds', Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, both of whom tee-up for the first time since last month's Tour Championship in Georgia.

World no.6 Thomas closed out the 2018-19 season strongly, enjoying a three-stroke victory at the BMW Championship - the second of three FedEx Cup Play-Off events. Thomas stood on the podium at Silverado four years ago.

After two seasons just off the radar, Hideki Matsuyama appears to be finding his A-game again, as he chases a first victory since August 2017.

The former world no.2, who is currently ranked 26, is also making a first start since the FedEx Cup Play-Offs in August.

Matsuyama, 27, is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour and tied-third at Silverado in October 2014.

From young to old

Also taking part is Californian resident Phil Mickelson who is just about to embark on his 29th full season on the PGA Tour.

By the time the 2019-20 campaign concludes next August, Lefty will have celebrated his 50th birthday. His three starts at Siverado reads: 17-3-8.

Check out latest betting ahead of this week's Safeway Open at Silverado

In-form Koreans Byeong Hun An and Sung Jae Im arrive from Mississippi where they both made the podium on Sunday afternoon.

Im lost a play-off while back-to-back bogies for An, at 13 and 14, left him one stroke too many after 72 holes.

Two others to check out are Kevin Na and Ryan Moore who have decent records at this Napa Valley layout - despite being two of the shorter drivers on Tour.

Course Details

Silverado's North Course, on which the tournament is played, opened for business in 1955 before being re-designed by Robert Trent Jones junior 11 years later.

The course underwent another, less rigorous, upgrade less than a decade ago when two-time major winner Johnny Miller added approximately 250 yards to its length, widened a few fairways and repositioned a number of bunkers.

These more recent changes prepared the course for its return to the PGA Tour schedule five years ago.

The North Course had previously been part of the calendar between 1968 and 1980, when it hosted the Kaiser International Open which became the Anheuser-Busch Classic.

It is a largely flat, parkland layout, with plenty of trees which border generously-wide fairways.

The greens are usually quick, although water is only an issue on two holes.

Twitter: Andy Swales@GolfStatsAlive

MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut

Note: List contains leading reserves