Top Betting Picks for the 2021 Fortinet Championship

The 2021-22 PGA Tour season kicks off Thursday in wine country. This fall marks the eighth consecutive year that Silverado Country Club will host the proceedings formerly known as the Safeway Open.

Stewart Cink won’t be here to defend his title (his son Connor is getting married this weekend), but the field in Napa gets a major bump thanks to the commitment of Jon Rahm. The world #1 is the lone member of either Ryder Cup squad teeing it up this week; it’s no surprise he’s been installed as a massive betting favorite.

Those interested in backing Rahm at an unpleasant +400, be my guest. I’ve got my eye on some other Fortinet Championship betting picks that are priced much more favorably.

With most heavy hitters not in the field, now’s a perfect time to take a flier on a couple of unheralded names. Looking back at the past three editions of this event, that’s exactly who’s walked away with the trophy in hand.

What players ranked outside of the top 100 in the world could make some noise this week? Here’s a pair of sleeper picks for the Fortinet Championship.

Making his fifth straight appearance at the Fortinet Championship, Maverick McNealy is coming off his most productive year as a professional. The 25-year-old Stanford product finished 58^th on the FedEx Cup standings; he ended his season posting top-30s in seven of his final eight starts.

McNealy is sufficient off the tee (39^th in SG: Off-the-Tee last season) and has deft touch on the greens (19^th in Overall Putting Average last season), and we know he plays great golf in Northern California. Case in point – Maverick finished 2^nd at Pebble Beach in 2020 and sits alongside Tiger Woods among the most decorated players who went to at “The Farm.” 

The combined points leader from the Korn Ferry Tour is red-hot entering the first tournament of the fall. Talk about being locked and loaded to get off to a fast start, Jaeger arrives in Napa with top-4 finishes in each of his last three outings.

Stephan flashed his elite short game all season long (1^st in scrambling, 2^nd in birdie average, 3^rd in putting average), and he’s no stranger to success in the Bay Area. Jaeger burst onto the scene five summers ago, shooting a record 30-under-par at the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic, played nearby at TPC Stonebrae. That included an opening-round 58.

It goes without saying that Jon Rahm is primed to play well at Silverado. The only time Rahm has finished outside of the top 10 in the last four months was when he was forced to withdraw at the Memorial. You know, when he was leading by six strokes after 54 holes.

The problem is the best golf betting sites have installed “Rahmbo” in the neighborhood of +350 to +450. There’s just no value to be had at that number in a 156-man field.

Instead, I’d rather capture the upside attached to the following Fortinet Championship predictions.

No official PGA Tour status this past year, and yet Will Zalatoris competed in all four majors, all three WGC events, and THE PLAYERS. And not only did he compete, he hung up three top-10s in these aforementioned events, including finishing solo-2^nd at the Masters.

Heck, the kid was just honored as the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year despite being a member of the KFT.

The 25-year-old Texan has had ample time to shore up his putting stroke over the last several weeks. I’m expecting BIG THINGS from Zalatoris this season, especially now that he’s not using a putter face that’s dented.

After pocketing nearly $2.5 million on the course this past season (41^st in the FedEx Cup standings), Cameron Tringale has all sorts of momentum heading into the new campaign. Cameron finished 14^th-26^th-16^th-21^st in his run-up to the BMW Championship (T52). It’s evident this man is knocking on the door to pick up his first PGA Tour victory.

The California native is a superb putter (12^th in Total Putting in 2020-21) who knows how to execute poa annua surfaces. This could be the week it all comes together.

Those of you interested in playing DFS golf this week stayed tuned for more Fortinet Championship picks in our golf predictions section.