Fortinet Championship
The Fortinet Championship, previously the Safeway Open, is a professional golf tournament, part of the PGA Tour. Originally sponsored by Fry's Electronics, it was first staged in 2007 as the Fry's Electronics Open at Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor Course in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was renamed to the Frys.com Open in 2008 and moved to California in 2010, to CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, southeast of San Jose. In October 2014, part of the PGA Tour's 2015 season, it moved north to Napa and the Silverado Country Club (North course).[1]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Napa, California |
| Established | 2007 |
| Course(s) | Silverado Country Club (North Course) |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,166 yards (6,553 m) |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$8,400,000 |
| Month played | September |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 262 Cameron Beckman (2008) 262 Kevin Sutherland (2008) 262 Troy Matteson (2009) 262 Rickie Fowler (2009) 262 Jamie Lovemark (2009) |
| To par | −21 Stewart Cink (2020) −21 Sahith Theegala (2023) |
| Current champion | |
| Sahith Theegala | |
| Location map | |
Silverado CC Location in the United States Silverado CC Location in California | |
Beginning with the October 2016 tournament, part of the PGA Tour's 2017 season, the primary sponsor was Safeway Inc.,[2] and that continued through 2020. In 2021 Fortinet became the title sponsor on a six-year deal.[3][4]
History
Silverado's North Course hosted an annual event on the PGA Tour from 1968 through 1980, the first nine editions as the Kaiser International Open Invitational. In 1977, that event was renamed the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic and in 1981 it moved east to Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Virginia, where it was played through 2002.
The Frys.com Open began as a PGA Tour Fall Series event, from 2007 through 2012. Starting in October 2013, when the PGA Tour changed its "year" to begin in October, rather than January, the tournament became the opening event of the PGA Tour season, and FedEx Cup points were awarded to players.[5]
The inaugural event in 2007, at Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor Course in Scottsdale, Arizona, was won by Mike Weir by one stroke over Mark Hensby. The 2008 event was won by Cameron Beckman on the second playoff hole, when Kevin Sutherland bogeyed it. In 2009, Troy Matteson set a PGA Tour 36-hole record of 122 with 61 in both the second and third rounds,[6] and then won in a three-man playoff against Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark.[7] At CordeValle in San Martin in 2012, John Mallinger shot a 62, matching the course record; it was his PGA Tour best round.[8]
In 2013, tournament organizers had a long-term goal to stage the event at The Institute Golf Course in Morgan Hill, a course owned by John Fry, when facilities were completed there.[9] That was expected in 2016 or 2017,[10] but did not happen because of the change of sponsorship to Safeway in 2016.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Purse ($) | Winner's share ($) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortinet Championship | |||||||||
| 2023 | Sahith Theegala | 267 | −21 | 2 strokes | Kim Seong-hyeon | 8,400,000 | 1,512,000 | ||
| 2022 | Max Homa (2) | 272 | −16 | 1 stroke | Danny Willett | 8,000,000 | 1,440,000 | ||
| 2021 | Max Homa | 269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Maverick McNealy | 7,000,000 | 1,260,000 | ||
| Safeway Open | |||||||||
| 2020 | Stewart Cink | 267 | −21 | 2 strokes | Harry Higgs | 6,600,000 | 1,188,000 | ||
| 2019 | Cameron Champ | 271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Adam Hadwin | 6,600,000 | 1,188,000 | ||
| 2018 | Kevin Tway | 274 | −14 | Playoff | Ryan Moore Brandt Snedeker | 6,400,000 | 1,152,000 | ||
| 2017 | Brendan Steele (2) | 273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Tony Finau | 6,200,000 | 1,116,000 | ||
| 2016 | Brendan Steele | 270 | −18 | 1 stroke | Patton Kizzire | 6,000,000 | 1,080,000 | ||
| Frys.com Open | |||||||||
| 2015 | Emiliano Grillo | 273 | −15 | Playoff | Kevin Na | 6,000,000 | 1,080,000 | ||
| 2014 | Bae Sang-moon | 273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Steven Bowditch | 6,000,000 | 1,080,000 | ||
| 2013 | Jimmy Walker | 267 | −17 | 2 strokes | Vijay Singh | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
| 2012 | Jonas Blixt | 268 | −16 | 1 stroke | Jason Kokrak Tim Petrovic | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
| 2011 | Bryce Molder | 267 | −17 | Playoff | Briny Baird | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
| 2010 | Rocco Mediate | 269 | −15 | 1 stroke | Alex Prugh Bo Van Pelt | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
| 2009 | Troy Matteson | 262 | −18 | Playoff | Rickie Fowler Jamie Lovemark | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
| 2008 | Cameron Beckman | 262 | −18 | Playoff | Kevin Sutherland | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
| Fry's Electronics Open | |||||||||
| 2007 | Mike Weir | 266 | −14 | 1 stroke | Mark Hensby | 5,000,000 | 900,000 | ||
- Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
References
- James, Marty (July 4, 2013). "Silverado Country Club to host PGA Tour event". Napa Valley Register.
- Steward, Carl (October 18, 2015). "PGA Tour: Big shake-up at Frys.com Open". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
- "PGA Tour announces Fortinet as title sponsor of Napa tournament". PGA Tour. March 13, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- James, Marty (September 2, 2021). "PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship: Silverado tourney back with new title sponsor". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
- Pollak, David (October 14, 2012). "Frys.com Open golf notebook: Attendance down, but tournament president Duke Butler optimistic about event's future". Contra Costa Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- Kelley, Brent. "Lowest Stroke Total in Back-to-Back Rounds on the PGA Tour". About.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- "Troy Matteson wins Frys.com Open in playoff with Jamie Lovemark, Rickie Fowler". Pioneer Press. Associated Press. November 13, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- "John Mallinger ties course record with 62, leads Frys.com Open by four after 36 holes". PGA of America. Associated Press. October 12, 2012. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
- James, Marty (July 14, 2013). "PGA Tour event will put spotlight on Silverado". Napa Valley Register.
- Kroichick, Ron (October 7, 2014). "The story behind Silverado's return starts with Johnny Miller". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.