Suppose they threw a party and everybody showed up. That’s the theme for the 2025 Procore Championship being contested this week at Napa, California’s Silverado Resort.
Typically a late-season afterthought for top-tier PGA Tour players, the Procore’s mid-September slot on the schedule occurs after the Tour Championship, during a time when the big boys are resting at home, content with what they accomplished from January through August.
Not this year.
Immediately after he lifted the British Open’s Claret Jug, Scottie Scheffler was asked about the upcoming Procore Championship, two months away. “I know I’ll be there,” Scheffler said. Soon after, other Tour stars committed as well. Why the sudden interest in Silverado and the Procore? Two words: Ryder Cup.
It's an opportunity to correct a perceived error from the last Ryder Cup cycle. After the Tour Championship at East Lake concluded on August 27, 2023, many PGA Tour players opted for four weeks of rest before the Ryder Cup kicked off in Italy on September 29. Max Homa, who was two-time defending champion, and Justin Thomas were the only two U.S. Ryder Cup team members to tee up at Silverado. When the U.S. got off to a sluggish start at Marco Simone, it appeared that too much rust had collected on the top American players.
That elite group, led by Scheffler, decided not to let that happen again.
Teeing it up at Silverado—the only PGA Tour event held between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup—gives the U.S. team members a taste of tournament pressure a fortnight before the Ryder Cup begins. Those Procore invitations sent to golf’s American A-listers: ACCEPTED.
Ten of the 12 U.S. Ryder Cup team members will compete at Silverado. Only Bryson DeChambeau, the LIV golfer who was suspended from the PGA Tour in 2022 and Xander Schauffele, who wasn’t, will be absent from the Procore Championship.
Inside the Revamped Silverado Resort
Admittedly, the Terrific Ten have journeyed to Napa for some competitive reps. What they’ll find when they arrive is one of the PGA Tour’s most idyllic settings, a traditional classic parkland golf course, and top-notch, family-friendly amenities, all incorporated into a historic resort that is glowing with a lauded recent renovation.
Silverado surprises even ardent PGA Tour pundits with its rich tournament history. Long before the Procore Championship (f.k.a. Fortinet, f.k.a. Safeway Open, among others), Silverado played host to the PGA Tour from 1968-1980. From 1968-1976, the event was called the Kaiser International. From 1977-1980, it was known as the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic before relocating to Kingsmill in Williamsburg, Virginia, where it lasted through 2002.
The Kasier and Anheuser-Busch events, like the Procore Championship, were staged at Silverado’s North Course. The layout dates to 1955, but it was substantially reworked by Robert Trent Jones Jr., under the umbrella of his father’s firm, in 1967. Johnny Miller, then a resident and co-owner, added his own design changes in 2011 and beyond, including bumping the back-tee length from 6,836 yards to 7,166. Miller was victorious here in 1974 and 1975. Legends like Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw also hoisted the trophy in those early years.
Despite its less-than-gargantuan length by today’s standards, Silverado North can test the game’s best. The flattish course yields one of the easiest-to-walk Tour layouts, making it an enjoyable stroll for pros, caddies and spectators alike. The primary challenge comes from the firm, quick, canted greens, which are well guarded by medium-size bunkers that alternate between framing and protruding. Mature, ancient trees form the other main obstacle, together with a smattering of creeks and ponds. It all looks pretty simple, but its straightforward appeal belies the bogies that inevitably creep in from a wayward shot.
For operations reasons, the tournament configuration differs from the regular circuit. For the Procore, the front nine consists of North holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13. The back nine unfolds with holes 14, 15, 16, 17, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 18. Best of the bunch is the 182-yard, par-3 11th (number 17 on the tournament course), which plays over a duck pond to a green nestled within a copse of sturdy trees. Another standout is the 571-yard, par-5 16th (number 12 on the tournament course), which snakes its way alongside a sinuous creek and a grove of handsome, venerable oaks. One of them, the Valley Oak, is more than three centuries old.
Silverado: More Than Just the North Course
Just because the North course hosts the PGA Tour doesn’t mean you should sleep on the South course. Though only 6,612 yards from the tips, the South delivers much more elevation change, as well as additional water hazards. Trent Jones Jr. tells the story of how his design debut came about.
“My first solo design, under my father’s banner, was Silverado South in 1967,” said Jones. “The owner’s rep, a good player from Stockton named Ed Westgate, told me not to make it too hard, that we didn’t need another Spyglass Hill [designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1966]. I shot 67 on opening day. I guess I succeeded.”
The South was home to the PGA Tour Champions from 1989-2002. Among the victors of the Transamerica event were major championship winners Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Bob Charles, Dave Stockton and Tom Kite. A Texan named Lee Trevino won it twice, in 1990 and 1995. We’re talking seriously famous footsteps. Johnny Miller has long admired the par-5 11th, a 565-yarder with water running up the left side.
Besides their tranquil environments, what both courses share is stopping points at the Burgerdog shack, to partake in the famous grilled-to-order hamburger set in a hot dog bun. The private Olympic Club is the only other place you can find this genuine article. It’s no copycat, either. Different branches of the same family own both concessions.
The WAGS (wives and girlfriends) cherish a trip to Silverado, thanks to its location among dozens of wineries, with hundreds more within a short drive. So, too, there’s a state-of-the-art, 16,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, tennis, pickleball, bocce, swimming and superb dining at the Grill, where the highlight is locally sourced fruits, herbs and vegetables. Another must-do is cocktails and small bites on the Mansion Terrace at the main clubhouse, itself a magnificent edifice that dates to 1870. A glass of good grape as the late afternoon sun splinters into shadows among the oaks and on the creek is the perfect stress-reliever.
Even as it has achieved Four-Diamond status from AAA every year since 1976, Silverado continues to improve. Since 2022, owner KSL has engineered more than 15 upgrades on the property, with several ongoing. Most noticeable were recent (2025) guest room renovations that embrace a new aesthetic, inspired by the region itself. Enhancements to the spa, fitness center and event space will have Silverado poised for a healthy future.
Patton Kizzire didn’t make the U.S. Ryder Cup squad, but as defending Procore champion, his insights carry substantial heft. “A lot of interesting memories here,” said Kizzire after he clinched the title in 2024. “I love the golf course. I love the people. There’s great food, great wine, great golf course. What’s not to like?”
Expect to hear similar sentiments from the 2025 Procore champ—maybe even more emphatic. After all, it’s a new era at Silverado in a Ryder Cup year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why the U.S. Ryder Cup Team Will Thrive at Revamped Silverado This Week.