PGA Tour Picks: The Northern Trust

By Tom LaMarre

The PGA Tour playoffs start this week with The Northern Trust at TPC Boston and the gang will all be there—all but one of the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings, led by points leader Justin Thomas and No. 2 Collin Morikawa, coming off his victory in the PGA Championship.

Nine of the top 10 players in the World Golf Rankings also will be there, woth No. 7 Brooks Koepka withdrawing because of knee and back injuries, but Tiger Woods, who captured the first FedEx Cup in 2007 and claimed it again in 2009, also is in the field as TPCBoston debuts as tournament host.

The playoffs will continue next week with the top 70 in the standings playing in the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club outside Chicago, and be capped the following week with the top 30 teeing it up in the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

“After the Tour Championship, we have a couple weeks off,” said Woods, who has played sparingly this season because of the Coronavirus pandemic and lingering back problems. “That will be a nice break for all the guys who have played their way through the Playoffs and through this grind of World Golf Championship, a major, then a Playoff run.

“It’ll be a welcome couple weeks. It’s a long grind. Playing well at the right times, it’s all about timing when you get to the Tour Championship, so the Playoffs is a different structure, so we’ll see what happens.”

Even though he has slipped eight spots to No. 14 in the World Golf Rankings this season, Woods is in decent shape at No. 47 in the FedEx Cup standings, but has some work to do in the first two events to climb into the top 30 and be eligible for the Tour Championship, which he won for the second time in 2018.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland swept the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup for the second time last year, also pulling off that double in 2016.

Defending champion Patrick Reed won last year’s event at Liberty National and those in the field who captured the Dell Technologies Championship or the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston include Woods, McIlroy, Thomas, Webb Simpson, Bryson DeChambeau, Adam Scott of Australia, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Charley Hoffman.

Other former FedEx Cup champions who made the playoffs include Thomas, Justin Rose of England, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day of Australia, Billy Horschel and Brandt Snedeker.

Even those who have not won it know all you have to do is get hot for three weeks.

“I made a really good jump up the FedEx Cup standings and I want to keep that going,” said Paul Casey of England, who tied for second in the PGA Championship two weeks ago at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco and is 54th in the standings.

Collin Morikawa claimed his first major title in the PGA and jumped to second in the standings behind Thomas, followed by Simpson, DeChambeau and Sungjae Im of South Korea.

They have the best chances to claim the FedEx Cup, but the way the playoffs are structured, almost anybody can win.

Said Casey: “I want to make it to East Lake because I feel like, well, if you want to win it, you’ve got to be there.”

That’s what 124 players can dream about this week.

BEST BETS

1. Justin Thomas, United States – The FedEx Cup points leader has three victories this season, including the WGC-FedEx St. Jude three weeks ago, among his nine top-10 finishes. Thomas won twice in the playoffs, including the 2017 Dell Technologies en route to winning the FedEx Cup. Has five straight top-20 finishes in the playoff opener.
2. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland – Although he hasn’t played his best since the restart, McIlroy has been dynamite during the playoffs, recording five victories and winning the FedEx Cup in 2016 and last year. Rory is eighth on the FedEx Cup standings and posted his best result in the playoff opener last year, when he tied for sixth at Liberty National.
3. Collin Morikawa, United States – After winning the PGA Championship two weeks ago, Morikawa enters the playoffs at No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings thanks to two victories and six top-10 finishes. In his first playoff events last season as a rookie, he tied for 52nd in The Northern Trust and tied for 48th in the BMW, but is a bigger threat now.
4. Bryson DeChambeau, United States – Even though he has never won the FedEx Cup, DeChambeau has been a force during the playoffs. He won the Northern Trust and the Dell Technologies in the 2018 playoffs and finished ninth. DeChambeau is fourth in the standing after a victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic and nine other top-10 results.
5. Jon Rahm, Spain – Back at No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings, Rahm remains as probably the best player without a major tournament or playoff victory. The Spaniard, who is 10th in the point standings with a victory in the Memorial Tournament and five other top-10 finishes, tied for third in the playoff opener in 2017 and again last season.
6. Dustin Johnson, United States – DJ has run hot-and-cold lately because of a back injury, winning the Travelers and finishing second in the PGA to sit 15th in the FedEx Cup standings with four top-10 finishes this season. Johnson has won the playoff opener twice, in 2011 and 2017, and also won the BMW Championship in 2010 and 2016.
7. Jason Day, Australia – After struggling earlier this season, Day has four straight top-10 results, including a tie for fourth in the PGA Championship, and climbed to No. 45 in the point standings. He captured the playoff opener by six strokes in 2016 and has four other top 10s in the event, and also won the 2016 BMW Championship by six shots.
8. Sungjae Im, South Korea – The FedEx Cup leader for much of the season, Im tied for ninth in the Wyndham for his seventh top-10 finish, including a victory in the Honda and is fifth in the standings. Tied for 38th in playoff debut last year, then tied for 11th in the BMW and tied for 19th in the Tour Championship, finishing 23rd in the point standings.
9. Adam Scott, United States – Played only once since the restart, tying for 22nd in the PGA Championship and is 36th in the standings thanks to a victory in the Genesis Invitational. Scott claimed his only playoff victory in the 2013 opener by one shot and has finished in the top five in each of his last three appearances among six top-10 results.
10. Tiger Woods, United States – The 2007 and 2009 FedEx Cup champion played once after the restart, tying for 37th in the PGA, closing with a sharp 67. Woods is 49th in the standings thanks to a victory in the Zozo Championship, with work to do to get to the Tour Championship, which he won in 2007 and 2018—two of his four playoff victories.

OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH: Tommy Fleetwood, England; Phil Mickelson, United States; Xander Schauffele, United States; Marc Leishman, Australia; Patrick Reed, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Daniel Berger, United States; Shane Lowry, Ireland; Brendon Todd, United States.

SLEEPERS

1. Abraham Ancer, Mexico – Still winless on PGA Tour, but he finished second twice among eight top-25s and is 13th in the standings. Was second in the playoff opener last year.
2. Lanto Griffin, United States – Ranks 12th in FedEx Cup standings with 12 results in the top-10, including his first victory in Houston Open, heading into debut in playoffs.
3. Joaquin Niemann, Chile – The 21-year-old won at the Greenbrier among three top-10s and is 26th in standings. T-30 in playoff debut last year at Liberty National and tied for 31st in BMW.
4. Viktor Hovland, Norway – 2018 U.S. Amateur champions makes playoff debut after winning Puerto Rico Open among seven top-25s to get to 28th in FedEx Cup standings.
5. Sebastian Munoz, Colombia – Victory in the Sanderson Farms and six other top-25s put him 16th in standings. Tied for 43rd in his playoff debut at Northern Trust last year.

For first-round tee times visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html