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As the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin, 2017's elite golfers prepare to battle it out for golfing supremacy... and $10 million. The Northern Trust at Glen Oaks Club, Old Westbury, New York, will signal the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs; consisting of four tournaments with progressive CUTs, reducing the number of players competing for the FedEx Cup from 125 at The Northern Trust to 30 at the TOUR Championship (with the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship respectively in between). Hideki Matsuyama leads the way in the standings, closely followed by Player of the Year leader, Justin Thomas. Jordan Spieth (third) and Dustin Johnson (fourth) take their familiar places around the top of the leaderboard, whilst Rickie Fowler sits just above young gun Jon Rahm, who occupies sixth spot. Matt Kuchar and Paul Casey hold fifteenth and eighteenth respectively, making them ones to watch down the home straight.
Turning our attention back to The Northern Trust, we're looking at a tournament that could hold a lot of significance for the world's best. We saw Henrik Stenson launch himself more than fifty places up the FedEx Cup rankings with a win at the Wyndham Championship last week, so don't be surprised if we see the top players fighting tooth and nail at Green Oaks this week. But who should you be keeping an eye on in the New York competition?
When you take form into consideration, a few names jump to mind. Matsuyama's four consecutive top-15 finishes tells us why he's topping the FedEx Cup leaderboard and the odds list. The Japanese superstar has been in red-hot form this season, with three of those four top-15 results coming in majors (including T2 in the U.S. Open and T5 in the PGA Championship) and the other being his runaway victory in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. I think a strong finish is key for Matsuyama, who will feel confident in a top-10 finish, and we will probably know going into the weekend whether he has a realistic shot at the title (I think he will, for the record). Justin Thomas's PGA Championship win may have been his maiden major, but it was about as inevitable as major victories come. Thomas is the leader for the Player of the Year crown, so adding a major to his 2017 season will do him no harm. A cool head and an abundance of talent makes him a formiddable force on any golf course, but the added motivation of a shot at the FedEx Cup means he's a serious, serious contender in New York.
Speaking of serious contenders, I don't think I've seen a more enticing three-ball all season than the Dustin Johnson/Rickie Fowler/Jon Rahm set up. Why is this more exciting than Matsuyama/Thomas/Spieth? Because Johnson, Fowler and Rahm will revel on this longer course. I'm not saying that the Matsuyama, Thomas or Spieth won't see a lot of success, but they play different games and will gain strokes in different areas. Johnson, Fowler and Rahm, though, are all big-hitters who will give us an awesome look at direct competition off-the-tee. It will be easy watching and all three start the tournament being tipped for top-20. When he's made the CUT, Fowler has only missed the top-20 mark twice this year, whilst DJ has only done so once. Rahm has been more sporadic in his results, but is still breathing down their neck in the FedEx Cup standings.
Henrik Stenson, as I mentioned earlier, comes into this tournament on the back of a Wyndham Championship win. He also comes in on the back of five top-20s in his last six tournaments. I am personally not backing Stenson in this one, but I do think that the Wyndham Championship showed us a genuine contender for The Northern Trust. Runner-up Ollie Sniederjans showed that he has a serious amount of talent and really put Stenson to the test. I wouldn't be surprised to see him follow that up with a solid result. I'm calling him at a potential top-20, or even top-10 if he can maintain momentum through the weekend and not be distracted by big names around him on the leaderboard.
My final mention goes to Jason Day, who has a solid record in recent edition of this tournament, including second-place in 2014 and top-spot in 2015. The Aussie has had a forgettable year, with mental and physical fragilities restricing his performance. However, Day has a tendency to hit form on the season's back-nine, so a good showing in the playoffs is not out of the question and it could all start here.
I fancy the chances of Paul Casey and Matt Kuchar in the top-20, but Hideki Matsuyama is my number one pick for this tournament, with the three-ball of Dustin Johnson/Rickie Fowler/Jon Rahm likely to produce a minimum of one title challenger. Justin Thomas is another name I suspect could top the field, whilst Jason Day is a good one to put a few quid on when you consider odds and opportunity. Watch out for Ollie Sniederjans, though. At 80/1 I think a victory would be a step too far, but a top-10 is not.
Golf superstars, are you ready?
Written by Joe Carabini
