2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs Preview
The PGA Tour’s regular season has ended which means it’s time for the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
The next four tournaments will help us decide who wins the FedEx Cup as well as its $10 million dollar prize.
Here’s a look at where we are headed and who should contend in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
The Northern Trust — Glen Oaks Club, Old Westbury, New York
Formerly known as The Barclays, The Northern Trust makes its way to Glen Oaks for the 1st time ever. The Par-72 course can play up to 7,135 yards and can play as short as 6,915 yards. The top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings will participate in the tournament. Patrick Reed will be looking to defend his title this year, though, with a new name and a new location, it probably won’t feel like much of a title defense.
Dell Technologies Championship — TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
Also operating under a new name, the Dell Technologies Championship will play host to the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings following the completion of The Northern Trust. Since its creation in 2003, the championship has been held at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion, but there is a chance he won’t be seen on the course for the FedEx Playoffs based on his post-tournament comments at the PGA championship.
BMW Championship — Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Illinois
Much like The Northern Trust, the BMW Championship operates on a rotating schedule. This will be the third time the tournament will be held at Conway Farms, with the previous two coming in 2015 and 2013. The tournament will have the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings in the field. Dustin Johnson will be looking to defend his record setting performance from last year.
Tour Championship — East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
As it always is, the Tour Championship will take place at East Lake. The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will contend for the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. McIlroy is the defending champion, but as previously stated, he may not be in the field. However, even without one of the most polarizing figures in the game of golf, the tournament most certainly will not lack fireworks.
The Favorites
Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki currently sits atop the standings thanks to two victories in 2017 and two top-5 finishes in major tournaments (T2 @ U.S. Open & T5 @ PGA). When Matsuyama gets hot he is tough to stop and that is what the FedEx Cup playoffs are all about, getting hot. If Matsuyama is on his game throughout the playoffs, he leaves Atlanta with a couple new trophies and a ton of cash.
Jordan Spieth
The 2015 champion has had an excellent season in 2017. He has won three times, including his third career major championship at The Open. He is currently 3rd in the standings so he does have some wiggle room. In 2015, he missed the cut at the first two events in the playoffs and still went on to win the FedEx Cup at East Lake. There’s no doubt he can do it again.
Justin Thomas
Unless someone gets really hot during the playoffs, Thomas is probably going to be the PGA Tour player of the year. He has won four times, including his first career major at the PGA Championship and posted a 59 earlier in the year. He currently sits in second in the FedEx standings. The champ has admitted he was a little jealous of his good friend, Jordan Spieth, after Spieth won his third major. Is Thomas also jealous of Spieth’s FedEx Cup? If he is, that could fuel his fire during the playoffs.
Dustin Johnson
DJ was so close to winning the FedEx Cup last season. He has a tremendous year and all he needed was Ryan Moore to beat Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup. However, Rory stole it away from DJ with a clutch putt to win the Tour Championship and the cup. DJ is still number one in the world rankings and will no doubt be back looking to bring home what was almost his last season.
Keep an eye on
Rickie Fowler
Rickie missed the Tour Championship by one point last season. One tiny little point. After a sluggish 2016, Fowler has rebounded with an excellent 2017. He won The Honda Classic in February and has a PGA Tour leading nine top-10 finishes (he’s T1 with good friend Justin Thomas), including two top-5 finishes in majors. Fowler has had a great season, but having only one win to show for it probably has him a little down. The pressure is starting to mount on him to win more. Adding a FedEx Cup would his relieve the pressure a bit.
Kevin Kisner
If you didn’t already know the name, now you do. Kevin Kisner has shown why he is a highly touted golfer. He has seven top-10 finishes, including a victory and two second place finishes. He’s feeling good right now and should have his name thrown around a lot during the playoffs.
Jon Rahm
The young Spaniard has shown why there was so much talk around him when he turned pro. Rahm is legit. He’s not afraid of the moment and he is ready to pounce. Much like Kisner, Rahm has seven top-10 finishes, a victory, and two seconds in 2017. He may not win the FedEx Cup this season, but he will win at least one during his career.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka is another guy that many probably didn’t know prior to this season. However, if you didn’t already know him, now you do. He dismantled Erin Hills on his was to his first major championship at the U.S. Open and showed everyone that he can hit the ball a long way. The thing with Koepka is that when he gets cold, he gets really cold. If he remains in the form he is in now, he’ll contend. If not, he’ll have to wait on raising the FedEx Cup.
Prediction
Jordan Spieth
At the beginning of the season I said that Spieth would win five times and capture his second FedEx Cup. He currently has three wins this season. In order to win the FedEx Cup, you need to win one, maybe two of the tournaments. Spieth can do just that. I’m sticking by my pre-season pick because Jordan has had a tremendous season and is entering the playoffs in some pretty good form.
