It’s the playoffs, baby!
Well, at least the PGA TOUR’s version of playoffs.
The first leg of the 3 tournament postseason slate for the FedEx Cup is The Northern Trust this week at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points list qualify for The Northern Trust.
If you play like crap, it’s “hasta la vista” as only the top 70 move on to the second leg, BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland (August 26-29).
When you put this much money in front of their noses, the usual suspects are their for the cash grab with the winner in the Tour Championship in Atlanta hauling in a whopping $15 million. My gosh, second place is only worth a measly $5 mill (LMAO)
Top 5 Picks
Jon Rahm (+1800)
Rahm has somehow found the secret sauce in the last few months and is one of the hottest golfers on the planet. The only thing that is seemingly slowing him down is negative Covid-19 tests which prohibited him from continuing with a 6 shot lead at The Memorial and from participating in the Olympics in Tokyo. Currently No. 1 in the World Ranking, Rahm is ranked 5th in the FedEx Cup standings going into The Northern Trust. Rahm’s iron game has been on fire of late as he ranks 3rd on the PGA Tour in Greens in Regulation Percentage. If the well rested Spaniard stays to form, he’s going to be tough to beat.
Jordan Spieth (+2200)
Winner of the 2015 FedEx Cup, Spieth is a favorite because of his stunning resurgence this year. He placed second in the U.S. Open, had a T3 at The Masters and won the Valero Texas Open. You don’t have to be a body language expert to see he’s brimming with confidence these days. While his 2021 season stats don’t blow you away, he’s got his game back and he’s a serious threat to capture his second FedEx Cup.
Colin Morikawa (+2500)
The FedEx Cup 2021 points leader, Collin Morikawa, was born to play the game at a high level. He began his career with 22 consecutive made cuts. The only guy better was Tiger with 25. Morikawa, the leading 2021 money winner on the PGA Tour, has had a spectacular year with 8 top 10 finishes and two wins — the U.S. Open and WGC Workday Championship at The Concession. His 2021 stats are impressive as he is 1st in birdie average, 2nd in greens in regulation percentage and 4th in scoring average.
Dustin Johnson (+2500)
D.J. dominated the 2019-2020 FedEx Cup playoffs. He won the Northern Trust, finished second in a playoff to Jon Rahm in a classic mano e mano showdown at the BMW Championship, then won the TOUR Championship in Atlanta. It was the first FedExCup trophy for Johnson. The 2020 Masters Champion has 7 top 10 finishes in 2021 with a 17th place ranking in the FedEx Cup standings. Johnson is a model of consistency as he ranks third on the PGA Tour in scoring average (69.564) and he always seems to be up on the leaderboard in striking distance.
Xander Schauffele (+2800)
Olympic gold medal winner, Schauffele is 13th in the FedEx Cup ranking and playing some superb golf. For a guy 5 ft. 10, 175 lbs., Schauffele can flat out bust it off the tee with a 307.4 average. He’s had a great year with the Olympic medal, T3 at The Masters and T7 at the U.S. Open. Schauffele is brimming with confidence and he seems to relish being put in pressure situations on the golf course.
Other Contenders
Brooks Koepka (+3000)
With his game and confidence, you can never count Brooksie out as a potential winner.
Rory McIlroy (+3000)
While Rory’s game has been unpredictable of late, he can get it together quickly. He’s won the FedEx Cup twice (2016 and 2019) so he definitely knows how to get it done.
Bryson DeChambeau (+3500)
The Mad Bomber has been very erratic lately, but with his prodigious length off the tee and ability to power through thick rough, he can’t be discounted.
Justin Thomas (+3500)
J.T. won the 2017 FedEx Cup and he’s really proficient at playing tough courses as he proved this year by capturing THE PLAYERS Championship.
Abraham Ancer (+3500)
Ancer has really found the answer in 2021. He recently won the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational and has 7 top 10 finishes this year. He’s always in play with a 7th place ranking in Driving Accuracy Percentage on the PGA Tour.
