The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin this week with the playing of the Northern Trust Open. The first event in the three tournament swing will take place at TPC Boston.
This week will be very intriguing, to say the least with many different storylines set to play out.
Tiger Woods officially committed to playing the tournament. How will El Tigre’s game look and how is the ol’ body doing?
Then you have Justin Thomas who is coming in as the favorite and the number one seed for the playoffs. How will JT handle the pressure and the expectations with the ultimate prize of $15 million on the line for the winner of the FedEx Cup?
Then you have the whippersnappers of the tour(i.e. Morikawa, Hovland, Wolff, Fitzpatrick, etc). This will be the first playoff event for the majority of them and all of them have made a name for themselves this season.
The last thing to keep an eye is Patrick Reed. Reed hasn’t had the best year when it comes to the media and the fans. However, last year’s Northern Trust winner has done a lot of work to recoup the image and focus on golf. Don’t count him out this week.
This week’s arena: TPC Boston
The Arnold Palmer designed track weighs in at 7,216 yards from the Championship tees. This distance is a bit over the tour average and should prove tough for the players this week. With that said, the course is gettable, the course record is 61, shot by Vijay Singh in 2006 and Mike Weir in 2008.
There isn’t a large amount of water the players will have to contend with this week. The main challenge will be tough greens and narrow fairways. Accuracy and shot placement will be paramount to be in the mix on Sunday.
Let’s Make Some Money Y’all
Diving straight in, I am going to hop right in Justin Thomas’s hip pocket at 12-1 for this week’s “Best Bet.” After a stellar 2020 campaign that saw three victoires and several Top-10 finishes, JT starts the playoff a the number one seed.
As is seen above, JT is no stranger to the Playoff trophy. I look for him to have a big week to kick things off.
This week’s “Dark Horse” is Justin Rose. Rosey always seems to show up for playoff time. He consistently finds himself in the mix in Atlanta for the conclusion of the playoffs and typically does it with at least one win in the two weeks before.
I like his odds at 50-1 and you should too..
Finally, we have Bubba Watson at 125-1 as this week’s “Long Shot.” Bubba has played solid golf this year. He has really taken the time to work on his mental game, which he described as being the weakest part of his game.
Bubba knows how to shine when the bright lights on, so don’t be surprised if he’s in contention on Sunday.
How to Watch
Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel).
Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS).
Sunday, 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS).
PGA TOUR LIVE: (Cut the Check)
Thursday-Friday 7:10 a.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Groups).
Saturday, 7 p.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes).
Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Holes).
