Inside the Field: THE NORTHERN TRUST

The PGA TOUR’s 2020-21 season will wrap up at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta with the thrilling finale to the FedExCup. The top 30 golfers in the FedExCup standings at the conclusion of the BMW Championship will once again be vying for the ultimate prize in golf. This is the third year of the TOUR Championship’s Starting Strokes format which sees players start between 10-under and even par depending on their positioning. FIELD NOTES: The final field will be determined at the conclusion of the BMW Championship, the second leg of the FedExCup playoffs. However, all inside the current top 30 have committed to East Lake… THE NORTHERN TRUST winner, Tony Finau, is currently the No.1-ranked golfer in the FedExCup standings, however, the BMW Championship winner is likely to wrestle that from him… Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm (3rd at THE NORTHERN TRUST) and Patrick Cantlay are in great position to join Finau in the top five headed to Atlanta after hot starts at Caves Valley… The defending FedExCup champion, Dustin Johnson, will qualify for East Lake for the 13th year in a row – the longest active streak… Johnson is also defending his title at East Lake… Veteran Stewart Cink will earn a spot at East Lake for the first time since 2009. Cink won twice this season. His victories (Safeway Open, RBC Heritage) were his first on TOUR since that 2009 season when he won The Open Championship… Rory McIlroy is trending towards qualifying, giving him the chance to become the first three-time FedExCup winner. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives the FedExCup. COURSE: East Lake Golf Club, par 70, 7,346 yards. The storied club has hosted the TOUR Championship since 2005, meaning all 14 previous FedExCup champions (2007-2020) have been crowned there. Originally designed in the early 1900s by Tom Bendelow, Donald Ross re-worked the course not long after while Rees Jones helped restore the original design in 1994. STORYLINES: It all comes down to this. The top-ranked player in the standings after the BMW Championship will head to East Lake knowing he starts Thursday’s opening round at 10-under, giving him a two-shot margin over second seed who will start at 8-under… The starting numbers continue to drop from there. No.3 seed starts 7-under, No.4 at 6-under, and No.5 begins at 5-under. From there groups of five drop a shot at a time. So, No.6-No.10 start at 4-under, No.11-No.15 3-under, No.16-No.20 2-under, No. 21-25 1-under and finally No.26-No.30 start at even… The last two FedExCup winners have started 1st and 5th, respectively… The winner receives the coveted trophy and a $15 million bonus… No one has defended their title at East Lake since 1998… Steve Stricker will also announce his six captains picks for the U.S Ryder Cup team following the event. 72-HOLE RECORD: 257, Tiger Woods (2007). 18-HOLE RECORD: 60, Zach Johnson (3rd round, 2007). LAST TIME: Dustin Johnson finished at 21-under for the week and defeated Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele by three shots to win his first TOUR Championship – and first FedExCup. Thomas, a past FedExCup champion, shot rounds of 66-66 on the weekend but it wasn’t enough to overtake Johnson, who shot rounds of 64-68 to hold on to the No.1 spot in the FedExCup standings having started at 10-under. Schauffele made a spirited move up the leaderboard (he started the week in 14th, seven shots back of Johnson) but fell just short. Jon Rahm, who started the week in second place, couldn’t bounce back from a second-round 74 and finished fourth. Scottie Scheffler ripped up the standings from No. 17 to 5th. Johnson bogeyed No’s 7 and 8 on Sunday to open the door a crack to his competitors but stayed steady through the back nine, adding a birdie on the par-5 18th to close out the season. He finished the Playoffs going 1-2-1. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-7 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (NBC) PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. (Preview Show), 11:45 a.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Groups). Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. (Preview Show), 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 2:30 p.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Preview Show), 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. (Featured Groups), 1:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio).

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wind swirled, balls went in the water, and teeth gnashed. Round two at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Friday brought brutally difficult conditions for the afternoon starters, who struggled mightily. With a few exceptions. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside Max Homa’s mind | Rory McIlroy makes move at Wells Fargo Championship Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz and Abraham Ancer, prospective members of the 2022 International Presidents Cup Team that will take on the U.S. at Quail Hollow, shot 68 and 70, respectively. At 4 under (Ortiz) and 3 under (Ancer) overall, they’re right behind the trio of leaders at 6 under. It was good news for them and good news for 2022 International Captain Trevor Immelman, who hosted a team dinner for prospective team members here earlier this week. “A lot,” Ortiz said, when asked how encouraged he was by his performance at Quail. “You know, Trevor talked a lot to us, and it was pretty inspiring the way he talked and definitely pumped me up. It’s something I’m really looking forward to playing. I mean, I think playing good on this golf course helps.” Ortiz jarred his bunker shot at the first hole, birdied three of his first four, and offset two back-nine bogeys with two birdies. He’s in a five-way tie for fifth in a group that also includes, among others, two-time Wells Fargo winner Rory McIlroy (66). Ancer, who is part of a four-way tie for 10th through 36 holes, also won the 2018 Australian Open in windy conditions. Like Ortiz, he lives in Texas and is no stranger to wind, but said the conditions at Quail on Friday afternoon might have been even tougher than they were in Australia. “Yeah, it was I guess pretty similar, but this golf course, it’s a lot harder with wind like this,” he said. “A lot more water, the rough is high. Over there you can definitely miss in some spots and work with the slopes, and here it’s way, way harder to do that, to play with wind out here. “It’s very – almost no room for error, to be honest.” As for the Presidents Cup, Ancer said he’s starting to think about it. “It was nice to see the guys and have dinner with them and with Captain Trevor,” he said. “I know it’s more than a year and a half from now, but we’ve still got to get ready and get some reps in here. It’s always important, it’s a big golf course and it’s good to practice as much as you can.”

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Groupings for the 2021 World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play were announced Monday morning, with group play scheduled to begin on Wednesday at Austin Country Club. No. 1 seed Dustin Johnson, who enters the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play as the top seed for the fourth consecutive year, will look to add to his 2017 title at Austin Country Club. He will go against Kevin Na (28), Robert MacIntyre (41) and Adam Long (61). RELATED: Tee times | Print your bracket | Play the Bracket Challenge Defending champion Kevin Kisner (34), who won the 2019 event as the No. 48 seed, will begin his long-awaited title defense, joining recent PLAYERS champion Justin Thomas (2), Louis Oosthuizen (22) and Matt Kuchar (52). Kisner defeated Kuchar, the 2013 champion, in the 2019 Championship match, 3 and 2. Oosthuizen has also advanced to the Championship match at Austin Country Club, falling to Jason Day in 2016. Thomas has advanced out of group play in one of four previous appearances at Austin Country Club. In 2018, Thomas advanced to the Semifinals before falling to eventual champion Bubba Watson, 3 and 2. Former University of Texas standout Jordan Spieth (49) lands in Group 15 with Matt Fitzpatrick (15), Matthew Wolff (20) and Corey Conners (37). In four career starts in the event at Austin Country Club, Spieth advanced out of his group in 2016 and was defeated by Oosthuizen, 4 and 2, in the round of 16. Pool play will take place Wednesday through Friday, with each player competing once against the other players in his pool. The player with the best record from each pool - ties will be broken via sudden-death playoff - will advance to the Round of 16, which will take place Saturday along with the quarterfinals. The semifinals and final will be played Sunday. The groupings for the 2021 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play are listed below. Our team at PGATOUR.COM compiled some quick notes on each. Group 1 Dustin Johnson (1) Kevin Na (34) Robert MacIntyre (41) Adam Long (61) The favorite: Dustin Johnson. The reigning FedExCup champion also won this event in 2017. He's uncharacteristically finished T48 and T54 in his past two starts. Bracket buster (lower-ranked player to keep an eye on): Kevin Na. The winner of this year's Sony Open in Hawaii was a quarterfinalist in 2019 and made the Round of 16 in 2017. Favorite match: Johnson vs. Na. I always enjoy when players with drastically different games face off. The long and short of it is that these guys approach courses in drastically different fashion. Group 2 Justin Thomas (2) Louis Oosthuizen (22) Kevin Kisner (34) Matt Kuchar (52) The favorite: Justin Thomas. The TOUR's top iron player put on a ball-striking clinic in his win at THE PLAYERS. It's easy to imagine that run continuing in Austin. Bracket buster: Kevin Kisner. He's not only the defending champion. He also was runner-up in 2018 to Bubba Waston. Match play offers an opportunity for him to display his mettle. Favorite match: Thomas vs. Kisner. Two great iron players and it's easy to imagine the trash talking would be off the charts as well. Group 3 Jon Rahm (3) Ryan Palmer (24) Shane Lowry (38) Sebastian Munoz (56) The favorite: Jon Rahm. He was the runner-up to Johnson in 2017. His T9 at THE PLAYERS was his sixth top-10 in his last eight starts. The consistent, all-around game makes him a good fit for match play. Bracket buster: Shane Lowry. The Open champion finished eighth at THE PLAYERS and was in contention through three rounds last week at The Honda. He already owns one World Golf Championship, as well. Favorite match: Rahm vs. Ryan Palmer. We'll call this one a friendly rivalry. The two are the defending champions at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after forming an unexpected pairing at TPC Louisiana. Group 4 Collin Morikawa (4) Billy Horschel (32) Max Homa (35) J.T. Poston (63) The favorite: Collin Morikawa. Right alongside Thomas on the short list of the TOUR's best iron players. Recently won the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession to become the only player other than Tiger Woods to win a major and WGC before turning 25. Bracket buster: Max Homa. He thrives on tough courses, winning The Genesis Invitational this year after claiming the Wells Fargo Championship in 2019. His favorite word is ‘relentless,' a trait that will be needed this week. Favorite match: Collin Morikawa vs. Max Homa. The ratings for this showdown will be through the roof in Berkeley, California, where both attended college. Homa once said of Morikawa:"His ball striking is so good. He's basically a robot. I'm not sure I've ever seen him hit a bad shot." Group 5 Bryson DeChambeau (5) Tommy Fleetwood (21) Si Woo Kim (45) Antoine Rozner (58) The favorite: Bryson DeChambeau. Everything is bigger in Texas except for DeChambeau, who recently admitted that he backed off his bodybuilding endeavor and has lost a little weight. He comes in on a hot streak, though, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard before finishing third at THE PLAYERS. Bracket buster: Antoine Rozner. He snuck into the field with his win at the Qatar Masters, his second win in his last six European Tour starts. Favorite match: DeChambeau vs. Fleetwood. Brute strength against a player known for precise iron play. DeChambeau saw it firsthand when he and Tiger Woods were beat, 5 and 4, by Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari in a foursomes match at the most recent Ryder Cup. Group 6 Xander Schauffele (6) Scottie Scheffler (30) Jason Day (44) Andy Sullivan (57) The favorite: Xander Schauffele. He's coming off an uncharacteristic MC at THE PLAYERS after finishing in the top 25 in 24 of his previous 27 starts. He barely missed the Round of 16 in his previous two Match Play appearances. Bracket buster: Jason Day. He recently changed to swing coach Chris Como and is playing a mixed bag of equipment after not renewing with TaylorMade. He's finished no worse than T35 in his last four starts, and let's not forget that he won this event in 2014 and 2016. Favorite match: Schauffele vs. Scottie Scheffler. This match should be sch-weet (get it?). Scheffler is familiar with Austin CC after playing his college golf at Texas and he won the U.S. Junior, so he's had some success as an amateur. The reigning Rookie of the Year is looking for his first TOUR win and maybe this is the week he gets it. Group 7 Patrick Reed (7) Joaquin Niemann (26) Christiaan Bezuidenhout (33) Bubba Watson (55) The favorite: Patrick Reed. He famously went 6-0 in match play to lead Augusta State to consecutive NCAA titles. His Captain America persona was burnished by his performance in the Ryder and Presidents cups. Let's just say he loves mano-a-mano situations, and he won earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open. Bracket buster: Christiaan Bezuidenhout. There's always an international player who's introduced to us at these World Golf Championships, and Bezuidenhout seems like a prime candidate. He recently finished seventh at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Favorite match: Patrick Reed vs. Bubba Watson. This will be an old-school affair. Reed is a grinder, relying on his nifty short game, while no one in the game curves it like Watson, the 2018 winner of this event. Group 8 Tyrrell Hatton (8) Lee Westwood (18) Sergio Garcia (39) Matt Wallace (51) The favorite: Tyrrell Hatton. He's won three big titles in little more than a year - the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and BMW Championship in 2020, followed by the Abu Dhabi championship earlier this year. His MC at THE PLAYERS is his only finish outside the top 25 this year. Bracket buster: Sergio Garcia. He's in the midst of a resurgence after a win at the Sanderson Farms Championship and strong showing at THE PLAYERS. He also is a part-time resident of Austin and made it to the Round of 16 in the past two playings of this event. Favorite match: Hatton vs. Lee Westwood. A generational tussle between two of England's finest. Westwood ran out of steam at The Honda Classic, but that shouldn't overshadow his strong play at Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass. Group 9 Webb Simpson (9) Paul Casey (17) Mackenzie Hughes (48) Talor Gooch (59) The favorite: Webb Simpson. He seems to thrive on Pete Dye designs that favor precision over power. He has wins at the Dye-designed Harbour Town (2020 RBC Heritage), TPC Sawgrass (2018 THE PLAYERS) and TPC of Louisiana (2011 Zurich Classic of New Orleans). Bracket buster: Talor Gooch. The Texas resident may catch the field by surprise after sneaking into the field by surprise after sneaking into the field with a T5 finish at THE PLAYERS. He's 33rd on TOUR this season in Strokes Gained: Total. Favorite match: Simpson vs. Paul Casey. Casey will be a tough out. He's made the Round of 16 in three of the last five years. Group 10 Patrick Cantlay (10) Hideki Matsuyama (23) Carlos Ortiz (42) Brian Harman (54) The favorite: Patrick Cantlay. Before a missed cut at THE PLAYERS, he was riding a streak of six straight top-20s, including a win at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ Sherwood. A solid all-around game should suit him in this format. He barely missed the Round of 16 in his previous two appearances. Bracket buster: Brian Harman. The lefty is made in the mold of his fellow Georgia Bulldog, Kevin Kisner. He was a decorated amateur in part because of his match-play prowess. He won the U.S. Junior and played with Anthony Kim in the Walker Cup before starting college. Favorite match: Cantlay vs. Hideki Matsuyama. This will allow me to make references to their tight battle for low-amateur honors in the 2012 Masters. Look it up. It was a doozy. Group 11 Rory McIlroy (11) Cameron Smith (25) Lanto Griffin (46) Ian Poulter (60) The favorite: Rory McIlroy. He looked a bit lost leaving TPC Sawgrass but is still one of the world's best players and there would be no surprise if he sorted out in his week off. He also won the first edition of this championship that used the pool-play format (2015). Bracket buster: Cameron Smith. The Aussie with the nifty short game will be a tough out. He's also coming off three straight top-20s in big events (fourth, Genesis Invitational; T11, WGC-Workday; T17, THE PLAYERS). Favorite match: McIlroy vs. Poulter: McIlroy has all the physical talent in the world, but Poulter makes up for it with grit and his putter. Should be a fun match. Group 12 Tony Finau (12) Jason Kokrak (29) Will Zalatoris (40) Dylan Frittelli (64) The favorite: Ultra-steady Finau has top-10 finishes in five of his last eight starts, including a playoff loss at The Genesis Invitational. He was a tough out in match play at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, where he boosted the U.S. Team with three crucial ties and went 0-1-3. Bracket buster: Jason Kokrak is coming off three straight top-10 finishes, including a T9 at THE PLAYERS Championship, where his final-round 67 was one of the best of the day. Favorite match: Kokrak vs. Will Zalatoris. Although Kokrak is the hottest player in the group, Zalatoris has nothing to lose and is coming off a solid Florida swing that included a top-25 at THE PLAYERS and T10 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Group 13 Viktor Hovland (13) Abraham Ancer (27) Bernd Wiesberger (43) Kevin Streelman (53) The favorite: FedExCup No. 4 Viktor Hovland has been on a dizzying ascent with five top-15 finishes in his last eight starts, including his second TOUR win at the Mayakoba Golf Classic presented by UNIFIN. Missed cut at THE PLAYERS was his first in over a year. Bracket buster: Ancer will no doubt be in a fine mood after watching close friend Roberto Diaz win on the Korn Ferry Tour, and went 3-1-1 at the 2019 Presidents Cup. Favorite match: Ancer and Hovland aren't giants by height but they're two players you might really like to avoid in match play. They'll lock horns in first-round action Wednesday. Group 14 Daniel Berger (14) Harris English (19) Brendon Todd (47) Erik van Rooyen (62) Favorite: FedExCup No. 15 Berger, who won the Charles Schwab Challenge when the TOUR returned last June, has kept his foot on the gas this season. His four top-10 finishes in 10 starts include another victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am just last month. Bracket buster: With the pandemic cancelling last year's tournament, streaky Brendon Todd will be making his first start in Austin since revitalizing his career at the end of 2019. Favorite match: First-rounder between Berger (AT&T Pebble Beach) and English (Sentry Tournament of Champions) features two recent winners and FSU/Georgia flavor. English also WD'd from THE PLAYERS with an injury, adding intrigue. Group 15 Matt Fitzpatrick (15) Matthew Wolff (20) Corey Conners (37) Jordan Spieth (49) Favorite: England's Fitzpatrick is not only the hottest in this group, he's also one of the hottest in the field after top-10 finishes in three of his last four starts and a T11 in the other. Bracket buster: Quiet, unassuming Corey Conners of Canada contended at THE PLAYERS (solo 7th) and the Arnold Palmer Invitational (solo third). He'd shock no one by winning the group. Favorite match: Jordan Spieth vs. Matthew Wolff. Can a resurgent Spieth keep up his recent run of good play? Is Wolff healthy again after a frustrating start to 2021? Stay tuned as two guys who have been called America's next great player battle it out for the point. Group 16 Sungjae Im (16) Victor Perez (31) Marc Leishman (36) Russell Henley (50) Favorite: This is the first WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play start for Im, who is coming off a T8 in his defense at The Honda Classic. His T17 at THE PLAYERS featured a final-round 66. Bracket buster: Henley is coming off a final-round 68 and a T3 finish at The Honda Classic, where he led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (+8.169) for the week. Favorite match: Henley vs. Leishman. Underdog Leishman easy to overlook after missing the cut in his last two TOUR starts but finished T9 the last time this tournament was held, in 2019.

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