Leaderboard: The American Express

THE OVERVIEW By Ben Everill, PGATOUR.COM Dustin Johnson was ranked world No. 1 when he entered the FedExCup Playoffs last fall – and yet somehow he was still under the radar. He quickly reminded us, though, why he’s at the top by winning THE NORTHERN TRUST – his fourth victory of the season. TOP 30 PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2018: We’ll countdown our list with one new player each day in December. Click here for the published players. MORE: Top 30 explanation and schedule He will finish the calendar year as the world’s best but should still start 2018 with plenty to prove after the likes of FedExCup champion Justin Thomas continue to get much of the fanfare. In the early part of 2017, Johnson appeared almost unbeatable. He won three consecutive tournaments, including two World Golf Championships, leading into the Masters. Then he slipped down some stairs at his rental house in Augusta and his star fell as well. It wasn’t like DJ played bad, it was just others took the limelight. When this new season started with a final-round implosion at the WGC-HSBC Champions to finish second, new questions arose. Can he maintain his place at the top of the world with the likes of Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama and Jon Rahm all biting at his heels? Can he take his incredible record to 11 straight seasons since debuting on the PGA TOUR with at least one win? Can he get to Augusta without injury this time around and have a real crack at a second major championship? Can he join the list of FedExCup champions? You wouldn’t bet against him on any count that’s for sure. BY THE NUMBERS How Dustin Johnson ranked in Strokes Gained statistics during his last full season on the PGA TOUR. FEDEXCUP Current 2017-18 position: 25th Playoff appearances: 10 TOUR Championship appearances: 9 Best result: 2nd (2016) INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDERS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Dustin Johnson in 2018. TOUR INSIDER by Cameron Morfit Johnson’s toughest opponent is still himself, or the Golf Gods, or a combination of the two. He missed 16 putts inside 10 feet at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, and still won. But what might have been had he not fallen down the stairs just before the Masters? He WD’d and stalled in the other three majors, and after beating Jordan Spieth to win THE NORTHERN TRUST, and going 4-0-1 in the Presidents Cup, DJ melted down with a final-round 77 to finish T2 at the WGC-HSBS Champions. Already a 16-time TOUR winner with one major, Hall of Fame-bound Johnson still hasn’t gotten fully out of his own way. Scary. Click here to follow Cameron on Twitter FANTASY INSIDER by Rob Bolton You know you’re livin’ well when the world’s top-ranked golfer sits No. 3 in our series. Hey, whatever. As a great one, he’s a top pick in many draft leagues and that’s all that matters. He’s never had a season in which he’s gone winless, he’s qualified for nine consecutive TOUR Championships and he’s just 33 years old. If there’s a knock, it’s that he’s subject to the occasional balloon of a round and the inability to slam every door, but you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Click here to follow Rob on Twitter EQUIPMENT INSIDER by Jonathan Wall Johnson made few changes to his TaylorMade metalwoods last season. Briefly switched to P730 irons in China but returned to Tour Preferred MB 2014 blades for his next start. First Spider Tour Black putter used in competition belonged to his caddie, and brother, Austin.  Click here to follow Jonathan on Twitter STYLE INSIDER by Greg Monteforte If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. DJ owns monochromatic looks these days. No one wears the tone-on-tone black, navy, and gray looks better than Dustin. Expect him to give us fresh and interesting takes on these looks in 2018 while featuring the latest technology from Adidas. Johnson debuted Adidas’ new TOUR 360 2.0 shoe during his win at THE NORTHERN TRUST to kick off the 2017 FedExCup Playoffs. He will wear this model throughout 2018 in seasonal colorways. Click here to follow Greg on Twitter

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How the field qualified for The American Express as of 1/10/2020: Check here for updates. Winner – THE PLAYERS Championship – Last 5 years Rickie Fowler Si Woo Kim Winner – PGA Championship – Last 5 years Jimmy Walker Winner – The Open Championship – Last 5 years Zach Johnson Francesco Molinari Winner – World Golf Championships Event Kevin Kisner Phil Mickelson U.S. Ryder Cup Team Tony Finau Member of Last Named European Ryder Cup Team Paul Casey Alex Noren Member of Last Named International Presidents Cup Team Byeong Hun An Abraham Ancer Sungjae Im Career Money Exemption Steve Stricker Bo Van Pelt Past Champion of The American Express Jason Dufner Brian Gay Bill Haas Adam Long Hudson Swafford Jhonattan Vegas Mark Wilson PGA Section Champion Brian Smock Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Ricky Barnes Ben Crane Sponsors Exemption – Unrestricted Akshay Bhatia Harris English Isaiah Salinda Josh Teater Current Tournament Winners Ryan Armour Cameron Champ Austin Cook Tyler Duncan Brice Garnett Max Homa Billy Horschel Charles Howell III Patton Kizzire Russell Knox Andrew Landry Nate Lashley Troy Merritt Sebastián Muñoz Kevin Na Pat Perez Scott Piercy J.T. Poston Ted Potter, Jr. Andrew Putnam Chez Reavie Brendan Steele Brendon Todd Martin Trainer Aaron Wise Matthew Wolff Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedExCup Points List Jason Kokrak Lucas Glover Rory Sabbatini Harold Varner III Ryan Moore Vaughn Taylor Joel Dahmen Wyndham Clark Adam Schenk Danny Lee Kevin Streelman Charley Hoffman Chesson Hadley Brian Stuard Matt Every Russell Henley Brian Harman Michael Thompson Luke List Roger Sloan Sam Burns Bud Cauley Nick Watney Mackenzie Hughes J.J. Spaun Talor Gooch Chris Stroud Kyle Stanley Patrick Rodgers Cameron Tringale Sam Ryder Kyoung-Hoon Lee Scott Stallings Denny McCarthy Scott Brown Carlos Ortiz Sepp Straka Aaron Baddeley Peter Malnati Nick Taylor Martin Laird Top 125 (Nonmember) Doc Redman Lucas Bjerregaard Major Medical Extension Daniel Berger Bronson Burgoon Kevin Chappell Kevin Stadler James Hahn Ben Martin Grayson Murray John Huh Seung-Yul Noh Brandon Hagy Greg Chalmers Leading Money Winner from Korn Ferry Tour Prior Year Scottie Scheffler Top Finishers for Korn Ferry Tour Prior Season (reordered) Mark Hubbard Scott Harrington Tom Hoge Harry Higgs Xinjun Zhang Robby Shelton Zac Blair Richy Werenski Cameron Percy Fabián Gómez Henrik Norlander David Hearn D.J. Trahan Hank Lebioda Robert Streb Maverick McNealy Beau Hossler Bo Hoag Matthew NeSmith Rob Oppenheim Kramer Hickok Joseph Bramlett Rafael Campos Chase Seiffert Mark Anderson Kristoffer Ventura Rhein Gibson Ben Taylor Tyler McCumber Chris Baker Michael Gligic Tim Wilkinson Sebastian Cappelen Doug Ghim Cameron Davis Ryan Brehm Michael Gellerman Nelson Ledesma Anirban Lahiri Vincent Whaley Vince Covello John Senden Minor Medical Extension Stewart Cink Hunter Mahan

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