Scott Brown attempts to make two cuts in same week

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The top 98 players out of 100 have multiple goals this week at TPC Boston for the playing of the Dell Technologies Championship. The premium players are looking to cement Ryder Cup spots or even a top-five place in the standings with a victory or runner-up finish. Those lurking around No. 30 know a big holiday weekend can push them into the final event at East Lake. Only Rickie Fowler (No. 22; oblique) and Francesco Molinari (No. 13; rest) are missing so that’s two fewer players the winner will have to worry about beating. Everyone is playing for something this week including 2,000 more FedExCup points and $1.62 million for first place. Bryson DeChambeau threw down the first marker of the 2018 FedExCup Playoffs last week with a resounding four-shot victory to claim the top spot in the standings. He will lead a field of 98 players in the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs as he looks to become the first THE NORTHERN TRUST winner to take home the biggest prize since Vijay Singh in 2008. Justin Thomas will be the last player to attempt to defend the title as the Dell Technologies Championship is being removed from the revamped schedule in 2019. TPC Boston will return to the rotation in 2020 as the host of THE NORTHERN TRUST. TPC Boston and East Lake have hosted an event in every season of the FedExCup Playoffs. TALE OF THE TAPE In 2015, Rickie Fowler chased down playing partner Henrik Stenson on Sunday to add his name to the list of players who have come-from-behind to win at TPC Boston. Fowler made it six consecutive winners that trailed entering the final round before picking up his first FedExCup victory. Charley Hoffman, the 2010 champ, had the best of it thru 36 holes as his 63 in Round 2 set the mark for the biggest lead (three shots). Hoffman made it look easy but the cut was 3-over 145, tied for the highest in event history. Only the podium finishers signed for double-digit rounds under-par as third place (-11) was three shots better than T4. The scoring average for the week was barely under par at 70.956 but only one player in the top 25 signed for more than one round above par. Stenson co-led the field in birdies with 22 with Kevin Chappell but couldn’t make his 54-hole lead standup. After opening up quietly with an even-par 71, McIlroy spotted the field six shots after 18 holes. His 66 in Round 3 brought him to within six shots of leader Paul Casey and his closing 65 saw him win by two. He closed Round 3 with an eagle and then birdied six of his first 12 holes on Monday to put the pressure on his Ryder Cup pal. Closing up shop with 24 birdies on the week saw him clinch his second title in five years. Of the 12 par-5 holes, he made 10 birdies, an eagle and one par to lead the field. No lead is safe around here as he joined the list of come-from-behind winners and did so in record-setting fashion by making up six shots. Chappell was the 36-hole leader before Casey turned the tables and led by three after 54 holes. Casey and Chappell had matching 73s in Round 4 sadly for their investors. Gil Hanse stretched the 2016 edition from 7,242 to 7,297 but the 2017 event went even deeper at 7,342 yards. Justin Thomas didn’t seem too bothered as he posted the lowest winning total since Stenson’s record-setting performance in 2013. For the second year running, the event dealt with remnants of tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean. They dodged Hermine in 2016 but Harvey blew thru early in the proceedings and pushed the cut to 144. Round 1 faced gusts of 30 mph so it was no surprise to see Dustin Johnson at the top. His 66 tied the HIGHEST first-round-leading score. Thomas, like McIlroy, took a couple of rounds to heat up before charging down the lead and winning. He sat five shots off Jon Rahm’s 36-hole lead before 63 in Round 3 tied it and 66 in the final round saw him win by three. Playing partner Marc Leishman led alone at the turn on 18-under before an inward 40 ruined 63 excellent holes. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 25-ish in each statistic on the 2017-18 PGA TOUR are listed only if they are scheduled to compete this week. * – Finished inside the top 10 since 2007 or is a past champion – bold Strokes-Gained: Approach-the-Green Rank  Golfer  1  *Henrik Stenson  2  Keegan Bradley  3  *Justin Thomas  4  *Tiger Woods  5  *Dustin Johnson  7  *Adam Scott  8  Stewart Cink  9  Chesson Hadley 11 *Paul Casey 12 Scott Piercy 13 *Chez Reavie 14 *Phil Mickelson 15 Bryson DeChambeau 16 Rafa Cabrera-Bello 17 J.J. Spaun 19 *Webb Simpson 20 *Chris Kirk 21 Hideki Matsuyama 22 *Ryan Moore 23 *Ian Poulter 24 Patrick Cantlay 25 Kevin Streelman Proximity Rank  Golfer  3  *Dustin Johnson  3  *Chez Reavie  5  *Henrik Stenson  7  *Louis Oosthuizen  8  Zach Johnson  9  Chesson Hadley  9  Brian Stuard  9  *Chris Kirk 13 *Ian Poulter 14 *Jordan Spieth 14 Andrew Landry 14 *Tiger Woods 14 Tom Hoge 19 Ryan Armour 19 Russell Knox 22 Keegan Bradley 23 J.J. Spaun 23 Rafa Cabrera-Bello Strokes-Gained: Putting Rank  Golfer  1  *Jason Day  2  *Phil Mickelson  5  Alex Noren  6  *Webb Simpson  7  Beau Hossler 10 Emiliano Grillo 12 Kevin Kisner 13 *Dustin Johnson 14 Brian Harman 17 Brian Gay 19 *Justin Rose 20 *Brandt Snedeker 22 *Kevin Na 24 Whee Kim 25 *Jimmy Walker Strokes-Gained: Tee-to-Green Rank  Golfer  1  *Dustin Johnson  2  *Justin Thomas  4  *Henrik Stenson  5  Patrick Cantlay  6  Luke List  7  Keegan Bradley  8  *Tiger Woods  9  Tommy Fleetwood 10 Bryson DeChambeau 11 *Justin Rose 13 *Jon Rahm 14 *Rory McIlroy 15 *Ryan Moore 16 *Adam Scott 17 Byeong-Hun An 18 Tony Finau 19 Brooks Koepka 20 Rafa Cabrera-Bello 21 Gary Woodland 22 Kevin Streelman 24 *Patrick Reed 25 *Jordan Spieth Designed in 2002 by Arnold Palmer and redesigned by Hanse and crew in 2006, TPC Boston has grown into its permanent role in the FedExCup Playoffs. Gamers, like the pros, enjoy a familiar track where they know exactly what it takes to get the job done. After 2017 Hanse’s fingerprints now appear on all 18 holes as his vision for a New England-style course have come to fruition. Of the last three winners, two have gone on two win the FedExCup Playoffs and the names are household varieties in fantasy land. The redesign wasn’t always a slam-dunk as adjustments were made with the length, layout and design. The course was first reduced in yards before being expanded with 2017 playing the longest of the last three years. Length never bothers these guys but four inches of Bluegrass and Fescue off the fairway won’t allow them to attack the Penncross A-4 Bentgrass greens with errant tee shots. The good news is the greens are large enough targets (5,800 square feet) to find the putting surface and roll in a birdie. As usual the greens are in perfect shape and that’s why scores can get low. Stiffing approach shots won’t hurt as the proximity numbers above reinforce. McIlroy has won twice in the FedExCup Playoffs, the only to do so here, but it is Stenson who owns the tournament record on 22-under 262 along with Hoffman (2010) and Singh (2008). There are some heavy hitters at the top of these leaderboards as finding fairways isn’t the key to success here. The redesign opened the sightlines and provided room to swing the big stick but the numbers above suggest this is a second-shot course. The last three editions have seen no less than seven of the top 10 in Strokes-Gained: Approach-the-Green finish in the top 18. The proximity stat for the winners above suggests getting it close doesn’t hurt, either. This isn’t the holiday weekend for the putter, either. 2016 saw seven of the top 10 in Strokes-Gained: Putting collect for T15 or better while 2017 saw seven of the top 10 cash T10 or better. The Bubble Only the top 70 advance to Round 3 next week QUICK FACTS: • No player has defended in ANY FedExCup event. • No player has defended their FedExCup title and only Snedeker and Spieth have qualified to attempt to do so. Thomas will add his name to this list. • Tiger Woods is the only player to win the FedExCup twice (2007, 2009). • Only Billy Horschel and Jordan Spieth have MC at THE NORTHERN TRUST and have gone on to win the title. • Spieth is the only player to go MC-MC to open the FedExCup Playoffs and win the title. • Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson have the most FedExCup wins (4 each). • 2017 was the first year in six where someone has NOT won multiple FedExCup events. • The only player to break their TOUR maiden in the FedExCup Playoffs was Camilo Villegas at the 2008 BMW Championship. • Bryson DeChambeau looks to join Singh as the only player to win the first two events. • There has only been one playoff in history as Webb Simpson vanquished Chez Reavie in 2011. Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention!  NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation.  

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ATLANTA – There was a fear before the TOUR Championship debuted its new format that the FedExCup leader could run away with the tournament and create a weekend devoid of drama. That wasn’t the case Thursday at East Lake Golf Club, though. The two-shot advantage that Justin Thomas held when he stepped on the first tee was gone by the 13th tee. After struggling to find fairways and hitting an iron into the water, Thomas finds himself in a three-way tie for the lead with 54 holes remaining. The leading trio features some of the TOUR’s most successful players over the past two years. They’ve combined to win a FedExCup (Thomas), Rookie of the Year (Xander Schauffele) and two Player of the Year awards (Brooks Koepka, Thomas). Koepka also is the hands-down favorite to win this year’s Player of the Year trophy. RELATED: Tee times | How new format works | JT switched driver shafts after last week’s win The leaders sit at 10 under par, one shot ahead of 2016 FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy. Patrick Cantlay and Georgia Tech alum Matt Kuchar are another shot back. Cantlay started the day in second place, while McIlroy and Kuchar both shot 66. Entering Thursday, there were just five players within five shots of the lead. There are now 12. Schauffele made the biggest move. His 64 was the low round of the day by two strokes. Schauffele won at East Lake two years ago to clinch the Rookie of the Year award, then finished seventh the following year. He’s been under par in eight of his nine rounds at East Lake. The exception was an even-par 70. “For how important and how top-notch this tournament is, it’s a very surprisingly relaxed week. You don’t see a bunch of guys grinding on the range in 90 degrees,â€� Schauffele said. “I just think I’m comfortable, and it sort of feeds into my sort of California vibe surprisingly, just because it’s so laid back.â€� Schauffele won twice this year, at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and Sentry Tournament of Champions. He’s shown a propensity for performing well at the game’s biggest events – he had two top-3s in majors this year – and now is trying to win his first FedExCup. Thomas won the season-long title when Schauffele was victorious at the TOUR Championship. Thomas won eight times in the preceding two seasons, but last week’s win at the BMW Championship was the first win of his injury-interrupted 2019 season. He left Medinah discontent with his driver, and that feeling continued Thursday. He hit less than half his fairways during his first-round 70. “It was very, very close out there, but I definitely — that being said, that’s golf, and I just needed to hit the fairways,â€� Thomas said. His most penal shot was with an iron, though. He hit his tee shot into the water at the 150-yard, par-3 15th. Only three players missed that green Thursday, and he was the only player to hit it in the water. Thomas preceded his first round last week with what he coined the “worst warm-up I’ve ever had.â€� Koepka is hoping he can win this week after a frustrating range session. Like Thomas two years ago, Brooks Koepka is trying to wrap up a Player of the Year campaign with a victory in the FedExCup. Koepka already has three wins this season, including a major (PGA Championship) and World Golf Championship (FedEx St. Jude Invitational). Koepka was “freaking out a little bitâ€� while trying to find his game on the range Tuesday. “I never felt that uncomfortable over the putter or just hitting the ball,â€� Koepka said. He described it as “full panic modeâ€� after he made the turn Thursday and hit his tee shot well right of the fairway. “I felt like the train was off the tracks there on 9 and 10,â€� he said. “I hit that ball on 10, 75 yards right. It started 70 right and cut 5, so that wasn’t very good.â€� He regrouped to birdie three of the final four holes, though. He’ll join his Presidents Cup teammate, Schauffele, in the final group. “It’s funny about this game. When it’s going really well, you’re never thinking. And then all of a sudden, everything kind of abandons you, and you’re trying to figure out, what’s the answer? What’s the answer? How do I right the ship? How do I figure it out? And you start looking at ten different things, and odds are it’s one simple thing,â€� Koepka said. The task ahead is straightforward, as well. Now that one round is in the books, there’s no more talk about starting positions or strokes. Fifty-four holes remain and the leaderboard is all that matters.

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