Sure, we’ll take three more of those, please. Thank you. Golf fans can be greedy, but they know enough not to hold their collective breath for another formidable faceoff like the one we witnessed on Sunday at Glen Oaks. Not only did it feature A-listers Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, but the playoff from which DJ emerged with the new trophy at THE NORTHERN TRUST was just the second such overtime in any tournament in the last six editions of the FedExCup Playoffs. Then again, maybe we’re embarking on a fresh trend because the last playoff happened to occur at last year’s TOUR Championship. Rory McIlroy prevailed in a three-man playoff at East Lake that also clinched the FedExCup. Before he can defend both of those titles, he’s back at TPC Boston to defend his two-stroke victory at the Dell Technologies Championship. Back to his winning ways and in style at that. Tops on TOUR in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Fifth in both par-5 scoring and adjusted scoring. Three top 10s at TPC Boston. T46 in his title defense last year, but his 2016 summer was an anomaly. Five top 10s and another two top 25s in his last seven starts worldwide. Second in adjusted scoring. Solo fifth at Glen Oaks was his third fifth-place finish since the Travelers; T11 and T13 in the other two. Led by three entering finale at TPC Boston last year and lost by two. Two-time champ and all-time earnings leader at TPC Boston where his scoring average is 68.50. Leads TOUR in strokes gained: off-the-tee. Third in adjusted scoring. Scratched and clawed for a T6 at THE NORTHERN TRUST, his best finish since a P2 at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May. Top 20s in seven of his last tries at TPC Boston. En route to his playoff loss at Glen Oaks, led the field in average distance of putts made. Leads TOUR in adjusted scoring. Fifth in GIR and third in birdie-or-better percentage. Answered a co-runner-up at the PGA with a T10 at THE NORTHERN TRUST. Top fives in the last two DTCs with a scoring average of 68.75 in those eight rounds. Continues to sparkle with surprisingly strong putting. T10 at Glen Oaks chased a T2 in the PGA. Runner-up at TPC Boston in 2012; T12 (2015) and T8 (2016) since. Back after birth of his second child. Four top 10s and a T16 in his last six trips to TPC Boston with a scoring average of 68.375. Sits 14th on TOUR in adjusted scoring. Quietly submitted four sub-70s at Glen Oaks to finish T6 on the vapor trail of his victory at Quail Hollow. He’s led the TOUR in birdie-or-better percentage for seven months. As consistent a threat as ever. Consecutive top 10s at Quail Hollow and Glen Oaks. Top 10s at TPC Boston in 2013 and 2015. Fifth in scrambling, 12th in adjusted scoring. How’s that for a FedExCup Playoffs debut! T3 at THE NORTHERN TRUST to scale to fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking. It was his first top 25 in his last four starts, a drought for him. Failed to find comfort on the greens at Glen Oaks and missed the cut. Phenomenal year otherwise. Fourth appearance at TPC Boston. Personal-best T15 last year. Soaring. With a solo third at Sedgefield at T6 at Glen Oaks, he’s connected top 10s for the first time since early in 2013-14. Winner at TPC Boston in 2011; T9 in 2014. Putted great at Glen Oaks for a T6, his third top 15 in four starts. Top 15s in last two tries at TPC Boston despite no red numbers in last two rounds; 36-hole leader last year. Survived cut at Glen Oaks on the number and carded a field-low-tying 65 on Sunday for a T17. Six top 20s in last eight starts. Winner here in 2010; solo third in 2015. Too much firepower to ignore despite last week’s T49 and a 1-for-2 slate at TPC Boston (T57, 2016). Leads TOUR in average distance of putts made; second in par-5 scoring. Missed cut at the PGA Championship is suddenly the outlier after a T3 at Glen Oaks. Won a month ago in Canada and answered that with a T17 at Firestone. Authored the second-best Playoffs debut at THE NORTHERN TRUST with a T10. Led the field in greens hit and ranked third in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Performed well on cue on unfamiliar greens at Glen Oaks, placing T10. Just one top 50 at TPC Boston (T16, 2013) in the Playoffs, but sat T7 after 54 holes last year. POWER RANKINGS: Dell Technologies Championship RANK PLAYER COMMENT Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner, Kevin Kisner and Phil Mickelson will be included in notables in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. The learning curve at TPC Boston never ends. The par 71 in Norton, Massachusetts, undergoes some form of significant updating almost every year. For returnees in the field of 96 at the Dell Technologies Championship, holes 12 and 13 will require new notes. The 12th features a new tee, a redone fairway with a trio of new bunkers and a brand new green that’s much further away on approach than the previous target. With an aggregate increase of 49 yards, the hole can now measure 510 yards, making it the longest par 4 on the property. No. 13 also is a par 4. It’s been shaved four yards (to 447) but it also has a new green complex with five bunkers. TPC Boston now tips at 7,342 yards, its longest since the redesign prior to the advent of the Playoffs in 2007. Despite modifications over time, TPC Boston typically averages within a stroke under par. Last year’s field checked in at 70.243. The challenge isn’t so much getting the ball in the hole, but how quickly. Each of the last three winners scored 15-under 269 and finished among the leaders in multiple putting metrics. Tuesday’s Confidence Factor will dive into more of those details. The second tournament of the FedExCup Playoffs is scheduled to begin in its customary position on Friday. The first two rounds are expected to be contested in spectacular weather conditions with sunshine and high temperatures in the mid-70s. Moderate winds may freshen come Sunday and for the scheduled Monday finish on Labor Day. A slight increase in the chance for rain will accompany it, as will a bump in daytime heating. Henrik Stenson (22nd in FedExCup points; right knee), Brandt Snedeker (68th; sternum joint), J.B. Holmes (88th; undisclosed) and Scott Piercy (94th; shoulder) have elected not to compete. The top 70 in the FedExCup standings will advance to the BMW Championship on Sept. 14-17. The Dell Technologies Championship is the last tournament of the season with a 36-hole cut. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.
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