This week starts the competition for the FedEx Cup, the playoffs for the PGA golf tour.
The FedEx Cup is a series of four final golf tournaments of the year. All season long, players accumulate points and the top 125 players are eligible to compete in the FedEx cup. After each tournament, a new round of players with the lowest points is cut. The 1st tournament starts with a field of 125 players, the 2nd tournament begins with 100 players, the 3rd tournament starts with 70 players, and finally, the PGA TOUR Championship begins with 30 players. Each tournament has $8 million price purse, and there is also $35 million in bonuses available, for a total of $67 million on the line over the FedEx Cup competition.
The first tournament is the Northern Trust Open, which is being held at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. The golf course is not particularly long, so the long hitters do not have a significant advantage like they do at some other courses. The course has a lot of trees lining the fairways, so those who keep the ball in the fairway will have a much easier time around the course. The greens here can be challenging, and they are expected to be running fairly fast, so good putting will be key. The weather forecast calls for sunny and clear with limited wind, making scoring a little easier.
The field is packed with big names as you might suspect. The odds-makers favorite is Dustin Johnson, the world #1, at 9-1 odds. Close behind is Justin Thomas and Jason Day at 12-1 odds. Other big names expected to play well include Brooks Koepka (won the last major a couple of weeks ago), Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Jon Rahm. Tiger Woods is in the field and has been playing well of late – this is a great opportunity for him to make a run at his 3rd FedEx Cup championship.
I am adding to the fun playing a FanDuel Fantasy Competition. I have not done well lately, so this is my chance at redemption. Of course, I am playing for fun and do not recommend playing unless you are OK losing it, which is likely to happen given the big house take of 10%. Here are my picks:
Enjoy the tournament!
Brian