The regular PGA Tour season has now finished and we are left with the best 125 players on Tour this year fighting it out over four tournaments for the FedEx Cup title and the huge windfall that goes with it.
The first of those tournaments begins on Thursday and is The Barclays. 125 becomes 100 at the end of this week so the race for spots inside the top 100 will be on straight away here. As well as that though there are 2000 points for the winner and an almost guaranteed spot at East Lake where the season finishes.
The FedEx Cup playoffs always provide great drama. The regular season is largely irrelevant now as the next three events have four times as many points as those that have gone before. The final tournament in Atlanta has five times more than a normal event in order to add excitement to the season finale.
Initially though we have a strong opening tournament on a great golf course to get the action underway. Hunter Mahan won The Barclays last year but is a huge price to defend the title such is how poor he’s been this year.
There is the odd exception but with the world’s best players teeing it up this week we are set for a great tournament. Jordan Spieth leads the way at 11/2 as far as the betting is concerned while recent USPGA champion Jason Day is next at 11/1. Justin Rose is a 12/1 shot while Dustin Johnson, winner the last time the event was held here, is 14/1. It is 25/1 bar that quartet with Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson all on that mark.
As for the course, Plainfield Country Club is the venue this week for the first time since 2011. That year the area was hit with severe weather and the tournament was reduced to 54 holes. Given how long the course played in the soft conditions it was there for the big hitters to thrive and Dustin Johnson did just that but conditions are set to be much harder and firmer this week which should make for a much better spectacle.
In 2011 Plainfield played as a par 71 but they’ve shaved a shot off that for this year’s renewal and it now plays as a 34-36 par 70. It measures 7,091 so it isn’t all that long. As with most Donald Ross designs a feature of this course is the large undulating greens which need precision shots played into them else you’re in three putt territory. Clearly that is easier to achieve from the fairways so although the rough isn’t drastic here straight hitters might better bombers this week.
I’m going to put a premium on accuracy and good putting this week and that leads me to one man to start off with. That man is Matt Kuchar. Kuchar is a former winner of this tournament and was runner up the year he defended it which just so happened to be on this golf course. Had that event been the full four rounds he might even have landed the title again so we know this place sets up nice for him.
Kuchar started the season off really well but by his standards he tailed off in the middle of it but he’s back in good form now. He has been in the top 10 in two of his last three starts and he chased home Fowler in Scotland last month too so the swing is back for Kuchar. When he’s on he’s rarely off the fairway and given that he’s 5th in one putts on tour this year getting the ball in the hole isn’t an issue either. On current form I’ve got Kuchar as a real runner.
My second main bet caused me a bit of anxiety and I still feel I might regret not backing Jim Furyk but his poor record at closing tournaments out and his lack of knowledge of these greens put me off and so I’ve gone elsewhere.
Instead I’m taking Zach Johnson. We don’t need to worry about Zach’s form. We saw how well he’s playing when he won his second major last month and while there is a slight risk that he’s achieved a huge goal by winning that at the same time this course should suit him nicely.
Zach hasn’t putted brilliantly this year but he has found his putting stroke again and is putting much better now which is a positive and his short game is up there with anyone’s and we know he’ll find the fairways. As long as motivation isn’t an issue, and with the dollar on offer in the next five weeks it shouldn’t be, then Johnson should go very well here too.
Back M.Kuchar to win The Barclays for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with Paddy Power (1/4 1-6)
Back Z.Johnson to win The Barclays for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Stan James (1/4 1-6)
