The Limerick Summary: 2017 TOUR Championship

Winner: Xander Schauffele

Around the wider world of golf: Bernhard Langer won the Pure Insurance Championship on the Champions Tour, while he and First Tee partner Justin Potwora also won the pro-junior division; Nicholas Lindheim won the DAP Championship (and his Tour card) on the Web.com Tour; Juan Álvarez won the Dev Series’ Bolivia Open Mitsuba on the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica; Lindsey Weaver won the Guardian Championship on the Symetra Tour; Daisuke Kataoka won the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup on the Japan Golf Tour; and Lucas Bjerregaard won the Portugal Masters on the ET.



Well, it looks like I'm going to have to learn to spell Xander Schauffele's last name now. Because he certainly looks like someone who'll be winning a few Limerick Summaries in the future.

Of course, I had already awarded one to Xander, back in July when he won the Greenbrier Classic. But Xander was a rookie -- granted, a very impressive one -- and I didn't expect to see him up on top again this year.

Boy, did he prove me wrong! All he did was win the biggest non-major event of the season this week. And he did it against the guys who had proven to be the most consistent and dominant of the season -- most of whom, btw, didn't really show up this week. Only Justin Thomas, who I think has safely pocketed the Player of the Year Award, held up down the stretch.

And it still wasn't enough. Xander says he was shaking so badly over that final putt that he was almost surprised that it went in. But the ball don't lie -- it corkscrewed its way down into the cup and gave him the title of Tour Champion.

Alright, so Justin Thomas snagged the FedExCup. Xander has just become a two-time Tour winner -- one of those wins being a very prestigious one -- and the first rookie to place third or better in the FedExCup. Not a bad day's work if you can get it.

Xander did get it... and another nice shiny Limerick Summary as well. Yeah, I'm gonna have to go practice that last name some more...

Off the tee, Xander gives it a whack
And with putter in hand, he attacks!
JT still took the Cup…
But once Xander moved up
At the top, he refused to look back.

The photo came from this page at golfweek.com.

The New 2017-2018 PGA Tour Schedule Is Out

Golf Digest just published a summary article about next season's schedule. I'll leave it to you to read it -- if you're interested in it -- but I'll mention a few things that caught my eye.



There are two new events on the schedule, bringing the total to 49. Both events are outside the US -- one in South Korea, one in the Dominican Republic. And there's a roughly six-week break for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

Tiger's event in Washington, now just called "The National", is without a venue or sponsor. Monahan said they needed to put it on the schedule because everything is still in negotiation. Likewise, the Barbasol Championship is a sponsor looking for a venue and the Houston Open is a venue looking for a sponsor.

And finally, the one-week break in the FedExCup Playoffs moves to the week between the BMW and the Tour Championship -- which makes sense if you look at almost any other sport's playoffs. (The two-week break before the Super Bowl is almost legendary at this point.)

All-in-all, it sounds like business as usual to me. Until they start shuffling big events in 2019, we're unlikely to see anything really new and interesting.

My "5 to Watch" at the Tour Championship

Welcome to the culmination of the 2017 FedExCup race, aka the Tour Championship.



You know the score -- East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta GA, 30 players, Top5 automatically win the Cup with a tournament win, $1.89mil to the tournament winner, $10mil bonus to the FedExCup winner.

Okay. Without further ado, here are my "5 to Watch" this week:

• Jordan Spieth is a no-brainer here. He's won the Tour Championship and the Cup before (2015), and he's #1 in FedExCup points going into the week. He's also gone runner-up, runner-up, T7 in the first three Playoff events. Hard to bet against a man like that.
• Likewise, Justin Thomas is almost a no-brainer. He's been a bit inconsistent lately, but he's #2 in the points list and he won the Dell Technologies Championship, the second Playoff event. Not as big a favorite as Jordan, but you can't sleep on him because he's too good when he's on.
• Rickie Fowler... he's #6 on the list and yet I'm not quite sure what to make of him. He's too good not to make this list, and too unpredictable for me to make him my pick this week. But I wouldn't fault anybody who did pick him to win. If he can find one good week of properly controlled aggression, I think he gets it done.
• Justin Rose hasn't played the way I think a solid #8 should. Until last week, I wasn't sure he would make this list at all. But I saw signs at the BMW that he has rediscovered the form he lost after the Masters. If I'm right about that, he could easily shock the field with a win this week... and yet it wouldn't really be a shock at all.
• And my flier is... Marc Leishman. I know what you're thinking -- how does the #4 guy rate being a flier? He caught fire at the Dell, where he came in second, then won the BMW last week. Yet I feel he's a bit of a dark horse who turned a corner in his career at the Dell. It's been difficult for players to turn in a winning performance the week after a win. (Witness Justin Thomas's T47 at the BMW.) But if his putting continues, he could spoil a whole lot of parties this week.

And my pick is... Leishman. Despite the number of things I see that seem to be against him, I can't shake the feeling that he's on the verge of doing something big. And while that "something" might be a record performance at the Presidents Cup, I see no reason that he couldn't use the Tour Championship as a warm-up for that Cup as well.

The Tour Championship coverage begins Thursday at 1pm ET on GC. And given the way this season has played out, I think we could see something really special this time.

The Latest Caddie Change

For those of you who missed Jason Day's explanation of his "split" from caddie Colin Swatton, here's a Golf Digest article that gives the details.



I put the word split in parentheses because while everybody is using the word, it doesn't sound like the right word to me. Their business relationship hasn't ended, not the way Phil and Bones ended theirs, or Rory and J.P. did, or even Lydia Ko and Gary Matthews (after a mere nine events). Cole is still Jason's coach, which he was before. He just isn't looping for him right now.

And Jason told GC that it might end up being temporary, but that he felt he needed the change to keep from possibly ruining their friendship. Remember, Cole has basically been Jason's dad since J-Day was 12. Jason also said it was ironic that, having made this choice, he was actually getting to spend more non-business time with him.

In other words, Jason has -- at least for the time being -- returned his relationship with Cole back to what it was when Jason was a teenager more in need of guidance than a caddie. And given all the upheaval in his life this year, including the stress of his mother's battle with cancer (again, remember that at one point he thought he was going to lose her), it sounds to me as if Jason has simply decided he needs his "dad" more than his caddie at this point in his life.

All-in-all, that sounds pretty smart to me. And I won't be surprised if Cole is back on his bag sometime next year, after Jason's back in a good place emotionally. We'll see. For now, let's see if Jason can make it to East Lake next week.

Even the Pros Have Bad Holes

I'm not doing this to be cruel, but I want to thank Kelly Kraft for reminding us all that (1) the pros are human and (2) everybody has a bad hole now and then. A really bad hole.



In case you didn't hear, Kelly carded a 12 on the par-5 second hole at the Dell. That's a septuple bogey which, according to GC's summary, included three penalty strokes, two balls hit into a water hazard and a three-putt from 5 1/2 feet.

Golf.com also posted a play-by-play of the unfortunate score, which is the easiest way to follow what happened.

Kelly withdrew after 14 holes with a foot injury, which will likely end his FedExCup run this season. Given all the places he had to play from on that one hole, I'm not surprised at any injuries he might have gotten.

As I said, I'm not posting this to be cruel. Kelly will likely use the time to rehab and work on his game so he's ready for next season. (Hey, he made the Playoffs so he's got his card. It's not the end of the world!) We just need to remember that even pros have bad days on the course, and they survive them, so we shouldn't let a bad hole or two get to us either.

And Now for Playoff Battle #2

The Dell Technologies Championship -- previously the Deutsche Bank Championship -- is the second FedExCup Playoff event, being held at TPC Boston in Norton MA.



While 100 players were slated to tee it up, only 96 (at this point) will actually do so. Missing will be:

• Henrik Stenson (right knee)
• Brandt Snedeker (sternum joint)
• J.B. Holmes (no reason given)
• Scott Piercy (shoulder)

Stenson is currently 22nd on the points list so he should make it to the next round without difficulty. The other players are likely done as only Sneds is ranked better than 70th, but at 68 he's probably done as well. (Given how many events he's missed over the last couple of months, it's probably better for his health anyway.)

Also, bear in mind that this is the last event with a 36-hole cut. And players who make it into the 70-player field at the BMW Championship will have a one-week break to get ready.

It's hard to believe that anybody but Dustin Johnson will be the favorite this week, after his performance at Glen Oaks. Spieth, Thomas, Rahm and Matsuyama would be the next tier, based on their play over the last few months. Still, if DJ has truly healed up from his back injury -- and last week's performance would tend to indicate that he has -- he's going to be a tough one to beat.

I suppose the biggest thing you need to remember this week is that the Dell has a Labor Day finish (Monday), so the event doesn't start until Friday at 2:30pm ET on GC. And with CBS coverage done for the season, the 3rd and 4th rounds (Sunday and Monday) will be on NBC.

The Limerick Summary: 2017 Northern Trust

Winner: Dustin Johnson

Around the wider world of golf: Sung Hyun Park won the Canadian Pacific Women's Open on the LPGA; Julian Suri won his first ET title at the Made in Denmark event; Jerry Kelly got his first Champions Tour win at the Boeing Classic; Brice Garnett won the WinCo Foods Portland Open on the Web.com Tour, and the first 25 PGA Tour cards were awarded; and Yuta Ikeda won the RIZAP KBC Augusta on the Japan Golf Tour.



Well, we wanted to see the big boys dueling in the FedExCup Playoffs. Looks like we got it.

Dustin Johnson's game has been off since he injured his back at the Masters. It appears it has finally healed... and his game came roaring back this week. Trailing Jordan Spieth by three shots entering the final round -- and surrounded by GC's "Spieth Stats" showing that Jordan was 6-for-7 when leading at the halfway point -- DJ calmly told reporters that sure, he'd rather have a three-stroke lead than have to chase, but that chasing wasn't that bad a place to be.

He demonstrated how that can work Sunday.

Jordan started with a three-stroke lead, which he promptly built to five, then lost with a double-bogey and a bogey on the front nine. DJ made a single birdie on the 9th to cut the lead to one, and another birdie on 10 to draw even. The rest of the round was less predictable than the Mayweather-McGregor fight, but certainly offered as much punching and counterpunching. (For those of you who care about my opinion, I expected McGregor to lose -- it's harder to excel at a single discipline because you can't hide any weaknesses -- but I think McGregor fought well enough to gain some cred as a boxer. Mayweather is an artisan when it comes to boxing, and surviving ten rounds that ended with a TKO instead of an actual knockout against him is impressive to me.)

In the end, DJ and Jordan went one extra hole... and the drive that DJ hit, which he managed to place in the correct side of the fairway so he could see the flag, was definitely a knockout.

In a postseason that looked as if it might be all Jordan, what with Rory hurt and Jason Day's game still a bit off, it now looks as if a battle is brewing between Jordan, DJ and quite possibly Hideki and Justin Thomas, given how good their seasons have been. But DJ has drawn first blood in this matchup...

And he's also drawn the first playoff Limerick Summary. These playoffs should be fun!

Dustin Johnson is back on his game
After months when things just weren’t the same.
He and Spieth dropped the field
And when neither would yield,
Jordan taunted, “Come on!” So he came.

The photo came from the tournament page at PGATOUR.com.

Time for the Final Four... FedExCup Events, That Is

It's finally time for the Playoffs to begin. This week, the top 120 head to Old Westbury NY for the first event, the Northern Trust.



Glen Oaks Club is a new venue this year. It's a unique setting, as the Club features three nine-hole courses -- the Blue, Red and White -- and the Tour has created a composite course from all three nines -- holes 1-3 and 6-9 from the White course, holes 4 and 5 from the Red and the entire Blue course, giving the field a 7350-yard, par 70 layout.

Patrick Reed is the defending champion but, since last year this was the Barclays and it was played at Bethpage Black, that really doesn't give him -- or anyone else in the field -- an advantage.

PGATOUR.com has a couple of pages that might interest you as you get ready for the event. This page is the power rankings list they will post before each of the events (for you fantasy golfers) and this page is a summary of the storylines for the event.

GC's coverage begins tomorrow at 2pm ET; GC splits coverage with CBS this weekend. And while I'm not doing a "5 to Watch" post for this event, I'm going out on a limb and picking Brian Harman as a favorite -- not just for this week, but as the overall winner. PGATOUR.com's power rankings put him at #16 and he's #10 in FedExCup points, and I like the way he plays longer courses.

Let the games begin!

The Second Leg of the North Carolina Swing

It feels weird to write that, because we don't usually have a North Carolina swing! But after playing Quail Hollow last week, the Tour moves to Sedgefield CC in Greensboro, about 90 minutes up the road (and maybe 30 minutes east of my home).



This is the last chance for players to make the FedExCup Playoffs, so many of the big names -- who have already done so -- aren't playing this week. Kevin Kisner is the highest ranked player in the field (9th in the Cup standings) and is playing because he likes the course and hopes to improve his position. His wife Brittany expects their 2nd child during the 3rd Playoff event, and no doubt Kevin would like the option to skip that event if necessary.

According to PGATOUR.com, the point total needed to reach the Playoffs this season is lower than usual, estimated to be between 352 and 363. That's nearly 100 points lower than usual, due to a reweighting of the points as well as four multiple winners this season. That should open up the possibilities for -- depending on how accurate the points projection is -- as many as six players to jump into the Top125.

GC coverage starts this afternoon at 2pm ET. Only 14 points separate #125 and #132 on the points list... and Sam Saunders is #127. I suspect a number of fans will be following him closely.

The PGA Tour Makes It Harder for Injured Players

Obviously there's no Limerick Summary today because, at the time I'm doing this post, the Zurich Classic isn't finished. So I thought I'd comment on a recent turn of events that bothers me.

I'm talking about Brian Gay and Ian Poulter finally getting their Tour cards back. Don't get me wrong -- I'm very happy that they got them back. What bothers me is the Tour error that almost kept them off the Tour. It's time for a rant!



I'm linking you to a golf.com article that explains the whole thing in more detail, but the short version is that the Tour has changed the way they figure the points for the FedExCup. That's what the Tour is using to figure out when an injured player has played well enough to regain his card.

Again, short version: The Tour has made it harder to get those points since the two men were injured, so it's harder for players coming back from injury to regain their cards. If Brian Gay had not realized what had happened -- and that it shouldn't have applied to him and Poulter -- both men would have lost their cards DESPITE having done enough to get them back.

Brian Gay figured out that something was wrong, went to the Tour and, fortunately, common sense prevailed at Tour HQ and they awarded both men their cards. And I realize most folks would be happy and let it go at that.

But I'm bothered by the Tour's decision to make it harder for a player to come back from a major medical leave. Shouldn't a player trying to return from an injury be granted a slightly easier road back, allowing him to properly return to form?

After all, players keep saying that no matter how much you practice, you need time playing under competitive pressure to genuinely return to form. Logically, players will not finish as well during that "return to form" period.

Yet the Tour has reduced the points that are available for those lower finishes! That puts recovering players in the situation Gay and Poulter found themselves in, and that simply doesn't seem fair to me. If you really want to help players return to the Tour, why would you set the standards so high?

Presumably the Tour has changed the points structure to represent an improved level of play at the top levels of the Tour. I question how making it easier for the top players to gain points while the rank-and-file have to struggle even harder to keep their cards improves the makeup of the Tour. (But since when has the Tour made decisions that are easy to understand?) However, this seems draconian to me.

At the very least, it seems that the Tour should use a different point structure for players returning from a major medical leave -- one that allows them to ease back into the competitive environment of the Tour, rather than expecting them to return in the same form they had before they were injured. As it stands -- using the sample point totals from the golf.com article:

Gay began digging into his FedEx Cup totals for his 2016-17 finishes and only then noticed a lightly publicized change to this season’s points breakdown. The Tour has restructured the distribution, giving fewer points to finishes below 14th. For instance, a 20th-place finish last season was worth 51 points, but this season it brings only 45; 30th place has been devalued from 41 points to 28.

Note that Gay was 28 points short of his requirement, which was 464 (125th in ’14-15). But look at how the changes affect him:

• Two 30th-place finishes -- just outside the Top25, and a reasonable expectation for a player returning from an injury but playing well -- now bring only 56 points rather than the original 82. That's 26 points right there!
• With five Top20 finishes, he would only receive 225 points instead of the 255 awarded before the change -- 30 points less.

For comparison, Ryan Moore is currently 30th in FedExCup points with 538 points in 12 starts (one MC) this season. Moore has only one T3, one T9 and one T15... but he has 7 Top25 finishes. Most of his finishes are between 15 and 35 (plus a T39 at the Match Play and a T61 at the Phoenix Open).

Drop down to Branden Grace, also with 12 starts (one MC, one WD) this season. He's 64th with 359 points. He has a T10, T11 and T13... and only 4 Top25 finishes. Most of his finishes are between 20 and 35 (plus a T39 at the Match Play, same as Moore).

Neither of these players were on major medical.

Compare them with Brian Gay, currently at 83rd after 11 events (three MC). He has only 280 points for this season. He has two T6s and a T13 (that's three Top25s)... and nothing else higher than a T28. Yet this is better than he did last year when he first came back from the major medical, when he missed 9 cuts. He only had one Top10 last year, a 6th place finish.

You're probably thinking that Gay played so bad, it's no wonder he didn't get his card. But that's the whole point -- under the old system, HE DID! There are a number of healthy players, in no danger of losing their cards, who don't have three Top10s in that time period. Players coming back from a major medical leave simply don't have the consistency of healthy players, yet they have to conform to a new point system that requires consistency to keep one's card.

The Tour needs to fix this. Situations like Gay and Poulter's simply should not happen. Major medical exemptions should help players work their way back into shape, not penalize them for being injured.

End of rant.

My "5 to Watch" at the Tour Championship

Well, it's finally here -- the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs. The Top30 players tee it up at the Tour Championship at East Lake.



Of course, the big news this time is that the nines have been reversed. Instead of finishing on the par-3 18th, which forces the players to squint into the sun, they'll finish on the par-5 9th, in hopes of creating a little extra drama at the finish.

And just who will create that extra drama? Let me remind you who the Top5 in the rankings are, the guys who "control their own destiny" and will win both the Tour Championship and the FedExCup if they win this week:

1. Dustin Johnson
2. Patrick Reed
3. Adam Scott
4. Jason Day
5. Paul Casey

Perhaps a little different line-up than we expected a couple months back, but all are definitely playing well.

And now that you've been reminded who the "controllers" are, here are my "5 to Watch" that I look to make things interesting:

• It's impossible to leave Dustin Johnson off of my list. It's not just that he's playing the best golf I can remember, but he has finished in fifth place here twice in the last three years. (Remember, he took that 6-month break at the end of 2014 and didn't play.) East Lake sets up well for him and he's playing better than ever -- hard to bet against him.
• Paul Casey hadn't been to the Tour Championship in a while until last year... and he made it count with a T5 of his own. Now he's coming off a great comeback year and two solo runner-up finishes in the last two Playoff events. Yeah, I like his chances.
• Ryan Moore got bitten by Crooked Stick at the BMW. In fact, it's been the BMW that kept him out of the Tour Championship for a number of years now. But he's played much better this season, including a win at the John Deere.. And with a week off to compose himself and a potential Ryder Cup pick on the line, I think he'll step up and finish this season off right.
• Matt Kuchar has the Olympic bronze medal and a T4 at Crooked Stick. Simply put, he's due.
• And as my flier, I'm taking Roberto Castro. I know, he's only #21 so his chances to win the whole things are long. Castro hasn't been to the Playoffs, let alone the Tour Championship, since 2013. But he was T9 that year. I think he'll be running on adrenaline this week, and that makes him a threat. He can still win the Tour Championship, you know.

I left off a number of players I would have normally considered, but I think the schedule this year has taken its toll. For example, Rory's won a Playoff event but been otherwise inconsistent. Jason's back concerns me. And Jordan may be the defending champ but he seems a bit off his game to me -- not that he's playing badly, but I'd feel better if he wasn't so erratic lately.

I'm not saying that they won't contend and even win. Any of the Top30 could put up the numbers this week. I'm just saying that I'm not confident enough to pick them this time around.

And don't forget about that Ryder Cup pick, just dangling out there, waiting to be claimed by somebody. If that counts for anything, watch out for Daniel Berger and Bubba Watson.

But me, I'm going with Paul Casey to finish just one spot better this week and take it all.

My "5 to Watch" at the BMW Championship

Round three of the FedExCup Playoffs follows rapidly in this short week with the BMW Championship. The event returns to Crooked Stick in Indiana, where John Daly first became a major winner -- and legend -- in 1991 and where Rory McIlroy won in 2012, the last time the BMW was held there.



Things are beginning to get tight now. We're down to 70 players this week, each fighting for one of the 30 spots at the Tour Championship. It's desperation time for many of them! And this is a track that can expose every fear a player has.

Crooked Stick is by far the longest of the Playoff tracks, with PGATOUR.com listing it at 7516 yards. However, the course was toughened up after McIlroy decimated it last time, with more length AND more hazards added. While the length automatically seems to favor the bombers, those new hazards could level the playing field for the shorter hitters. We'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I'm taking a mix of long and short hitters in my picks this week.

• I'd have to be an idiot not to include Rory McIlroy in my list, and it's not just because he won here in 2012. It's the apparent return of his putter that makes him a required pick this week. If he can just putt reasonably well, his driving should give him a real advantage this week.
• Likewise, Dustin Johnson is still playing well, even if he isn't dominating fields as he did in June. His wedge play is better than Rory's at this point so if he can just drive and putt with some success, he should be in contention Sunday afternoon.
• Ryan Moore continues to make his case for a Ryder Cup spot. Any course that requires strategy and accuracy should favor him right now, and unless the weather turns bad I don't expect the extra length of the course to hurt him. Hard and fast courses can play into a precision player's hand.
• Patrick Reed is still playing well after that win in the first Playoff event. Reports say he met up with his swing coach as soon as he got to Crooked Stick, so he might be able to score better this week. Any improvement that he sees -- or just thinks he sees -- in his game can only raise his confidence level.
• And as my flier, I'm taking Paul Casey. I've been waiting for Paul's play to pick up for months now, and last week may be what I've been looking for. Had the bad weather not come in on Sunday, Paul might have been able to close at Deutsche Bank. Given how upbeat he sounded after the tournament -- my gosh, he had an off-day and still came in solo 2nd after Rory made the biggest comeback of his career -- he may bring some extra confidence into this week.

To me, some of the top players just seem a bit off their games right now, so I can't pick guys like Jason Day or Jordan Spieth. Even though I think they'll play well at Crooked Stick, I just don't think they'll win this week.

But if I have to narrow it to one guy, I'm doing something I haven't done in months. I'm taking Rory McIlroy to pull off the TPC Boston-Crooked Stick double, just as he did in 2012. It's not just because of Rory's putting, though that certainly plays a part. Rather, I was pleased to see him finally playing freely last week -- shrugging off the poor start on Thursday and even laughing at some of his bad shots. A Rory McIlroy who simply doesn't care how he's playing (so long as he's playing) is a Rory McIlroy who can rip up a field like it was so much wrapping paper.

And that could mean the BMW will be his latest present to rip open.

My "5 to Watch" at Deutsche Bank

Last week Rickie Fowler came up short on the last day of The Barclays as Patrick Reed outlasted him down the stretch. Both men are in the field at Deutsche Bank this week. Can they possibly duke it out again?



TPC Boston is a world away from Bethpage Black when it comes to setup. Although the two courses are comparable in difficulty -- at least, as determined by slope rating (152) and par (71) -- the Black is around 250 yards longer with narrower fairways and higher rough. TPC Boston is an Arnold Palmer design that was redone by Gil Hanse and Brad Faxon, which basically means it's a player-friendly course with numerous ways to attack the greens.

So what does that mean for my "5 to Watch"? Is accuracy less important this week? Are the shorter players unlikely to get it done? The list of past winners does appear to favor the longer hitters, but not the longest of the long. That player-friendly design tends to level the playing field a bit.

A few players aren't even being considered this week. While I try not to underestimate him these days, Henrik Stenson's knee concerns me a bit; the 2013 champ and 2015 runner-up has come back a bit soon for my taste. Although Adam Scott has a few Top10s in the past, he hasn't played particularly well here the last three times. And that's even more true of DJ. So call me a fool if you like, but I just can't pick them.

At any rate, here are my picks:

• Rickie Fowler is the defending champion here and, while he stumbled down the stretch last Sunday, his game certainly appears to be back on track. With his short game firing on all cylinders, it's hard not to like him to repeat.
• Okay. Maybe Patrick Reed will have a bit of a letdown this week after that big win, breaking his string of "almosts" over the last couple of years. But I wouldn't bet on it. Patrick wants to prove something, and two in a row would certainly do it.
• Speaking of something to prove... Russell Knox. So two wins don't justify a Ryder Cup pick, eh? Darren Clarke may end up wishing he had a "Billy-Ho pick" left!
• Another player bucking for a Ryder Cup berth is Ryan Moore. He's playing really well, coming off a win and a T7 in two of his last three starts. You wanna catch Davis Love's attention? I'm pretty sure a Deutsche Bank win would do it.
• And my flier is... Emiliano Grillo. I know, he's one of the shortest drivers in the field and I haven't even mentioned Day or Spieth or McIlroy or any of the other players who have finished well here in the past, who have games that seem built for TPC Boston. (Gosh, Rory won it in 2012!) But Emiliano's only been out of the Top14 once in his last six starts -- and those include two majors, a WGC and the Olympics, with a T2 last week.

Which one am I taking as my eventual winner? I took Reed at the Olympics, but I was a couple weeks early. I took Fowler last week, so I'm gambling that I was a week early with him. I'll take Rickie Fowler for $200, Alex. (For my international readers who may not have seen some US game shows, that's a Jeopardy joke.)

But I'll be honest with you... I could have taken any of my "5 to Watch" and felt good about my choice. All five players are pretty hot right now, and I expect all of them to have a chance to win it this week. I'm picking Rickie primarily because he's the defending champ and his game appears to finally be back in form.

Don't forget that the Deutsche Bank event begins TOMORROW, on Friday, and ends on Monday because of the Labor Day weekend here in America.

My "5 to Watch" at The Barclays

The whirlwind continues! We rush from the Olympics to the FedExCup Playoffs, beginning this week with The Barclays. This year it's back at the Bethpage Black Course and, once again, it should offer the players all they can handle.



As has been the case for the last few events, it's hard to predict what might happen this week. The PGA Tour's highly compressed schedule over the last three or four months has wrecked the neatly organized playing patterns many of the Tour's best are used to following. Some players will likely benefit from the shake-up while others may be running on fumes with no relief in sight... and there's no way to be sure on which side any player might fall.

The length of Bethpage Black would seem to favor the long hitters, so I'm favoring them this week also. I won't be surprised if some of the shorter hitters force their way into the limelight -- I saw what Inbee Park did last week under all that pressure, despite being unable to hit the ball her normal distance -- but all things being equal, a tired long hitter is more likely to score well at the Black than a tired short hitter.

With that being said, here are my "5 to Watch" up in New York:

• Henrik Stenson remains at the top of my list. Despite the crushed schedule, since his W/D at the US Open Henrik has two wins -- the BMW International Open and THE OPEN -- plus that silver medal at the Olympics. He'll have had ten days off when he tees it up Thursday, and I think he's still got some gas in the tank.
• Gold medalist Justin Rose doesn't have that recent run to lean on, but he hasn't played as much golf as Henrik either. He should be much fresher than his silver medalist buddy, and on a serious high after getting that gold. Let's not forget that he's added some distance off the tee as well, which should really help his chances to get his first win of the season.
• Jason Day hasn't played for nearly a month, his last appearance being that runner-up at the PGA Championship. But he's won more than anybody else this year and I'm guessing the month off did him good. Will he have a little rust? Perhaps. But I don't expect it to last long.
• Dustin Johnson is probably in even better shape than Jason. He had arguably the best run up to the Olympics -- two wins (US Open and WGC-Bridgestone), T9 at THE OPEN, and T2 at the RBC Canadian Open before missing the cut at the PGA. Given that time off seems to have very little bad effect on DJ, you have to figure he's in the best position of the four mentioned so far.
• And my flier is Rickie Fowler. I can see the look of disbelief on your faces now, and I understand. Rickie has been, to put it mildly, pathetic this year. He has only two Top10s since missing the cut at the Masters, and even the Olympics couldn't raise his game. But he has the length to make some hay at the Black, and he can go low if he can get that putter of his working.

Look, there are any number of hungry players that I could have put in my list. Rory is almost back to form and Brooks Koepka has something to prove. Phil Mickelson is playing well, as are Tony Finau and Jhonattan Vegas. Justin Thomas and Daniel Berger would love to give US Captain Davis Love something to think about. And to be honest, I think the most sensible pick is probably DJ, as he has the most wins and best other finishes in the two months leading up to this event.

But I'm taking Rickie as my pick this week, and the reason is very simple: He HAS to play well. He's not in the Ryder Cup automatic picks and he's given Davis absolutely NO reason to pick him, what with Berger and Thomas waiting in the wings. Rickie's back is against the wall and he's got to turn things around NOW. So I'm gambling that desperation accomplishes what mere desire couldn't.

There's only one thing I'm sure of this week: The Black will put on the great show it always does when the Tour shows up. And that will make this a great tournament, no matter what.