Five players know that if they win the Tour Championship this week they will also win the FedEx Cup and $10 million bonus. Every player in the elite field has a mathematical chance of winning the huge prize but realistically the FedEx Cup winner will probably come from the top 10 in the latest standings and that would rule out Rory McIlroy who is currently 11th.
Only the top 30 players in the standings qualify for the Tour Championship. With such a small field there is a one-tee format so starting times are not significant as everybody will be playing under the same conditions. Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Henrik Stenson know winning this week will make them uncatchable at the top of the FedEx Cup table. Others can come off the pace but it would take bizarre results for a player to win this year from outside this group.
Course Features
Accuracy more than distance is needed on the traditional course at East Lake in Atlanta. Finding fairways is important so that second shots can be controlled to land below the hole as most of the challenging greens have a slope from back to front. The course features two par 5s at 9 and 15, the easiest hole on the course. The par 3s are the 2nd, 6th, 11th and 18th.The last hole is one of just two par 3 finishes on tour and only 10 birdies were scored last year when it was played 116 times. The course will provide a fair test which is appropriate when there is $11.5 million at stake.
Selections – Total Salary: $49,200
Henrik Stenson ($10,500) is trying to become just the second player to win the FedEx Cup more than once. Tiger Woods is the only multiple winner so far but the concept was only introduced in 2007. Stenson won the huge bonus prize two years ago and also the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. He has played some good golf this summer but Jason Day kept turning up and beating him. The Swede is at the top of the standings for greens hit and total driving and is a top 15 player for strokes gained putting. This profile means he is well suited to East Lake and Stenson can figure in the season finale again.
Bubba Watson ($8,700) has won more majors than Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose combined. The two-times Masters champion seems to contend in every tournament he plays and he made the top 30 and qualified for this week with something to spare. Despite being known for his long-hitting Watson is a top 15 player for finding the greens in the correct number of shots. His focus is now mainly the majors but he would like the thought of receiving a check for $10milion dollars and the FedEx Cup. His form is solid but he can translate that in to a winning chance and he won’t be scared by the prospect of winning the money.
Jim Furyk ($7,900) seemed to have lost the habit of winning but picked up a PGA Tour title earlier this season. He wasted some winning chances in big tournaments and the last two Ryder Cups as mental fragility set in but he has now got his career back on track. Like Stenson he is chasing his second FedEx Cup but would have to win the Tour Championship for any hope of completing the double. In the eight year history of the series each winner has won at least one playoff event and in four years two wins were needed to clinch the Cup. Furyk may struggle to win at this level but his game is suited to the host course so he can contend.
Paul Casey ($7,500) reached a career high of number three in the world rankings in 2007. Injury and loss of form saw him to drop out of the top 100 but he is now safely established in the top 50 again which means he automatically qualifies for the four majors and WGC events. He has been threatening to win on the PGA Tour this season but his overall consistency has helped him make the field for the Tour Championship. Casey is in the top 10 for greens hit and total driving which combines accuracy and distance and that profile compensates for average putting. Casey is too far off the pace to win the FedEx Cup but he can contribute some points to your team’s total. .
Brooks Koepka ($7,300) is fast emerging as a potential tournament winner on the PGA Tour. He spent several years in Europe playing on different types of course so his game is less one dimensional than some of his US based colleagues. He is in the top 20 for greens in regulation and strokes gained putting and just inside the top 50 for combined driving. Only Koepka, Stenson and Jordan Spieth are top 50 players for the three key skills for good scoring this week. Other players are preferred as potential champions but Koepka can figure at the business end of this tournament and he is a winner waiting to happen.
Robert Streb ($7,300) is another player making an impact though he is slightly older than some of the new generation following the lead of Spieth. Streb won an event in last season’s Fall series and has recorded nine top 10s in his last 29 events. He has missed just five cuts over that spell and is currently 14th in the FedEx Cup standings. Streb is in the top 30 for greens hit and strokes putting but driving is not one of his main attributes. The quality of his game can make him a contender this week though winning the FedEx Cup will be difficult but he can add to your point’s tally.
