This article is part of our Golf Barometer series.
All four of 2017's majors are in the rearview, so the top-125 players in the FedExCup standings now turn their attention to the playoffs with quadruple the FedExCup points and millions of dollars on the line. Last week's "Riser" Henrik Stenson set the Wyndham Championship scoring record on the way to his first victory of the year, while "Fallers" Graeme McDowell and Jonas Blixt missed the cut. We'll now take a look at several trends heading into The Northern Trust, where Glen Oaks Club plays host to the first leg of the playoffs.
VALUE RISING
Webb Simpson
Simpson enters the FedExCup Playoffs riding a streak of nine consecutive made cuts, including a third-place finish at last week's Wyndham Championship after placing top-40 in back-to-back majors. He'll have a legit chance at making the TOUR Championship given his current standing of 25th in the FedExCup race, and he's also made improvements with his short game in recent weeks. Among the field at the upcoming Northern Trust, Simpson ranks seventh in SG: Around-the-Green and 18th in SG: Putting throughout his past 24 rounds.
Richy Werenski
One of a dozen rookies to qualify for the playoffs this season, Werenski has posted consecutive top-10s in his last two starts to go along with five straight made cuts. At 108th in the FedExCup standings, added pressure will be placed upon his shoulders as he'll need a solid finish to jump inside the top-100 and make it through to the second leg. He ranks 34th among
All four of 2017's majors are in the rearview, so the top-125 players in the FedExCup standings now turn their attention to the playoffs with quadruple the FedExCup points and millions of dollars on the line. Last week's "Riser" Henrik Stenson set the Wyndham Championship scoring record on the way to his first victory of the year, while "Fallers" Graeme McDowell and Jonas Blixt missed the cut. We'll now take a look at several trends heading into The Northern Trust, where Glen Oaks Club plays host to the first leg of the playoffs.
VALUE RISING
Webb Simpson
Simpson enters the FedExCup Playoffs riding a streak of nine consecutive made cuts, including a third-place finish at last week's Wyndham Championship after placing top-40 in back-to-back majors. He'll have a legit chance at making the TOUR Championship given his current standing of 25th in the FedExCup race, and he's also made improvements with his short game in recent weeks. Among the field at the upcoming Northern Trust, Simpson ranks seventh in SG: Around-the-Green and 18th in SG: Putting throughout his past 24 rounds.
Richy Werenski
One of a dozen rookies to qualify for the playoffs this season, Werenski has posted consecutive top-10s in his last two starts to go along with five straight made cuts. At 108th in the FedExCup standings, added pressure will be placed upon his shoulders as he'll need a solid finish to jump inside the top-100 and make it through to the second leg. He ranks 34th among the field at the Northern Trust in SG: Off-the-Tee and eighth in SG: Putting throughout his last 12 rounds.
Rory Sabbatini
A brutal 2015-16 campaign followed by a stretch of seven missed cuts from April through June in 2017 led the veteran 41-year-old away from fantasy relevance, but five top-25s in his last six starts have salvaged Sabbatini's season and maybe even career. At 122nd in the FedExCup standings he might be a longshot to make the Dell Technologies Championship, but at least he's regained confidence heading into the Northern Trust and upcoming season.
VALUE FALLING
Justin Rose
Daily fantasy gamers have seen Rose's price severely decline, notching three missed cuts and no finish better than a T54 on the PGA Tour since his runner-up performance at the Masters in April. Despite being ranked 32nd in the FedExCup standings, he's a whopping 111th out of 120 in SG: Total throughout his past 12 rounds among the Northern Trust field. That's not what we're used to seeing out of the No. 15 player in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Emiliano Grillo
Grillo's stellar rookie campaign last year included just over $3.3M in earnings to go along with a top-10 finish at the TOUR Championship, but this season he's all the way down at 88th in the FedExCup standings with four missed cuts in his last six events. His short game has been dreadful and will ultimately keep him from qualifying for the BMW Championship at this pace.
Nick Taylor
Taylor grew to be a popular commodity among the daily fantasy community when he posted three top-10s in seven starts from the Wells Fargo Championship to the Greenbrier Classic, but he's since taken a step back with a T50 and pair of missed cuts throughout his past three events. The Canadian ranks outside of the top-60 among the Northern Trust field in every Strokes Gained category throughout his last 12 rounds.
INJURY UPDATE
Rory McIlroy
McIlroy, who is slated to play through his lingering rib injury during the FedExCup Playoffs, made another announcement that he'll enjoy an extended offseason following the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in early October. McIlroy plans to take three and a half months away from competitive golf in order to make a full recovery after such a frustrating 2017 campaign. In the short term he'll be a risky fantasy play at less than 100 percent health.
