This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
Welcome to the playoffs. The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin this week with The Barclays from Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J. Here's our stats preview.
History Lesson
This event has entered a rotation in recent years, which makes the history lesson difficult. The last time it was played at this course was 2011 when Dustin Johnson won a hurricane-shortened edition, shooting 63-65 over the final two rounds with 19-under winning over 54 holes. As for picking him this week, that's anybody's guess. He's had major disappointment all year -- including the opening eight on Sunday at the first hole at the PGA two weeks ago -- yet one wonders if the tension of a major championship being gone might loosen him up and finally allow him to play 72 holes of golf for the first time in many weeks. He's first in driving distance and ninth in strokes gained-total.
Who is NOT Here
While much of the top 125 in FedEx Cup points will be here this week -- and almost every big name in golf except for Tiger Woods qualified -- a couple names are sitting it out. Rory McIlroy wanted to make sure his ankle was OK after the PGA Championship and will return next week, and Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari and Retief Goosen have all taken the week off for various reasons.
So Who Shall We Pick
This section is usually who is playing, but because well, most everyone is playing, we're going to treat this section
Welcome to the playoffs. The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin this week with The Barclays from Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J. Here's our stats preview.
History Lesson
This event has entered a rotation in recent years, which makes the history lesson difficult. The last time it was played at this course was 2011 when Dustin Johnson won a hurricane-shortened edition, shooting 63-65 over the final two rounds with 19-under winning over 54 holes. As for picking him this week, that's anybody's guess. He's had major disappointment all year -- including the opening eight on Sunday at the first hole at the PGA two weeks ago -- yet one wonders if the tension of a major championship being gone might loosen him up and finally allow him to play 72 holes of golf for the first time in many weeks. He's first in driving distance and ninth in strokes gained-total.
Who is NOT Here
While much of the top 125 in FedEx Cup points will be here this week -- and almost every big name in golf except for Tiger Woods qualified -- a couple names are sitting it out. Rory McIlroy wanted to make sure his ankle was OK after the PGA Championship and will return next week, and Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari and Retief Goosen have all taken the week off for various reasons.
So Who Shall We Pick
This section is usually who is playing, but because well, most everyone is playing, we're going to treat this section like a major over the next five events. Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson and are easy picks. So let's go beyond that.
Davis Love III shot a 64 last Sunday to win the Wyndham Championship, shocking everyone and becoming the third oldest champion in PGA Tour history. Love, who missed most of the season due to a major foot problem, doesn't have flashy season stats but consider these from last week: he averaged nearly 298 yards off the tee, (at 51 years-old!) was T18 in greens in regulation and third in strokes gained-putting (the club he said had been giving him fits), gaining 9.130 strokes on the field. Impressive stuff.
Jason Gore finished second, and we like him this week for the pure reason that he has absolutely, positively, nothing to lose. Struggling to keep his card, he now has that locked up and is completely free to worry about going for the $10 million grand prize. In finishing second last week he was T3 in birdies, T9 in greens in regulation and first in strokes gained-putting, picking up 10.682 shots on the greens.
Brooks Koepka is another name to watch this week. Twelfth in FedEx Cup points, he finished T6 last week, shooting a Sunday 65 and wrapping up the event ranking first in driving distance at 316.9 yards, first in greens in regulation and fourth in strokes gained-tee to green.
And finally don't forget Paul Casey, who has been knocking on the door all year, losing in two playoffs, at Riviera and Hartford. He finished T3 at Greensboro, ranking T7 in birdies and seventh in strokes gained–tee to green, gaining 6.457 shots for the week in that department.
