This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
It's finally here, the Tour Championship, the final event of the 2014-15 PGA Tour season, and the place where the FedEx Cup winner will be crowned, East Lake Golf Club outside of Atlanta. There's a lot to get to this week, so here we go:
Remember
All 30 players have a mathematical shot to win the FedEx Cup. The top five players -- Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson -- control their own destiny. If one wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedEx Cup. Any ties (Tour Championship or FedEx Cup) are broken by a sudden death playoff. Thus, it is possible to have two separate playoffs on Sunday, one for the tournament and the other for the Cup.
History Lesson
The defending champion is Billy Horschel. He's not here. Jim Furyk tied for second. He withdrew with an injury. Rory McIlroy also tied for second last year. He is here, 10th in the FedEx Cup standings. Stenson won in 2013, with Jordan Spieth tying for second, and in 2012 Brandt Snedeker won (he is here this week), with Justin Rose (also here) finishing second.
McIlroy's game has been inconsistent at best since his return from the ankle injury. Consider this: in his fourth-place finish last week at the BMW Championship, he was third in the field in strokes gained-tee to green but an un-Rory like 48th in strokes gained-putting. His short game has been the problem since his return, which is a bit
It's finally here, the Tour Championship, the final event of the 2014-15 PGA Tour season, and the place where the FedEx Cup winner will be crowned, East Lake Golf Club outside of Atlanta. There's a lot to get to this week, so here we go:
Remember
All 30 players have a mathematical shot to win the FedEx Cup. The top five players -- Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson -- control their own destiny. If one wins the Tour Championship, he wins the FedEx Cup. Any ties (Tour Championship or FedEx Cup) are broken by a sudden death playoff. Thus, it is possible to have two separate playoffs on Sunday, one for the tournament and the other for the Cup.
History Lesson
The defending champion is Billy Horschel. He's not here. Jim Furyk tied for second. He withdrew with an injury. Rory McIlroy also tied for second last year. He is here, 10th in the FedEx Cup standings. Stenson won in 2013, with Jordan Spieth tying for second, and in 2012 Brandt Snedeker won (he is here this week), with Justin Rose (also here) finishing second.
McIlroy's game has been inconsistent at best since his return from the ankle injury. Consider this: in his fourth-place finish last week at the BMW Championship, he was third in the field in strokes gained-tee to green but an un-Rory like 48th in strokes gained-putting. His short game has been the problem since his return, which is a bit surprising considering usually putting and chipping are the first things you can do after an injury.
Everybody Else
It's no secret, Jason Day is really good at golf. The new No. 1 rolled the field last week at the BMW Championship, winning by 828,304 shots, including that dazzling 61 in the opening round. He gained just under 16 strokes on the field last week, with 12 of those being from tee to green, aided by his 312.7 yard average drive distance, not surprisingly first in the field. Needless to say he's a pick this week.
Spieth has been inconsistent in the playoffs, with last week a perfect example. Ace and all, he ended the week ranked 14th in strokes gained-tee to green, 36th in strokes gained-putting and T13 overall. For the season: fourth, 17th and fourth, respectively.
Who else do we like this week? Rickie Fowler obviously has newfound confidence, Brooks Koepka could be playing for a Presidents Cup spot with Furyk's wrist questionable at best, and Daniel Berger showed strong form last week.
But you want a real flier? Harris English. He missed by one shot the last two seasons and got in right on the number at 30th this season for his first Tour Championship. With nothing to lose and a game that has him ranked 15th in strokes gained-putting this season, watch out.
