This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
The fans came out in droves to the Wyndham Championship last week and for those who wanted to see a former great return to form -- they weren't disappointed ... as long as it didn't matter which former great they came to see. Tiger Woods was obviously the big draw last week at the Wyndham -- some would say he was the only draw for a tournament that's annually stuck in a tough spot between the PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Playoffs. Woods brought life to an event that prior to this year had little more than some drama about which player would crack the top 125 for the event that really mattered -- the first FedEx event.
This year was different, though, as Tiger Woods brought a following never seen at the Wyndham. For the first three days, it played out perfectly for everyone involved. Tiger played well and was in contention once again, a place he hadn't been in more than two years, and though Sunday's finale was a bit of a letdown to those who came out only to see Tiger, another story developed out of thin air and quickly became reason enough to watch the Wyndham. That development was Davis Love III, who at age 51 became the third oldest player to win on the PGA Tour.
Those who started following the game within the last five years may not be aware of how good Davis Love III was in his prime, but
The fans came out in droves to the Wyndham Championship last week and for those who wanted to see a former great return to form -- they weren't disappointed ... as long as it didn't matter which former great they came to see. Tiger Woods was obviously the big draw last week at the Wyndham -- some would say he was the only draw for a tournament that's annually stuck in a tough spot between the PGA Championship and the start of the FedEx Playoffs. Woods brought life to an event that prior to this year had little more than some drama about which player would crack the top 125 for the event that really mattered -- the first FedEx event.
This year was different, though, as Tiger Woods brought a following never seen at the Wyndham. For the first three days, it played out perfectly for everyone involved. Tiger played well and was in contention once again, a place he hadn't been in more than two years, and though Sunday's finale was a bit of a letdown to those who came out only to see Tiger, another story developed out of thin air and quickly became reason enough to watch the Wyndham. That development was Davis Love III, who at age 51 became the third oldest player to win on the PGA Tour.
Those who started following the game within the last five years may not be aware of how good Davis Love III was in his prime, but let me tell you, he was one of the five best players on the PGA Tour for more than a decade. No small feat when you consider he played alongside Tiger, Phil and Ernie in their primes. The 2015 will be remembered for what almost happened rather than what did happen, but those in attendance who wanted to witness a "moment" got what they paid for -- even if it wasn't exactly the "moment" they expected.
This week: The Barclays - Plainfield Country Club - Edison, N.J.
Last Year: Hunter Mahan shot a final-round 65 on his way to a two-stroke victory over Jason Day and Cameron Tringale.
PLAYERS TO CONSIDER
Jason Day
There isn't much course history in play this week because this event has been held at Plainfield just once, in 2010. Day finished T5 that year, and it's safe to say the last time we saw him, he was playing pretty well. The only question about day over the next four weeks is his motivation after putting so much into the majors this season.
Jordan Spieth
Many golfers will be playing Plainfield for the first time this week, so Spieth will not be alone. That said, they could be playing on the moon and Spieth would be one of the favorites. There's no venue that's too much to handle for Spieth and course knowledge hasn't help his competition much this year anyway. As with Day, motivation is the only question surrounding Spieth.
Matt Kuchar
If course history is to come into play this week, it will likely be with the winner here in 2010 -- Matt Kuchar. Beyond his win in 2010, Kuchar has generally played well during the FedEx Playoffs and should be someone to watch not only this week, but the next four weeks as well.
Justin Rose
Not exactly the first name that comes to mind when thinking of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but if not for Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, Justin Rose would be the talk of golf this year. He's played extremely well this season, but has little to show for it in the way of championships. That will likely change the next four weeks.
Jonas Blixt
It is late in the year and most of us have burnt the names above, so if you are looking for a sleeper this week, then Blixt might be your man as he comes in on a roll after playing his way into the top 125 last week. If not for one errant shot at the Wyndham last week, Love III may have had been forced into a playoff.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Davis Love III
Great, great win for Love III last week, but the difference in the quality of the field this week is enormous. Love III will come in on a roll and has been here before, but let's be realistic, he's the third-oldest winner on the PGA Tour -- there's a reason it's so difficult to win as you get older.
Keegan Bradley
This isn't so much a pick against Bradley this week, but a question of his ability overall. What exactly has Bradley done since winning the 2011 PGA Championship to be included in the conversation of the games great young players? The answer is one win and the existence of a personality I guess, which a few years ago was a rarity, but isn't so much these days.
Jason Gore
Yes, I'm picking on the guys who played well last week and haven't shown much game this season. Gore likely will be a familiar name because of a great run he had about a decade ago, but he's really struggled with consistency the last decade, which leads me to believe he'll have trouble backing up his solid showing at the Wyndham.
Harris English
You might have noticed English's name on the leaderboard the last few weeks and while some might look at it as a positive, I'll take a different path and focus on his inability to close. Perhaps I'm letting the fact that he's a key player on my team get to me, but the fact remains, English has really underperformed off the high expectations we had for him entering the season.
Hunter Mahan
Mahan is the defending champion this week, which means absolutely nothing because last year's event was held on a different course. Mahan has not played up to his standards this season, and although there's still time to turn it around, there doesn't seem to be much pointing to a turnaround anytime soon.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Last week: Carl Pettersson (T6) - $174,825; Season - $5,408,347
This week: Charl Schwartzel - Schwartzel is one guy who played well last week who has the pedigree and the game to compete with the best players in the world. He's not my first choice, or even my 10th choice, but at this time of the year, my options are limited.
YAHOO PICKS
Points: 5,214
Rank: 6,466
This Week:
Group A: Henrik Stenson, Webb Simpson
Group B: Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson
Group C: Tony Finau, Jonas Blixt
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Brandt Snedeker (T43); Streak - 2
This week: Matt Kuchar - Unlike the "one and done" pool, this one is a little deeper thanks to the WGC events. Speaking of which, I used Kuchar in a WGC event earlier this year and I often like to double-up with my picks, but no cut meant no need to use Kuchar in this pool that week. Long story short, Kuchar is a great player to have in this format this late in the year.
