The Northern Trust Recap: Comeback Win for DeChambeau

With one week to go before Jim Furyk makes the bulk of his Ryder Cup captain's picks, Bryson DeChambeau put in a formal request to be selected. He did it in the form of a runaway win at The Northern Trust on Sunday, defeating fellow U.S. team applicant Tony Finau by four strokes.

This was a startling turnaround for DeChambeau, whose game had largely come unglued the past couple of months. He withdrew from the John Deere in early July with a shoulder injury, turned victory into defeat with an on-course meltdown in Hamburg and missed the cut at the PGA Championship. All the while, he had kicked away one of the eight automatic Ryder Cup berths.

Furyk will make three of his four captain's picks next Monday after the conclusion of the Dell Technologies Championship, then his final selection six days later after the BMW Championship. With Tiger Woods and probably Phil Mickelson getting two of the spots, the 24-year-old DeChambeau was hardly showing he could handle the intense spotlight of the Ryder Cup, especially as a rookie captain's pick on European soil.

But with virtually all the top golfers in the world on hand at Ridgewood Country Club for the first of the four FedEx Cup playoff events, DeChambeau shot an 8-under 63 on Saturday to open up a four-shot bulge. He kept his composure throughout the final round (and really all week) in earning a third PGA Tour win before his 25th birthday.

DeChambeau tied for first in the field in greens in regulation and was solo fifth in strokes gained: putting, and he's now up to a very impressive No. 12 in the world. That's ahead of Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Paul Casey and Hideki Matsuyama, not to mention Mickelson and Woods.

If that doesn't get Furyk's attention, then he clearly was going in a different direction all along. Woods is seen as a lock despite a disappointing tie for 40th on the week, more so than Mickelson, who tied for 15th after holding the lead early on Thursday.

Finau made a spirited bid for perhaps the fourth and final berth, notching his third runner-up and ninth top-10 of the season. But how many of those seconds could have been firsts had the big-hitting Finau been able to putt, even just a lick? He was 58th in strokes gained: putting at Ridgewood, and that has to be a concern for Furyk, who might want to use the extra six days to consider Finau's candidacy.

All the other top candidates did little or nothing to enhance their resumes. Zack Johnson tied for 40th, Matt Kuchar tied for 60th, Kevin Kisner tied for 73rd, and Xander Schauffele missed the cut. Brandt Snedeker withdrew with a back injury, losing what little momentum he had gained by winning the previous week at the Wyndham.

All that adds up favorably for DeChambeau, golf's so-called Mad Scientist who went back to the lab and came up with a winning formula at just the right time.

MONDAY BACKSPIN

Tiger Woods
Let's just call it an off-week for Woods. And really, it was off only with the putter. The T40 finish dropped Woods from 20th in the points race to 26th, so finishing top-30 to secure a berth in the Tour Championship in a month is far from a done deal. Woods this week heads back to TPC Boston, where he won the trophy back in 2006 to go along with two runners-up and a third.

Billy Horschel
Horschel is no stranger to playoff success, and the 2014 FedEx Cup champion was at it again at Ridgewood. He tied for third to move from 41st to 14th in the point standings, pretty much ensuring a return to East Lake. Horschel had been playing well in weaker fields in the past month – runner-up at the Barbasol and T11 at the Wyndham – but now he elevated his game in an elite field. Can lightning strike twice? Stay tuned.

Cameron Smith
One of the bright young players in the game tied for fifth at the Match Play and at the Masters in the spring. Then Smith's game fell apart. The 25-year-old missed five straight cuts over the summer. But he snuck into the top-25 at the Bridgestone (T23) and how he has added a tie for third in the playoff opener. Like Horschel, Smith is now just about guaranteed of a spot at the Tour Championship, moving from 53rd to 16th in the point standings. Stay tuned here, as well.

Adam Scott
Well, we have to admit it – we didn't see this coming. And we're not even sure what "this" is. It could be another great week by Scott, with his tie for fifth landing a second straight top-five showing. Or it could be that he used his broomstick to finish first in strokes gained: putting, gaining almost eight and a half strokes on the field for the week. Needless to say, if Scott can putt half that well next week at the Dell, he'd be looking at another high finish and, incredibly, a clear path to East Lake. Further, he's back up to 38th in the world.

Daniel Berger
It's largely a lost season for Berger, thanks to a wrist injury. Or is it? The injury is in his rear-view mirror, as evidenced by a tie for 15th at Ridgewood. Berger also tied for 12th two weeks back at the PGA and, combined with his T6 at the U.S. Open, he's now in position to play at least three of the four playoff events. Berger sits 63rd, though it would take one or more very high finishes to climb into the top-30. Still, he could prove a good value in the coming two events. Berger tied for 12th in Boston three years ago.

Luke List
List tied for 48th, and the significance is he has dropped out of the top-30 for the first time in six months. The way he's been playing, it doesn't look good for him reversing course. Beginning with the U.S. Open, List has missed three of his past six cuts, with only one top-25 – a T24 at the Bridgestone that featured a Sunday fade. Clearly, List is not heading to the finish line with gusto.

Sam Saunders
Saunders tied for 60th in his final event of the season. He made the playoffs for the first time at No. 120 on the points list, and that's where he ends up. At some point, Saunders' career arc will start heading down, but, at 31, chances are it hasn't reached its apex yet.

Bronson Burgoon, Danny Lee, Scott Stallings, Brian Stuard, Jhonattan Vegas, Nick Watney
Six golfers moved inside the top-100 to continue their seasons next week. Of note here is that Watney not only jumped inside the top-100 after starting at No. 102, he made it all the way to No. 65 with a tie for 11th, his second-best showing all season. Watney has a good chance of staying inside the top-70, which would qualify him for the third playoff event, the BMW Championship at Aronimink in two weeks.

Alex Cejka, Brandon Harkins, Trey Mullinax. Patrick Rodgers, Rory Sabbatini, Charl Schwartzel
When six guys climb into the top-100, six fall out. Nothing especially earth-shattering here except maybe Schwartzel, who was runner-up at The Players in an otherwise down year that has seen him drop from the top-50 in the world. … Rodgers began the week at No. 93 but skipped the tournament for what can only be described as an ill-timed family wedding. Now Rodgers has time to join the bride and groom on their honeymoon.

Web.com Tour playoffs
Robert Streb defeated Peter Malnati on the first playoff hole to win the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, and they both locked up their return to the PGA Tour next season. But the big news out of the secondary tour's first of four playoff events might be the man who finished third (are there enough numbers for you in that sentence?). Cameron Davis is a 23-year-old Australian who in 2017 won his nation's championship and also the Web.com's Nashville Open earlier this season. He also secured his card for 2018-19. Come draft day, keep in mind perhaps the next great Aussie golfer.