This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
The Northern Trust
Norton, Massachusetts
TPC Boston - Par 71 - 7,308 yards
Field - 123 entrants
Purse - $9.5M
The Preview
Early withdrawals from Vaughn Taylor (ribs) and World No. 7 Brooks Koepka (knee/hip) have the PGA Tour's remaining player pool now trimmed down to just 123 entrants for the Northern Trust as the FedExCup Playoffs commence. TPC Boston returns to the rotation after just a year-long hiatus in 2019, as the site previously played host to the Dell Technologies Championship and more memorable Deutsche Bank Championship during the last two decades. The incentive to continue advancing throughout the playoffs is massive with a $15M payout awaiting the champion at East Lake in early September, while the entire prize pool is a cool $60M.
Recent Champions
*Dell Technologies/Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston*
2018 - Bryson DeChambeau
2017 - Justin Thomas
2016 - Rory McIlroy
2015 - Rickie Fowler
2014 - Chris Kirk
2013 - Henrik Stenson
2012 - Rory McIlroy
2011 - Webb Simpson
2010 - Charley Hoffman
Key Stats to Victory
Proximity
SG: Off-the-Tee
GIR percentage
SG: Putting (bentgrass)
Yahoo Value Picks - based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Bryson DeChambeau - $45
The Dell Technologies Championship's final victor, DeChambeau finished top-10 in driving distance, fairways in regulation, GIR percentage and par-5 scoring while also compiling 24 par-breakers en route to his win at TPC Boston in 2018. He's obviously added even more power to his arsenal since then, ranking first among the Northern Trust field in SG: Off-the-Tee over his last 26 measured rounds, though he's also second in SG: Putting during this same time frame. On the season, DeChambeau is second to none in SG: OTT, driving distance, birdie average, putting from inside 10 feet and par-4 scoring.
Patrick Reed - $41
Reed has never missed a cut in six career TPC Boston appearances, notably stringing together three straight top-6 finishes here from 2015 through 2017. He's now coming off probably the best ball-striking performance of his season after gaining a combined nine strokes off the tee and on approaches last week at the Wyndham Championship, ultimately tying for ninth in Greensboro on the heels of another top-15 at the PGA Championship. Reed possesses one of the best short games in golf, but he's also gained strokes off the tee in seven of his last eight starts.
Glue Guys
Jason Day - $34
Day's cost against the Yahoo salary cap still hasn't caught up to his recent form, arriving at TPC Boston without a finish worse than a T7 throughout his past four starts. He's first in SG: Total and fifth in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds dating to a top-5 performance at the Memorial Tournament. Day will be an attractive choice this week for many gamers, especially considering he owns a trio of top-10s and seven top-25s at TPC Boston since 2010.
Billy Horschel - $30
Horschel, who won both the BMW and TOUR Championships in 2014 on the way to becoming the FedExCup champion, has made it no secret that he thrives this time of year. The former Florida Gator fell one shot shy of winning the Wyndham Championship last week, ranking second in SG: Putting and 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green as he recorded four scores of 66 or better. Horschel tied for second at TPC Boston during that special run in 2014 as well, and he's red-hot with the putter right now.
Bargain Bin
Si Woo Kim - $20
Regardless of potentially inflated popularity in lineups this week, it'd be foolish not to include Kim here at essentially no cost after the ball-striking clinic he put on last week at the Wyndham Championship where he ranked third in both SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green despite several costly mistakes during Sunday's final round. He also led the entire field in putts per GIR at Sedgefield Country Club on the way to 26 total par-breakers and a T3 finish. Kim's Wyndham performance was highlighted by an ace on the par-3 third in Round 3, and he would continue to stick his approaches close all day en route to an eight-under 62 that gave him a two-shot lead after 54 holes. Kim is 3-for-3 in cuts made at TPC Boston, including a T15 during his debut at the venue in 2016.
Russell Henley - $20
Ranking second among the Northern Trust field in SG: T2G and SG: Approach since the restart in June, Henley's gained an average of 5.2 strokes per tournament with his irons over his past five starts and has gained at least 7.1 total strokes from tee to green in four events during this span. He's collected top-10s at the Workday Charity Open and most recently the Wyndham Championship, playing his final 36 holes in 12-under-par with 13 birdies to just one bogey. Additionally, Henley tied for second at TPC Boston in 2014.
Talor Gooch - $20
Gooch enters the second playoff appearance of his career inside of the top-70 in the FedExCup standings thanks in part to three top-25 finishes in his last four starts dating to the 3M Open, posting exceptionally solid numbers in terms of proximity from 150-plus yards as of late. He's also gained strokes with the flat stick in five consecutive events, up to 36th on Tour in putting from inside 10 feet this season. Last week at Sedgefield CC, Gooch hit over 80 percent of the greens in regulation while ranking T16 or better in driving distance and accuracy.
