Another change to the PGA Tour season has the FedExCup Playoffs at only three events instead of four. And the race to the prize begins this week at The Northern Trust, taking place at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. The field is maxed at 125 and this is the only playoff tournament with a cut, so things will get intense. Tiger Woods is scheduled to compete, his first event since missing the cut at The Open. Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy have been the most consistent players on Tour all season and they opened atop the odds board at online sportsbooks.
Odds to Win The Northern Trust at BookMaker.eu
Brooks Koepka +750
Rory McIlroy +985
Jon Rahm +1450
Justin Thomas +1525
Dustin Johnson +1625
Patrick Cantlay +1950
Justin Rose +2525
Tommy Fleetwood +2550
Webb Simpson +2650
Rickie Fowler +2775
Xander Schauffele +3050
Tiger Woods +3525
Adam Scott +3850
Patrick Reed +4250
Tony Finau +4350
Bryson Dechambeau +4525
Collin Morikawa +5250
Jason Day +5525
Billy Horschel +5550
Francesco Molinari +5555
Hideki Matsuyama +5850
Matt Kuchar +6425
Gary Woodland +6625
Jordan Spieth +7125
Louis Oosthuizen +8850
Byeong Hun An +8850
Shane Lowry +9050
Matthew Wolff +9050
Kevin Kisner +9500
Marc Leishman +9525
Rory Sabbatini +9550
Joaquin Niemann +10000
Jason Kokrak +10000
Rafael Cabrera Bello +10050
Alex Noren +10550
Tyrrell Hatton +10550
Sungjae Im +11050
Bubba Watson +11050
Chez Reavie +11050
Phil Mickelson +11050
Si Woo Kim +11050
Ryan Moore +11550
Cameron Smith +11550
Charles Howell III +12050
Lucas Glover +12050
Emiliano Grillo +12050
Brandt Snedeker +12550
Sergio Garcia +12550
Ian Poulter +12550
Andrew Putnam +12550
Keegan Bradley +12550
Jim Furyk +12550
Adam Hadwin +12550
Abraham Ancer +12550
Russell Knox +12550
Brian Harman +13550
JT Poston +13550
Russell Henley +13550
Bud Cauley +13550
Martin Laird +13550
Odds Analysis
Brooks Koepka +750
He leads the FedExCup standings and has been a beast in events with star-packed fields. Remember his play in the majors? In case you don’t he finished fourth or better in all four with a win at the PGA Championship in May. He also topped the field at the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational a few weeks ago and won the CJ Cup earlier this season. Just to give Koepka some added incentive, the points leader gets a head start on the field at the Tour Championship in two weeks.
Tiger Woods +3525
Tiger has fallen far enough down the odds board to make him an interesting pick. We haven’t seen much of him this season and it’s been a crapshoot since his win at The Masters in April. But he’s still the biggest name in the sport and it’s hard to overlook him with a big payout. This will be Tiger’s fifth start since April so he should be well-rested. And he has a solid history at Liberty National with runner-up finishes in both 2009 and 2013. He also needs to perform well in the playoffs to have a chance at defending his Tour Championship title.
Collin Morikawa +5250
The rookie who turned pro just a few months ago has taken the Tour by storm. His T31 at the Wyndham Championship kept him among the top 36 finishers in all seven of his starts. He claimed his first Tour victory last month at the Barracuda and he shouldn’t be in awe of the field since he went T35 at the U.S. Open, ending the tournament with a 69. It might be too much to ask for Morikawa to overtake the field, but we didn’t expect him to make such an impact this early. He’s worth a small wager with a nice payday for a win.
Jason Day +5525
Day hasn’t finished inside the top-40 and he has a MC in his last three starts, so recent form says stay away. He’s actually had a solid season, though, going 14 of 19 with six top-10s and 11 top-25s. What makes Day interesting is his caddie. Stevie Williams toted the bag for Tiger in 2009 and for Adam Scott’s win in 2013. Maybe he’s the good luck charm. Day will need some luck, but he does have the game to overcome the field and he’s a gold mine with a win.
Rory McIlroy +985
The last two events have been frustrating for McIlroy, who missed the cut at The Open and slipped off the pace with a final round 71 in Memphis. He still finished T4 at the Wyndham Championship, but it could have been much better. McIlroy has been the most consistent player on Tour with a pair of wins and 12 top-10s, and he’ll look to parlay that solid play to a strong performance in the playoffs.
Course: Liberty National Golf Club – 7,370 yards, Par 71
Liberty National has come a long way in a short time. Built on an old landfill, among other things, in 2006, the course is hosting just its third PGA Tour event since 2009. The field wasn’t very receptive to the layout at the Barclay’s in that first year, so the course underwent a massive renovation in 2010. Things went smoothly in 2013 and Liberty National will likely be a regular stop in the near future. This is a difficult track with water frequently coming into play, upwards of 90 bunkers strategically placed, and undulating fast greens. The views can be distracting, too, with the downtown New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty visible from nearly everywhere.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, CBS
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