The FedExCup Playoffs are in the end right here! First stop, the Northern Trust (formerly known as The Barclays and the Western Open).
The protecting champion is Bryson DeChambeau but I assume it's crucial to word that he received at Ridgewood Country Club, no longer Liberty National Golf Course. While each are in New Jersey, the triumphing ratings at Ridgewood have continuously been lower -- relatively so -- than at Liberty, which has best hosted the occasion two times.
Just for the file, the protecting champ for this event at Liberty is Adam Scott (2013).
Liberty National is anticipated to play as a par-71 measuring 7370 yards. Its slope rating is 155 vs the 130 I observed on a PGA Tour scorecard for Ridgewood. Even in case you don't apprehend slope rankings (the higher the slope, the tougher the path), you can see that Liberty is plenty more difficult.
I suppose it is critical right here, and so it affects my alternatives.
- My Top10er is Rory McIlroy. If I remember correctly, Liberty is very close to New York Harbor and doesn't have much in the way of windbreaks like trees -- giving it the appearance of a links course although it doesn't play like one -- so driving is going to be extremely important. Rory's game has been in great form all year, so his driver should be an important weapon for him this week. I like him to make a strong run for the title.
- And my winner is... who else? Brooks Koepka. A long tough course where scores tend to be around -10 and driving is more important than usual? Sure sounds like a Koepka dream to me! And after a couple of weeks off (following his WGC win, of course) I think he'll try to eliminate all other contenders from the POY race.
0 comments