The scene is set! The ‘finals’ of the PGA Tour kick off this week in the form of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The action kicks off with the Northern Trust from the Liberty National Golf Course this Thursday night and we will have you covered with betting tips throughout the three tournament stretch.
The Northern Trust Betting Tips
Thursday 19th - Sunday 22nd August, Liberty National Golf Course, New York
125 players qualified for the Northern Trust via the season long FedEx Cup standings throughout the PGA Tour season. That number will be whittled down to just 70 after this weekend, before the top 30 players in the standings qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake in a few weeks' time.
The Field
With two wins, including a major championship, Collin Morikawa topped the FedEx Cup Standings and with recently revamped handicapped system in the Tour Championship, he starts as an early favourite to take out the FedEx Cup.
The rest of the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings include the likes of Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Harris English, Jon Rahm, Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen, Justin Thomas and Sam Burns.
Some notable names right on the top 70 bubble who will need a strong performance at the Northern Trust to advance in the playoffs are Bubba Watson, Harold Varner, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott.
Dustin Johnson is a three-time winner at the Northern Trust (formerly known as the Barclays), including last season, where he racked up a monumental 11 stroke victory, shooting 30 under par on his way to a maiden FedEx Cup victory.
The Course
Liberty National, one of the most famous courses in the United States with it’s stunning views of the Statue of Liberty across the bay will play host to the Northern Trust this season. This will be the fourth time it has hosted the opening tournament of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Heath Slocum was the winner back in 2009, while Adam Scott took out the 2013 event and Patrick Reed won in 2019.
The course opened for play in 2006 and will stretch out to just over 7,350 yards for the PGA Tour event. Good course management is key at Liberty National, where a true test encompassing driving, iron play, scrambling and putting will take place.
Betting Tips
Like the look of Patrick Reed as our best bet this week. The No.16 ranked players in the world looks to have been building to something the last few weeks with three top 35 finishes in a row and he is a proven performer at Liberty National, having won back in 2019 and also played well in the Ryder Cup win there a few years ago. Has played 22 events this season with one win, six top 10 finishes and 13 top 25 finishes.
Adam Scott went down in heart-breaking fashion at the Wyndham Championship on the weekend, missing a four-foot putt in the six-man playoff to win the tournament before going on to lose to Kevin Kisner on the next hole. He is playing soe good golf at the moment, having made the cut in his last six straight tournaments including three top 20s. Is a former winner at Liberty and has a fantastic all-around player.
