"Monday" Showdown with Splits: Northern Trust
With an impending hurricane passing through to the east of Liberty National Golf Course on Sunday, the final round of the Northern Trust tournament has been tentatively postponed to Monday. This gives us an extra 24 hours to overanalyze and tinker with our DraftKings Showdown lineups.
Speaking of hurricanes, Saturday’s third round packed a punch of just about everything. Cam Smith blew through the course, demolishing the Liberty National single-round scoring record by shooting an 11-under 60. He gained an amazing 6.3 strokes ball-striking with an average proximity to the hole of 19.5 feet (2nd in the field). Second-round leader and the top-ranked player in the world, Jon Rahm, faltered at times but salvaged a share of the lead going into Monday’s final round. Sitting a couple of shots behind the leaders are a trio of stars in Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, and Viktor Hovland. Then you have the “underdogs” who are fighting for their FedExCup Playoff lives and the right to gain entry into the BMW Championship next week. This group includes the likes of Erik van Rooyen, Tom Hoge, and Harold Varner (among others).
With the course already playing as soft as a pillow, expect more of the same as the current weather forecast predicts 2-4 inches of rain falling in the area tonight and into Sunday. As of now, winds are predicted to be around 10-12 mph range throughout the day on Monday, with potentially higher gusts in the morning. I strongly encourage a weather check tomorrow night for the Jersey City area to see if any weather-wave advantages present themselves.