PGA First Look: The Northern Trust
The PGA First Look is complete with a course preview, odds, salaries, Official World Golf Rankings, and course history.
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Event Preview
The first leg of the FedEx Cup Championship is here. For those of you that aren’t familiar with how the playoffs work, there are 125 golfers in the field this week. After the event is over, the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings will move on to play in the Dell Technologies Championships. From there, the top 70 will move on to play the BMW Championship and finally, the top 30 will compete in the finals at the Tour Championship for the $10 million grand prize. If you remember back to last season, Rory McIlroy made an incredible comeback on Sunday at the BMW Championship to edge out Dustin Johnson for the title. Despite a lingering rib injury, McIlroy plans to defend his title and will be in the field this week.
This event has a new name (Northern Trust) and is being played at a new course this season. Glen Oaks Club in New York has never held a PGA Tour event, but they seem up to the task. The superintendent spent many years at Augusta National and was brought over from Bethpage Black (where this event was hosted last season). The course is said to be in great condition and it should provide a tough test of golf. The course itself is a Par 70 that stretches up to 7,350 yards. The fairways are wide, but they play firm and fast. The greens are mostly Poa Annua, but do feature a little bit of Bentgrass. Much like Augusta National, positioning your approach shot on the right part of the green will be critical. If you miss the green, there are plenty of bunkers and plenty of shaved off areas, which will provide golfers a few choices with their chip shots.
For a Par 70 that features only two par fives, this is a lengthy course. Five of the par fours measure over 470 yards with one measuring over 500 yards. One of the par fives should be reachable in two by most (539 yards), while the other will only be reachable by a handful of golfers in the field (625 yards). With no course history to rely on, you will hear different opinions on what type of golfer you should be targeting this week. I don’t like to make assumptions about courses that I’ve never seen, so I’m going to focus on the statistics that I typically look at. Strokes Gained Ball Striking (OTT + Approach) will lead to birdie opportunities, par four scoring is always critical on a Par 70, and the all-around ranking is a good measure of a golfer’s complete game.
Cut Rule:Top 70 and ties will move on after the first two rounds. Golfers who survive the 36-hole cut are guaranteed to play 72 holes.
Recent Winners of this Event:Patrick Reed (2016), Jason Day (2015), Hunter Mahan (2014), Adam Scott (2013), Nick Watney (2012)
Key Statistics (In Order of Importance)
1) Strokes Gained Approach
2) Strokes Gained Off the Tee
3) Birdie or Better %
4) Par 4 Scoring (Take a look at efficiency from 450-500 yards)
5) All-Around Ranking
Salaries, Odds, and Course History (2012-2016)
| Golfer | DK Salary | FD Salary | FDRFT Salary | OWGR | Odds | DK Odds | FD Odds | FDRFT Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Finau | $7,300 | $8,300 | $14,300 | 62 | 70 | 45% | -64% | 0% |
| Francesco Molinari | $7,600 | $7,000 | $14,800 | 14 | 52 | 37% | 32% | 0% |
| Brooks Koepka | $9,100 | $9,200 | $16,600 | 12 | 19 | 33% | 33% | 14% |
| Gary Woodland | $7,000 | $6,500 | $14,200 | 40 | 70 | 59% | 31% | 0% |
| Paul Casey | $9,000 | $9,000 | $15,900 | 17 | 31 | -10% | -10% | 0% |
| Charley Hoffman | $7,900 | $7,000 | $14,400 | 23 | 62 | 5% | 20% | 0% |
| Ian Poulter | $7,000 | $6,300 | $13,900 | 59 | 82 | 52% | 26% | -8% |
| Jon Rahm | $8,900 | $8,900 | $16,200 | 8 | 27 | 9% | 9% | 0% |
| Matt Kuchar | $8,700 | $8,600 | $15,800 | 13 | 35 | 8% | 0% | 0% |
| Justin Thomas | $9,400 | $9,400 | $16,600 | 7 | 20 | 13% | -40% | 0% |
| Graham DeLaet | $6,800 | $5,800 | $12,800 | 91 | 131 | 49% | 21% | 0% |
| Marc Leishman | $8,400 | $7,400 | $14,900 | 27 | 49 | 0% | 20% | -7% |
| Chez Reavie | $6,700 | $5,700 | $12,400 | 122 | 166 | 38% | 0% | -20% |
| Jordan Spieth | $11,200 | $9,900 | $18,200 | 3 | 11 | 33% | 0% | 0% |
| Dustin Johnson | $10,800 | $10,000 | $17,800 | 1 | 13 | 20% | -300% | 0% |
| Daniel Berger | $8,500 | $8,100 | $14,600 | 22 | 59 | -20% | -20% | 0% |
| Branden Grace | $6,900 | $7,200 | $13,900 | 34 | 79 | 64% | -14% | 4% |
| Hideki Matsuyama | $11,500 | $9,600 | $18,300 | 2 | 10 | 0% | 67% | 0% |
| Jason Dufner | $7,600 | $7,500 | $14,000 | 32 | 80 | 4% | -37% | -4% |
| Henrik Stenson | $9,800 | $9,300 | $16,600 | 6 | 21 | -50% | -29% | -29% |
| Kevin Kisner | $8,000 | $7,700 | $14,400 | 24 | 60 | 5% | -6% | 5% |
| Kevin Na | $6,800 | $6,000 | $13,100 | 74 | 108 | 57% | 22% | 0% |
| Webb Simpson | $7,600 | $6,700 | $13,900 | 49 | 81 | 0% | 13% | -4% |
| J.B. Holmes | $7,200 | $7,000 | $13,700 | 52 | 84 | 36% | -20% | 0% |
| Xander Schauffele | $7,000 | $6,000 | $12,900 | 75 | 120 | 29% | 9% | -8% |
| Ryan Moore | $7,100 | $6,600 | $13,500 | 43 | 93 | 34% | 0% | 0% |
| Rory McIlroy | $10,900 | $9,500 | $17,900 | 4 | 13 | 25% | 25% | 0% |
| Charl Schwartzel | $6,900 | $6,800 | $13,300 | 25 | 94 | 51% | -17% | 0% |
| Rickie Fowler | $11,300 | $9,400 | $17,800 | 10 | 13 | -100% | 20% | 0% |
| Brian Harman | $7,000 | $6,100 | $13,600 | 26 | 90 | 45% | 24% | 0% |
| Kevin Chappell | $7,700 | $6,200 | $14,500 | 30 | 63 | 16% | 46% | -11% |
| Jamie Lovemark | $7,400 | $6,100 | $13,100 | 82 | 109 | 5% | 14% | -3% |
| Patrick Reed | $8,600 | $8,400 | $15,300 | 21 | 42 | 0% | -8% | 0% |
| Justin Rose | $8,300 | $8,000 | $14,900 | 15 | 49 | 12% | 6% | 0% |
| Jason Day | $9,700 | $9,300 | $16,700 | 9 | 20 | -14% | -14% | -33% |
| Russell Henley | $7,000 | $5,900 | $12,800 | 56 | 133 | 26% | 12% | -2% |
| Keegan Bradley | $7,500 | $6,100 | $12,900 | 95 | 120 | -25% | 5% | -5% |
| Chad Campbell | $6,900 | $5,800 | $12,300 | 164 | 164 | 19% | -6% | 7% |
| Phil Mickelson | $7,900 | $7,200 | $13,900 | 31 | 82 | -38% | -32% | -12% |
| Bud Cauley | $6,900 | $6,000 | $12,600 | 102 | 133 | 38% | 4% | 7% |
| Zach Johnson | $8,200 | $7,100 | $14,400 | 38 | 65 | -22% | 8% | -10% |
| Bubba Watson | $7,300 | $6,400 | $12,900 | 54 | 113 | 12% | 0% | 3% |
| Louis Oosthuizen | $8,800 | $7,800 | $15,500 | 20 | 40 | -8% | 24% | 0% |
| Brendan Steele | $7,100 | $6,200 | $12,400 | 55 | 164 | -12% | -44% | -14% |
| Charles Howell | $6,800 | $5,800 | $12,200 | 60 | 191 | 16% | -30% | -10% |
| Ben Martin | $6,900 | $5,400 | $12,400 | 186 | 136 | 32% | 33% | 4% |
| Patrick Cantlay | $7,800 | $6,500 | $13,100 | 120 | 113 | -65% | -9% | -9% |
| Lucas Glover | $7,200 | $5,900 | $12,500 | 106 | 152 | -11% | -6% | -8% |
| Robert Garrigus | $7,600 | $4,500 | $12,800 | 180 | 133 | -59% | 59% | -2% |
| Steve Stricker | $7,500 | $6,800 | $12,200 | 77 | 170 | -91% | -110% | 3% |
| Kyle Stanley | $7,500 | $5,700 | $12,300 | 61 | 175 | -94% | -5% | -3% |
| Bill Haas | $7,800 | $6,700 | $12,400 | 37 | 145 | -117% | -61% | -2% |
| Ollie Schniederjans | $8,100 | $6,600 | $13,700 | 96 | 87 | -63% | 6% | -3% |
| Bryson DeChambeau | $6,900 | $5,700 | $12,400 | 87 | 159 | 22% | 8% | -10% |
| Rafael Cabrera-Bello | $7,700 | $7,300 | $12,900 | 18 | 116 | -56% | -86% | -3% |
| James Hahn | $7,600 | $5,700 | $12,700 | 63 | 135 | -70% | 22% | -2% |
| Billy Horschel | $6,900 | $5,900 | $12,400 | 47 | 157 | 23% | -8% | -8% |
| Danny Lee | $6,800 | $5,800 | $11,900 | 88 | 202 | 11% | -38% | -1% |
| David Lingmerth | $6,600 | $5,700 | $12,100 | 105 | 195 | 33% | -22% | -9% |
| Byeong-Hun An | $7,400 | $6,200 | $12,600 | 66 | 140 | -26% | -23% | -4% |
| Pat Perez | $7,000 | $5,800 | $12,400 | 42 | 151 | 12% | 4% | -4% |
| Jason Kokrak | $6,900 | $4,900 | $12,100 | 99 | 186 | 4% | 31% | 0% |
| Kevin Streelman | $7,300 | $5,500 | $11,700 | 126 | 234 | -90% | -19% | 0% |
| Russell Knox | $6,900 | $5,900 | $12,100 | 44 | 188 | 1% | -39% | -3% |
| Jimmy Walker | $7,200 | $6,900 | $12,400 | 39 | 142 | -4% | -75% | 0% |
| Grayson Murray | $6,800 | $5,200 | $12,400 | 89 | 161 | 33% | 31% | -12% |
| Sung Kang | $6,800 | $5,300 | $11,700 | 90 | 225 | 5% | -5% | 3% |
| Jhonattan Vegas | $7,000 | $5,300 | $12,100 | 48 | 193 | -21% | 5% | -6% |
| Harris English | $6,800 | $5,500 | $11,900 | 134 | 218 | 6% | -15% | -7% |
| Stewart Cink | $7,000 | $5,600 | $11,500 | 177 | 254 | -50% | -34% | 0% |
| Martin Laird | $6,700 | $5,700 | $11,700 | 97 | 246 | 12% | -42% | -5% |
| Hudson Swafford | $7,100 | $5,000 | $11,400 | 86 | 246 | -68% | 8% | 6% |
| Sean O’Hair | $7,500 | $5,600 | $12,400 | 72 | 181 | -97% | 3% | -29% |
| Harold Varner | $6,800 | $11,900 | 143 | 194 | 13% | 1% | ||
| Emiliano Grillo | $7,000 | $5,400 | $11,900 | 57 | 234 | -38% | -14% | -11% |
| Adam Hadwin | $7,300 | $6,000 | $12,400 | 50 | 165 | -38% | -29% | -18% |
| Kevin Tway | $6,700 | $5,200 | $11,700 | 185 | 254 | 8% | -9% | -9% |
| Chris Stroud | $7,400 | $5,100 | $12,300 | 151 | 168 | -58% | 29% | 0% |
| Brandon Hagy | $6,700 | $5,000 | $11,400 | 230 | 262 | 5% | 1% | -1% |
| Rory Sabbatini | $7,100 | $12,100 | 331 | 185 | -30% | 2% | ||
| Martin Flores | $7,400 | $11,900 | 225 | 186 | -74% | 8% | ||
| Robert Streb | $6,800 | $5,400 | $12,000 | 133 | 209 | 9% | -7% | -6% |
| Si Woo Kim | $6,600 | $5,800 | $11,700 | 35 | 239 | 24% | -55% | -3% |
| Scott Brown | $6,700 | $5,500 | $11,900 | 127 | 229 | 17% | -18% | -10% |
| Scott Stallings | $7,300 | $4,600 | $11,400 | 223 | 277 | -124% | 9% | -6% |
| Nick Taylor | $6,600 | $4,500 | $11,200 | 199 | 302 | 9% | 8% | -1% |
| Tyrone Van Aswegen | $6,800 | $5,100 | $11,100 | 299 | 284 | -18% | -15% | 2% |
| Luke List | $6,600 | $5,000 | $11,200 | 154 | 304 | 8% | -9% | -2% |
| Cameron Smith | $6,900 | $5,300 | $12,200 | 157 | 182 | 7% | 14% | -2% |
| Anirban Lahiri | $7,500 | $5,200 | $11,900 | 73 | 205 | -131% | 8% | -3% |
| Richy Werenski | $7,100 | $5,400 | $11,800 | 187 | 215 | -52% | -9% | 4% |
| Cheng-Tsung Pan | $6,800 | $5,100 | $11,100 | 162 | 327 | -27% | -24% | -5% |
| Nick Watney | $6,600 | $5,300 | $11,300 | 305 | 279 | 12% | -28% | 0% |
| Wesley Bryan | $7,100 | $5,200 | $11,400 | 41 | 262 | -80% | -13% | -1% |
| Patton Kizzire | $6,600 | $5,000 | $11,700 | 220 | 242 | 23% | 9% | -4% |
| Vaughn Taylor | $6,900 | $5,000 | $11,100 | 198 | 315 | -46% | -11% | -2% |
| Jim Herman | $7,100 | $4,500 | $11,000 | 94 | 313 | -100% | 6% | 6% |
| J.J. Spaun | $6,600 | $5,100 | $11,400 | 146 | 271 | 14% | -11% | -4% |
| Mackenzie Hughes | $6,600 | $5,100 | $10,900 | 114 | 369 | -2% | -31% | -2% |
| Patrick Rodgers | $6,700 | $5,300 | $11,600 | 137 | 259 | 6% | -20% | -3% |
| Morgan Hoffmann | $7,000 | $5,100 | $11,500 | 165 | 252 | -48% | -2% | 1% |
| Blayne Barber | $6,700 | $4,500 | $11,100 | 238 | 331 | -12% | 0% | -7% |
| Camilo Villegas | $7,500 | $4,800 | $11,400 | 362 | 267 | -188% | 7% | -3% |
| William McGirt | $6,900 | $5,300 | $11,000 | 64 | 342 | -57% | -46% | -2% |
| Michael Kim | $6,700 | $4,500 | $10,800 | 240 | 392 | -19% | -7% | 0% |
| Ryan Blaum | $6,800 | $4,700 | $10,900 | 298 | 377 | -35% | -10% | -3% |
| J.J. Henry | $6,600 | $10,900 | 404 | 329 | 3% | 3% | ||
| Chris Kirk | $6,700 | $4,700 | $10,900 | 139 | 365 | -15% | -8% | -1% |
| Seung-Yul Noh | $7,100 | $5,100 | $11,100 | 212 | 331 | -112% | -26% | -7% |
| Geoff Ogilvy | $6,900 | $4,800 | $11,300 | 232 | 279 | -38% | 4% | 0% |
| Luke Donald | $6,600 | $4,900 | $11,100 | 104 | 319 | 6% | -6% | -3% |
| Brian Gay | $7,000 | $4,500 | $11,100 | 210 | 323 | -78% | 3% | -4% |
| Derek Fathauer | $6,700 | $4,500 | $10,800 | 243 | 419 | -22% | -9% | -3% |
| John Huh | $6,700 | $4,500 | $10,900 | 272 | 385 | -18% | -6% | -4% |
| Kelly Kraft | $6,600 | $4,900 | $10,800 | 170 | 396 | -6% | -19% | -1% |
| D.A. Points | $6,700 | $4,600 | $10,700 | 224 | 425 | -23% | -14% | 0% |
| Whee Kim | $6,800 | $4,500 | $10,600 | 192 | 527 | -44% | -11% | 0% |
| Jonas Blixt | $6,700 | $4,600 | $10,800 | 319 | 396 | -20% | -11% | -1% |
| Cody Gribble | $6,600 | $4,500 | $10,500 | 274 | 565 | -10% | -12% | 0% |
| Rod Pampling | $6,600 | $4,500 | $10,500 | 197 | 673 | -11% | -13% | -1% |
Color Coding
Course history in BLUE indicates a top ten finish.
Course history in GREEN indicates a top 25 finish.
Course history in YELLOW indicates a made cut with a finish outside of the top 25.
Course history in RED indicates a missed cut.
Legend
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Site Odds | The percentage differential between a golfer’s salary rank and odds rank. The higher the %, the better. |
| OWGR | Official World Golf Ranking |
| Cuts | Cut record of each golfer at this course in the last five seasons. |
| 2012 – 2016 Columns | Course history at this event in the last five seasons. |