Another Day and another dollar - Jason Day is seemingly unstoppable right now. In his last 4 starts, Day has cruised to 3 wins including his first major at the PGA Championship just two weeks ago. This past weekend’s Barclays provided Day another opportunity to illustrate that Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy aren’t the only young guns that should be talked about when it comes to the future of golf. Now with a chance to be able to become the number 1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) with a win at this week’s second stop of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, are we in store for another fireworks display from the young Aussie?
The Deutsche Bank Championship is a mainstay in the Playoffs; returning to Boston again in 2015, TPC Boston will hopefully provide the drama that the Barclays lacked as Day cruised to a 6-shot victory this past Sunday.
TPC Boston historically has been the easiest stop of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The par 71 course has played under par in the recent history of the event and we can expect to see some low scores and player’s giving themselves to green light on those high risk and high reward shots. The tournament is set to kick off on Friday this week in order to end on Labor Day Monday.
If last week’s leaderboard was any indication, we can expect to see an even mix of long hitter and methodical players contending come Monday. Unlike The Barclays, the ability to hit the fairways might not necessarily be key to winning while the ability to hit greens and putt will be the stats to follow while deciding who to pick as the winner this week.
As always, let’s take a look at who we believe to be the Top 5 Ranked players entering this week while also providing you fantasy golf managers with the Top 5 Sleeper Picks to round out your weekly teams:
Top 5 Power Rankings:
1: Jason Day
If the beginning of 2015 was dominated by Spieth, then the final 2 months of this season has been all about Jason Day. Quite possibly one of the coolest stories of 2015, Day was able to overcome acute vertigo and then go on to win 3 of his last 4 starts. Quite easily the hottest golfer on tour right now, it would be fitting for him to win and claim the top spot in golf going into the final two events of the season.
2: Bubba Watson
Quietly making four top 3’s in his last seven starts, Bubba has been eyeing the FedEx Cup all season. If his putter can heat up this week, Bubba has the ability to go real low real fast.
3: Zach Johnson
Even after winning this year’s British Open, many still don’t consider Zach a contender week in and week out. With a T4 last week, Zach is regaining the form that allowed him to hoist the Claret Jug earlier this season.
4: Henrik Stenson
Seemingly absent in the first ¾’s of the season due to a prolonged battle with flu like symptoms, Stenson is back. After piecing together 4 solid rounds last weekend and finishing solo second. Is tied for the record here after a 22-under tournament showing back in 2013; can Stenson get back on track for 2016 with a win here this week?
5: Jordan Spieth
Having lost the #1 ranking after missing last week’s cut, I wouldn’t snooze on Spieth this week. Expect Spieth to come out ready to prove that he is the real deal. A bounce back week might be in store for this fiery Texan.
Top 5 Sleeper Picks:
1: Matt Kuchar
It’s funny to view Kuchar as a sleeper but quite frankly his 2015 has been quite lackluster. Kuchar seems to perform very well during the playoffs every year; with a 4th place finish here in 2013, this might be the week that “Kuch” gets his name back in the mix.
2: Danny Lee
If it weren’t for Spieth, many more of us would be talking about Danny Lee week in and week out. The kid can flat out play! Will be looking to his putter to add a trophy to the mantle that already holds his winning trophy from this year’s Greenbrier.
3: Jason Dufner
Another big name with a quiet 2015, Dufner hasn’t missed a cut since this year’s Players’. It is time for Dufner to put the off-course drama behind him and finally return his focus to golf.
4: Sang Moon Bae
Only weeks away from hanging his golf clubs up for mandatory military service in his home country of South Korea, Bae has been very upfront that he wants to win one last time. With a strong T6 finish last week, I am pulling for Bae to make his name and story known before the end of this season.
5: Tony Finau
If you don’t know this name by now then you aren’t watching enough golf; his long ball ability can keep him in nearly every event on tour. Watch for Finau to simply blast his drives past any potential danger but it will be up to his putter to put this tournament away come Monday.
Part 2 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is slated to kick off this Friday and it will certainly be filled with drama and storylines. Can Jordan Spieth recover after missing only his second cut in 2015? Will Jason Day continue to cruise to the #1 OWGR this week? Can Rory McIlroy come back from a week off and regain the public’s support? Whatever story you are following, make sure to find some time between BBQ’s to enjoy a frothy beverage and watch this tournament unfold this weekend.