This article is part of our PGA Tour Stats Review series.
The second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs is this week's Friday-Monday Deutsche Bank Championship from TPC Boston, featuring 97 of the top 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings – Danny Willett, Alex Cejka and Kevin Na are not participating. Here's our stats thread.
Patrick Reed, Together Again
Patrick Reed played fairly boring golf Sunday at The Barclays, but on the Black Course and Bethpage State Park, that's exactly what you have to do. Consider this: he ranked sixth in strokes gained-approach to the green, bettering his season rank of 69th. Additionally he was eighth in strokes gained-around the green, and improved on his 58th rank in strokes gained-putting to finish 27th for the week in that category. Now he's qualified for the Ryder Cup, is ninth in the world – on the precipice of being that top-5 he famously said he would be several years ago – and can freewheel it en route to $10 million. I recommend him this week.
How the Other Stars Did
We had a lot of questions about various big name players coming off layoffs. Here's how they did at The Barclays:
Jordan Spieth - He needed to improve his iron consistency and overall round-to-round consistency. The irons showed – he was eighth in strokes gained-approach to the green, but was 54th in that measure around the green, and 34th in putting. He was also hurt by a 31st ranking in strokes gained-off the tee, and hit a couple poor shots at the wrong
The second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs is this week's Friday-Monday Deutsche Bank Championship from TPC Boston, featuring 97 of the top 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings – Danny Willett, Alex Cejka and Kevin Na are not participating. Here's our stats thread.
Patrick Reed, Together Again
Patrick Reed played fairly boring golf Sunday at The Barclays, but on the Black Course and Bethpage State Park, that's exactly what you have to do. Consider this: he ranked sixth in strokes gained-approach to the green, bettering his season rank of 69th. Additionally he was eighth in strokes gained-around the green, and improved on his 58th rank in strokes gained-putting to finish 27th for the week in that category. Now he's qualified for the Ryder Cup, is ninth in the world – on the precipice of being that top-5 he famously said he would be several years ago – and can freewheel it en route to $10 million. I recommend him this week.
How the Other Stars Did
We had a lot of questions about various big name players coming off layoffs. Here's how they did at The Barclays:
Jordan Spieth - He needed to improve his iron consistency and overall round-to-round consistency. The irons showed – he was eighth in strokes gained-approach to the green, but was 54th in that measure around the green, and 34th in putting. He was also hurt by a 31st ranking in strokes gained-off the tee, and hit a couple poor shots at the wrong time. I'd keep him at the ready if needed, but he might not be the strongest pick this week.
Jason Day - Day made a run late, tying for fourth. He ranked seventh in strokes gained-around the green and first in strokes gained-putting, both nice stats to have working for you this week as this Gil Hanse design forces you to be precise in and around the greens.
Adam Scott - Scott tied for fourth on the back of a third-round 65 and in the process ranked fourth in strokes gained-off the tee and first in strokes gained-approach to the green. I recommend him this week.
Rory McIlroy - McIlroy saw his putting woes continue – especially inside five feet. For the week he ranked 77th (in a 120-player field), juxtaposed against a sixth strokes gained-tee to green ranking. Sorry Rory, until this improves, I can't recommend you.
Dustin Johnson - DJ finished T18, decent in key strokes gained stats, hurt most by his 40th-place ranking in strokes gained-putting. Accuracy is more important than prowess this week so if you have other picks that fit that bill, go that way.
The Woe of Rickie Fowler
He was in prime position to qualify for the Ryder Cup on points, and then saw it all slip away. A back-nine 39 cost him the spot and now Fowler has to wait it out the next two weeks. This inability to close – he's now failed on all of his career 54-hole leads on the PGA Tour – is in contrast to a final-round scoring average that ranks 21st for the season, which isn't all that terrible in the grand scheme of things. But if you have a day-by-day league and he's up at the top going into Sunday, I understand the wariness. He lost a total of 2.570 shots to the field in the final round at Bethpage.
Others to Watch
There are no real newcomers or sleepers in an event like this where much of the field moves on from event to event. Thus, notable past champions can be useful for guidance. Fowler is the defending champ, followed by Chris Kirk, Henrik Stenson, McIlroy, Webb Simpson and Charley Hoffman going back to 2010. Mickelson is also a past champion.
Stenson is returning from a knee injury, McIlroy has the putting issues we've chronicled and Simpson has struggled for consistency. That brings us to Hoffman, who ranks 20th in strokes gained-off the tee and 45th in strokes gained-approach to the green for the season. He could be a smart choice if you're looking for ball strikers.
The Weather
Tropical Storm Hermine could lead to some interesting conditions this weekend. Sunny skies and light winds will be around until Sunday, when the winds pick up and the rain starts. Monday is predicted to be wet and windy, with temperatures in the 70s. But that could all change depending on Hermine's track.
