The 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs are set to get underway beginning with the 2017 The Northern Trust (formerly the Barclays). Hideki Matsuyama enters the playoffs atop the FedEx Cup standings and is on a terrific hot streak of late. Can he carry on his impressive form into Round 1 of the playoffs? Read on below for our preview of the key contenders to remember for the 2017 The Northern Trust.
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2017 The Northern Trust Betting Preview
*Find the complete list of the 2017 Northern Trust betting lines HERE!
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Hideki Matsuyama (+900)
Hideki Matsuyama has the lowest odds in a loaded field that includes the likes of Jordan Speith, Rory McIlroy, and Dustin Johnson, and with good reason. The 25-year-old has managed to make an already successful season even better.
He’s finished in the top 15 in each of his last four tournaments, and has been in the top five in three of them. That includes his win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which is his third title of the season.
With that type of outstanding form coming in, the current FedEx Cup points leader looks like a fairly good bet to claim Round 1 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Jordan Spieth (+1,000)
Jordan Spieth has cooled off a bit after his back-to-back wins at the Travelers Championship and The Open Championship. The American went T13 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and was never really in contention at the PGA Championship, where he finished a distant T28.
But that was basically the form Spieth went into prior to his winning streak, so you can never truly count him out. After his mini-dip, don’t be the least bit surprised if Spieth returns to contention once again this weekend.
Rory McIlroy (+1,000)
After announcing that his season might be over due to his ribs injury, McIlroy has opted to continue playing on for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Despite the fact that he’s had six top-10 finishes in 11 events this season, it has to go down as a disappointing season for the Northern Irishman. McIlroy is still in search of his first tournament victory of the season, although he has come close recently with back-to-back top-five finishes.
However, McIlroy has not had the best time in this tournament. He has finished T31, T22, and T19 in his last three starts. His status as one of the top three favorites isn’t justified based on his current play, and as talented as he is, it’s doubtful that Rory finally puts it all together for all four rounds.
Sleeper
Patrick Reed (+4,500)
Reed came oh-so-close to getting his very first career major at the PGA Championship as he finished T2. That was Reed’s best finish this season, where he has only cracked the top 10 in three of his 25 events.
However, has shown in the past that he can be capable of big things, a perfect example of which was when he won this tournament last year. And apart from last year’s win, Reed also went T9 at the Barclays back in 2014.
Reed can be feast or famine based on his performances this season, but with his odds as high as they are, he’s certainly a worthwhile bet to successfully defend his title.
Long Shot
Gary Woodland (+7,500)
After a pretty promising start to his season, Woodland has been in a rut over the past six months. He’s finished inside the top 20 just once during that span, although that was a very good fourth-place finish at the RBC Canadian Open.
But despite that distressing form guide, Woodland is a completely different animal when it comes to this tournament. Woodland has finished in the top 15 of the Barclays in three of the past four years, including a T2 back in 2013 and a T4 last year. There’s just something about the tournament that works for him, and should be a brilliant long shot bet given his appealing odds.
Writer’s Prediction
Spieth (+1,000) bounces back to start the FedEx Cup playoffs with another win.
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