The second to the last stop of the 2018-19 PGA Tour will take place at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. Many of the best players today will come down to the course to improve their stocks for the upcoming Tour Championship at East Lake. Read on for a breakdown of some of the favorites, sleepers, and long shots for this highly anticipated tournament.
Koepka is tired of golfers who play excruciatingly slow. Meanwhile, you shouldn’t be tired of him always being installed as a favorite in any given tournaments this year. Koepka is a force when he’s out there. Whether he’s ahead or trailing, his presence is definitely felt. Fellow golfers are either catching up on him or nervously checking their rearview mirror as Koepka tries to hunt them down. Koepka only had a T30 finish in the first leg of the FedExCup Playoffs at the Northern Trust tournament, but any fan would tell you he’s the last man you’d want to count out for a huge rebound following a dismal play. Koepka has three wins and eight top 10s in 19 events played on the season.
Rory McIlroy (+800)
McIlroy had a shot at winning last week’s The Northern Trust tournament, but was hobbled with errors in the final round in which he committed seven bogeys. He ended up setting for a T6. For those keeping count, that’s McIlroy’s fourth top 10 finish in his past five starts. Despite his shortcoming in New Jersey, McIlroy remains in solid position to win his second FedExCup title. He won the 2016 edition of the playoffs.
Justin Rose (+1600)
Speaking of former champions, we also have Rose as among the favorites to win at Medinah Country Club. Odds are against him repeating and defending his title, as no one has yet to do it, but at the same time, he has a golden opportunity to become the first man to accomplish the feat. Rose has been solid this season. He’s won once (Farmers Insurance Open) and finished inside the top 10 seven times. In 15 starts, he’s been cut just once and has made the top 10 in three of his last five starts, including a T3 at the US Open.
HIGH VALUE SLEEPERS
Gary Woodland (+5000)
Woodland hasn’t done anything significant since winning the US Open back in June, though, he’s focus has not entirely been on golf lately following his wife’s delivery of their twins. Now that his wife is finally over pregnancy, perhaps Woodland can play a more steadier brand of golf going forward. Woodland has been cut twice and finished no better than a T52 in four tournaments since his US Open victory.
Marc Leishman (+5000)
Leishman struck out at the Northern Trust, as he was among those who were cut. Prior to that, however, he finished third at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Overall, Leishman is having a decent season that includes a win right out of the gate, topping the field at the CIMB Classic back in October. He has seven top 10s in 19 starts this season.
LONG SHOTS
Scott Piercy (+10,000)
Piercy isn’t going to ring bells, but he could rise up to the ranks from time to time. He’s got six top 10 finishes this season, including a T3 at the RBC Heritage and a T2 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. He is also 11th on the PGA Tour in terms of greens in regulation percentage.
Lucas Glover (N/A)
Lucas Glover, remember him? Ten years ago, Glover won the 2009 US Open, which is to this day his only major win. He’s yet to win a tournament this season, but he’s finished inside the top 10 six times and inside the top 25 15 times.
